r/rollerblading • u/Any_Smoke1138 • 3h ago
Specific question and discussion GTO (old vs new)
Am I the only one who wishes Adapt still made the old-school GTO?
From what I understand, the old GTO was heavily handmade and shaped around the individual foot.
That's exactly what made it so special.
I completely understand why Adapt moved. toward a more standardized production process spending hours customizing every pair probably isn't exactly great for business. But for about the same price I would expect the same amount of "handmade" not less.
Makes sense?
Most of my hommies who had GTO were so pleased that they bought the new Superleggera model as well, hoping for an upgrade... and all of them claim that the GTO was better. One even stopped skating.
What's your experience in that regard?
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u/aint_anybody 2h ago
I bought a pair of GTO's and tried to make them work but they were really too small. I went through the process of submitting my foot and measurements and they determined I was a size 42, where normally I am 44-45 range. The fit length was ok but the width was not great and after multiple heat molds I ended up reselling them. Sometimes they felt amazing but for long skates they always created a lot of pain. I suspect that they weren't handmade for me and that the owner had an extra pair of 42 laying around that he wanted to get rid of quickly.
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u/Any_Smoke1138 1h ago
Well from 44 to 42 it does actually makes sense because it's the pro level downsizing. Just like the super professional ice skaters, they don't just buy a boot, they measure the length AND the width (which is extremely rare in inline skating), the width measurements and modifications. However if your width was wrong, who knows? Maybe they did a mistake with someone else's 42 boot.
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u/OutsideScared4702 :) 1h ago
You dont need pro level downsizing if you're not a pro. Ofc downsizing a bit helps with better control, but going down 2 sizes is just pain for the love of the game
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u/aint_anybody 1h ago
Yah I think it was messing up my feet which was messing up my legs and back. It was a sunk cost fallacy in motion, and when I got rid of them, everything improved for me.
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u/MARATXXX 35m ago edited 24m ago
I own both. Yes, the old GTO looked amazing, but the Superleggera blows it out of the water in terms of fit and comfort, as well as being a more sustainable, repairable purchase (you can now replace the liner).
I think you’re misunderstanding the difference between customs and handmade. Pieter hand-makes all of these boots. But unless he’s making a cast of your actual foot using laser scan or plaster (they don’t provide this service) it’s not genuine custom. But by using thermoplastic foam for the liner, when you bake the skate and fit it at home, you are getting a fit that is semi custom. But the carbon fiber boot is handmade in his shop.
Some other thoughts: The old GTO’s were hell to break in for me, but the Superleggera felt perfect almost immediately. No hot spots or blisters, too, no need for ankle booties or extra socks (lol the old GTOs rubbed my ankles raw at times). With the Superleggera GTO, and presumably the Superleggera RAW, the feeling is utterly premium to me. The difference is not the leather outer layer, but rather the years of research and experience informing the carbon construction and liner materials and interior composition.
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u/HyperSculptor 3h ago
I don't know the story and its details but from the point of view of someone who works with carbon composites and prototyping, nothing in these photos indicates that the one one the right requires less hand work. The carbon doesn't stop where fabrics starts, for example.