# 2010 S-Works shoes BOA - come on Specialized



## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

*2010 S-Works shoes BOA*

Someone previous asked how robust the BOA system on the 2010 S-Works shoes is. For me, not very. I've had mine about a year, and the upper system on the right shoe no longer latches, and the left upper is also clearly on its last leg. Supposedly the BOA system on 2010 shoes has a lifetime warranty, but I really don't want to deal with the hassle. Go to the online store - great. Not only are the replacements only available in generic black or white (the ones on shoes have color accents), but of course both colors are "out of stock." So basically I'm stuck with a $350 pair of shoes I cannot wear until Specialized gets around to restocking this item which apparently doesn't hold up very well to normal use. From the BOAtechnology site, only available in black. My shoes are white. Hopefully I'll be able to just replace the mechanism and retain the white cap/cover (can't take it apart since I don't have the tool)?

_edit: reading the BOAtech site I can handle warranty replacement directly there. _

I'll update this as I solve it.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

OK, pretty easy to make the warranty claim at BOAtechnology.


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## wetpaint (Oct 12, 2008)

Something must be wrong with your BOAs to be bad after only one year. I had a pair of shoes that went 4 years before I finally broke one of the cables. My Current shoes with teh newer BOA system still work like new after a year of riding.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

> Something must be wrong with your BOAs to be bad after only one year.


Yep. That's what warranties are for. 

My last set of S-Works shoes had 20,000+ miles on them, and the BOAs on those lasted 3+ years before I had to replace them. I'm using them until I get my replacements.


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## alexp247365 (Dec 29, 2009)

The 2010 Boa 'lace' is made from a microfiliment material, where the 2011 Boa 'lace' is more like a steel braid.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Replacements arrived Thursday, so not bad. From the design and my issue, it does look like I'll be able to retain my knobs. Here's a picture of the issue. On my 2006/2007 S-Work shoes, the latching mechanism used metal. Here, all plastic. I'm in and out of my shoes twice a day, at least five times a week. Based on the design, not surprised they failed, and they clearly will again. For those of you that want to prevent a week without shoes, it might be worth buying a couple of replacements (they're $4 each) so you have them handy for when they fail.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

> The 2010 Boa 'lace' is made from a microfiliment material, where the 2011 Boa 'lace' is more like a steel braid.


Right. These are definitely mono-filament. My older S-Works used a plastic-coated steel braid.


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## Dr_John (Oct 11, 2005)

Plus, I took the opportunity to swap out the corroded chrome knob screws with the black ones. Much nicer, IMO:


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## Bob29er (Jul 19, 2010)

Take them apart and clean them every now and then. All that dirt my be why they failed.


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## motoricker (May 9, 2010)

Where did you go for the replacement dials and screws ? 
Did you contact BoaTechnology or Specialized or a LBS ? 

Thanks.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

motoricker said:


> Where did you go for the replacement dials and screws ?
> Did you contact BoaTechnology or Specialized or a LBS ?
> 
> Thanks.


In his second post, Dr_John mentions a warranty claim at BOA technology.

Here's a link to the "redeem guarantee" page.
http://www.boatechnology.com/guarantee

Once there, if you scroll down you'll see "Restrictions and Additional Details". Click on "redeem guarantee" to get to the form used to submit your claim.


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## roadie01 (Apr 13, 2010)

At $4 each for replacement I'd just keep a couple around and replace them as needed. Last time I checked an inner tube is more than $4 and I go through close to a dozen a year. Even if you had to replace the mechanism once a year it's still less than replacing a tube after a flat.


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## tonytourist (Jan 21, 2009)

I'm glad that my 09s are still going strong


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## thatdrewguy (Aug 7, 2009)

Dr John,
Which Boa did you order? Neither of these seems to be for the 2010 S-works. The top knob is for the 2010 BG S-works and the lower for the 2011.


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