[QUOTE=WhyFi;22167855]Don't leave Boas out of the conversation - what are we, plebes?!
/QUOTE]
I own one pair of riding shoes with Boa closures, and I will go out of my way to avoid buying them again. The shoes are three years old, probably get used about 6000 miles per year, and I have replaced the Boa dials (I think) four times; the last two sets of Boa dials lasted less than a few months each before one or the other stopped unspooling (to get out of the shoes). Junk. Even though Boa will send free replacements, at some point it is just too much hassle.
My Shimano road shoes, on the other hand, have three velcro straps, which still work fine -- I have two identical pairs, both about 16 years old -- between them, they probably have 65k miles...And the straps all work just fine.