Ride Insano Review

Hello and welcome to my Ride Insano review.

In this review I will take a look at the Insano as freeride snowboard boots.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Insano a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freeride boots.

Overall Rating

Boots: Ride Insano

Price: $489 (USD recommended retail)

Style: Freeride 

Flex Rating: Stiff (10/10)

Flex Feel: Stiff (10/10)

Rating Score: 89.4/100

Compared to other Freeride Boots

Overview of the Insano’s Specs

Who are the Insanos Most Suited to?

The Insanos are best suited to anyone who wants a seriously stiff boot. Those who prefer stiff boots, and want something to help drive their setup hard. 

Best matched with stiffer boards and bindings, so if that's your setup and you're looking to compliment it, then the Insano are a good bet, IMO. 

Only recommended for advanced to expert riders. Certainly not for beginners and not for most intermediate riders either, IMO. 

The Insano in More Detail

Board Demoed With: Rossignol One LF 2018

Bindings Demoed With: Burton Malavita

Outersole Length:  31cm (mondo 28cm)

Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3cm

Backstay Height: 29.1cm

Weight: 1040 grams*

* Average of a sample of boots I weighed was 1006 grams, so a just a little heavier than the average, but pretty close to average. Heaviest were 1320 grams and lightest were 740 grams. Stiffer boots tend to be heavier, so for thei flex, they are quite light. 

Flex

The Insano are some of the stiffer boots I've ridden. They are pretty much as stiff as they come in terms of soft boots. 

Fit

Overall they fit my feet well. But of course every foot is different. 

Width: Medium. They're not particularly wide, so not suitable for those with wide feet, I wouldn't say, but they're not overly narrow either. 

True to Size?: For me they're true to size. I usually ride 10s, and I was a good fit in the 10. 

High or Low Arch: A relatively low arch but pretty normal. I could feel it on the top of my right foot (which has a higher arch than my left foot). After heat molding and then riding for a bit, that went away though.   

Responsiveness

The Insano is the type of boot that you've got to put energy into. But once you do, they reward you.

They made my overall ride less maneuverable at slower speeds vs my Vans Aura (control boots) and vs the Ride Trident and most other boots, but that typically comes with the territory with stiffer boots. 

But they also enabled me to drive my carves harder and deeper and hold them for longer vs most boots out there. And they just felt better riding at speed.

So you trade off some maneuverability at slower speeds for some serious carving and speed. 

Heel Hold

I got really good heel hold from the Insano. Sure, there are some boots that have given a little more, but not by much and the Insano's heel hold was more than enough. 

Adjustability

The upper and lower boa sections are quite independent of one another, so you get that ability to tighten the lower and upper sections separately. 

Other than that there's a pretty standard liner harness tightening system, but all round good adjustability. 

Let’s Break up this text with a Video

Comfort

There's nothing that feels overly plush about these boots, but they're all round really comfortable. 

I found no pressure points when riding or on the lift and there was no cramping or anything like that - which are the main things. I could have ridden them all day, which isn't always something you can say about new boots, especially stiff ones. 

Of course, comfort is really dependent on the individual, but I found them nice and comfortable. 

Shock Absorption

You can feel a bit of chatter in these boots, but overall they absorb shock and chatter pretty well. 

Traction

The sole looks and feels sturdy and just really high quality and they felt grippy when walking in them. Plenty of good rubber in there, so they would likely last a good while too.  

Reduced Footprint

They boots I rode in were about average in terms of reduced footprint. The outer boot is 3cm longer than the stated mondoprint for the boot. So not overly low profile, but certainly not long either. 

Entry/Exit

Pretty easy overall to get in and out of. 

You've got some velcro straps to deal with as well as the liner harness for the inner boot. But I like the feel of the velcro straps in there, so it's worth the few seconds of extra time to get those in place. And there's a little tab that the harness lacing  connects to, which can take some getting used to, but otherwise easy. 

The outer boot is super easy, with just the 2 boa coils to tighten. Sure, it's slower than one boa coil - but only by a tiny bit and that extra adjustability is well worth the time. 

The only thing to be careful with, with the outer boot is that the tongue can ride over top of the shell of the boot. So, you've just got to make sure that's tucked in properly before cranking down those boas. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Insano's are super stiff and highly responsive boots that aren't for casual riders beginner or anyone looking for a flexible boot. 

But if you want to ride fast, aggressive and have the board and bindings to do it, then the Insanos are a great option, particularly if you're looking for a stiff boa boot that's good across all areas.