I thought it was possible that by the time I got to the C4 I may have been more warned up and that was why it felt so quick so I again tried the first two boots and again they just felt sluggish and a little uncomfortable. Then back to the C4 and again with the first step they were just fast. I then started to compare the C4 to the currently good working boots I had and one of those boots was the 2005 R2. The 2005 R2 worked well but had less ankle support, not ideal for all the 90 and 100mm frames coming on to the market. I then compared it to the 2003 R2 and the C4 compared closer to it as the 2003 R2 was a more supportive loose heeled boot like the C4.
Just to recap, from other articles on this site, if you want to run a big wheeled frame you have to use a higher cut boot and if you have a higher cut boot you have to leave the lower heel a little loose from side to side in the boot to allow a higher cut boot to work. I learned this after building boots on top of boots to test this principle. Now if you want an efficent tight heeled boot it has to then be a lower cut boot and then you are stuck with a lower profile frame. I went into this because the C4 having ample support and the loose heel that a more supportive boot needs this is the perfect boot for the higher profile frames coming on to the market. I was having trouble finding a boot to refer people to for this application with the Verducci boots almost gone and now the 2003 R2 being gone.
The 2004 R2 went in the exact opposite direction of the 2003 R2. It was a very unsupportive tight heeled boot, this is good if you were willing to put a lower profile frame on but people were putting higher profile frames on it and failing. Well the 2005 R2 came back towards the 2003 R2 as it had a little more support than the 2004 but it kept the tight heel. Still not the boot for 90 and 100mm wheeled frames. I would have to say the C4 boot is the 2003 R2 and Vervucci boot on steroids. I would have to say it is the best boot at this time for 90 and 100mm frames.
The 2005 R2 with it's tight heel is a more efficient boot than the C4 but you are stuck with a lower profile frame on the 2005 R2 as it is simply not supportive enough for the higher frames. So for my low cut efficient boot I have my R2 2005 on a lower profile frame, then for my mid cut boot that I can put lower or higher profile frames on I now have the C4 and then for my high cut boot I have the R4 which again I can put on a lower or higher profile frame.
Now for some new additions: Where the buckle gets attached to the boot there are protective ridges built around the buckle to protect the buckle from falls or anything that would normally cause a buckle to be broken off the boot. I know broken buckles are an issue for indoor skaters, this boot should take care of that problem. You can't see it in the picture but the ridge comes up quite high around the buckle
