Thirty Two TM-TWO Review

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the TM-2 are capable of.

Demo Info

Boots: ThirtyTwo TM-2 2025

Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)

Date: December 18, 2024

Boot to Boot Fit

In-House testing: Overall snug, but no obvious pressure points.

On-Snow testing: Overall tighter than ideal but after a not-too-uncomfortable break in period, they should fit and feel just right. 

Length Fit:

In-House testing: Just brushing the edge standing up straight, then pulls back a touch on leaning forward. So, just right. Tiny bit of pressure on top of big toe (my longest toe), but nothing too bad. Otherwise tops of toes is fine. There’s not heaps of wiggle room (less than my control boots), but there’s a little. Enough.

On-Snow testing: Length-wise they felt good. My toes felt like they were not quite touching the ends but there's definitely no chance for my foot to move around inside the boot. A little bit of wiggle room for the tops of the toes but overall they had a little less room for the top of the foot and toes.

Width Fit:

In-House testing: There’s no room for the forefoot to move side to side, but there’s also zero pressure there. I would say probably medium. For toes there’s a bit of space on the sides, but not quite as much as with my control boots.

On-Snow testing: Boot felt snug against forefoot, but not putting any pressure on it. A little room to the sides of the toes but overall they feel a little narrower than my control boots. I would say medium width-wise. 

In-Step:

In-House testing: There’s some pressure – it’s snug to the instep, but there’s nothing uncomfortable about it.

On-Snow testing: A little more pressure on in-step than my control boots, but nothing that was seriously uncomfortable or anything. 

Around Ankles:

In-House testing: A little bit of pressure on the inner ankle. Virtually nothing on the outer ankle. In contrast my control boots which have a little on the outer ankle and not inner ankle. On the TM-2 it’s nothing too major though and I would imagine would mold away over time or with a heat mold.

On-Snow testing: Pressure around the inner ankle bone was the most uncomfortable part of these boots. That pressure would ease with time and these boots would pack out and mold to fit my feet well, I would say. 

True to Size?: 

In-House testing: Just right in the 10, so I would say true-to-size. I couldn't have fit this boot in a smaller size, but the larger size would pack out too much over time, most likely. It was on the tighter side at first try on, in the 10, but it was nothing crazy. It would be comfortable enough from day 1, without being ultra comfortable but then break in to be just right, I would say.

On-Snow testing: Felt snugger than ideal to start with, but would mold and pack out to be just right in the 10, IMO. 

Boot to Binding Fit

Heel width: Good fit. Easy to get heel back into the heel cup of the bindings, but not too much space in there. Very similar to my control boot’s fit (I had the left binding on the Response (control boot) and right binding on the TM-2).

Toe width: Again good fit. A little bit of space but not much. Again, pretty much same as control boots.

Ankle Strap: Would need to lengthen the ankle strap by 1-2 notches to get the best fit.

Toe Strap: Fit well as is. Doesn’t fit exactly the same as my control boots, but not something that I needed to adjust.

Carving/Slow Speed Response

Struck a pretty ideal balance between stability and force for higher speed carves and easy maneuverability for quick turns at slow speeds. It was the best of both worlds in that sense and made for great all round riding whether in trees, on steeps, bombing it or riding more casual, etc. 

Heel Hold

In-House: Felt just a bit better at holdiing my heel down than my control boots. And my control boots have really decent heel hold. Very minimal lift.

On-Snow: Heel hold really good throughout testing. Didn't loosen over time and very minimal lift all-round. 

Adjustability

Upper lower separation: Really good for adjusting the tightness at different sections of the boot - one of the main strengths of traditional lacing. 

Ease of tightening the inner boot: Normal. It has 2 velcro straps. One that attaches first to the shin of the liner, then the second one attaches over top of the first one. So there’s a bit of time there, but it helps to get a pretty good snug fit. The Lacing harness is normal. But o way of adjusting liner tightness without first undoing the shell lacing. I didn't personally notice any need to re-tighten the linier during my testing though. 

Other factors: The TM-2 comes with a heel hold kit (essentially little round foam pieces that slot into the liner around the ankle to reduce space around the ankle and therefore increase heel hold, if needed. I found the heel hold really good as it was, but even if I didn't, this kit would allow you to improve that heel hold to get the best possible fit in that sense. 

So overall, there's enough adjustability that you should be able to get them fitting your feet at least decently well. 

Comfort

In-house: They felt tight, but the overall comfort felt decent. 

On-Snow: Despite being the least comfortable boots I rode on the day, they were the boots that I enjoyed riding in the most. That perfect balance of carving and slow speed turns really made these boots feel great in any situation. But I digress, this section is on comfort. 

A bit of discomfort around ankles and on the top of my feet, particularly inner ankles though. In my experience this would dissipate over time and become more comfortable. My left foot was cramping a touch, but nothing major. 

Shock Absorption

In-House: During stomp test, they felt very similar to my control boots. Maybe even slightly damper. This is the end of the road for my control boots and they will be changed this season, but still felt like the TM-2 had really decent dampening. 

On-Snow: Felt very similar to control boots. Absorbed shock and chatter well. 

Board Feel

As is typical of 32 boots, in my experience, they had quite a rigid, almost unarticulated feel to them to start with. But after a few minutes riding in them, they began to get a more natural feel.

Overall really decent board feel by the end - and things like butters and ollies felt natural and fairly easy to initiate. 

Traction/Sole Quality

Sole seems to be good quality material. I would say slightly deeper than average tread depth. It’s a Michelan sole (Michelan Fibrelite Outsole) and seems to be predominantly rubber. All the brown part of sole seems to be rubber, so should be fairly durable and grippy. 

Reduced Footprint

The TM-2 have a pretty small footprint. I measured the sole (from estimate contact point on toe to estimated contact point on heel) to be 30.4cm - so just 2.4cm longer than the Mondopoint of the boot. 

In addition the toe bevel was on the higher end of average, and the toe bevel just on the smaller end of average. Overall average bevel. 

Entry/Exit

Was normal for getting foot in, but needed to open it right out to achieve that. Takes some time with the lacing system, but can get it nice and loose with time. Then there's that double Velcro strap (see adjustability for more) to tackle, then a typical liner lacing harness. The toggle is medium quality I would say.

Then shell uses traditional lacing. Nothing that stands out about the traditional lacing - pretty standard. So, overall pretty easy to get on, so long as you have the strength to pull the laces tight - but not a particularly fast process.