Blade mounting

[michelle K]

I recently had Ultima blades mounted on a pair of GAM.
Everything seems to be fine with the mounting except that the blades are not sitting tightly on the bottom of the boots. It seems blade plates are flat and the bottom of the boots are not.
Should I keep skating or do I need to remount the blades so that there is no visible gap? I don't think the person who mounted the blades thinks much of it. Does anyone else have this problem?

[Debbie S]

I think there's supposed to be a gap, since the sole of the boot, as you mentioned, is not a flat surface. What matters is that the person mounting your blades had you walk on them to see how you bear your weight, and then mounted the blades at a position where you can skate straight and use your edges. The blades should be tightly screwed on, though. If you feel them moving along the sole as you skate, then you definitely need to have them screwed tighter.

If you feel you can't use one/both of your edges, or that you're leaning on one edge when you're trying to skate on flats, then they probably need to be readjusted.

[garyc254]

When I had my blades mounted, I saw the gaps, too. The shop that mounted my blades said I should skate in them for a couple of months to make sure the blades were adjusted properly, then to bring them back for "sealing".

Sealing was nothing more than a bead of silicon sealer worked into the edges of the plate and the gaps to keep moisture out. He dried the plate area with a blow dryer first, then used his fingers to apply the sealer.

I'm not sure if the sealing really helps the boots/blades last longer, but the logic of keeping the moisture out of the gaps made sense.

[Elsy2]

My daughter and I both have Ultimas. As for my blades, the back edge of the front soleplate is not flush with the boot. I recall that my daughter's blades had even more gaps, particularly at the toe at first. We tightened the blades periodically over the first few months, and they became more flush with the soles over time.

When Ultima first came on the scene, their website recommended sanding the soles flatter prior to mounting, however, my skateguy advised that this was not always necessary. It was not necessary for either of our pairs of skates. Daughter has Harlick's and I have SP-teri's.

I absolutely love my Ultima blades, and hope you will too!

[michelle K]

Thanks.

I think I'm gonna seal the edges of the plate. I did put on waterproofing wax before mounting the blades, but noticed that the bottom of th boots gets visibily wet around the plates when I get off the ice.

Elys2, I love my Ultima (Vantage, which I heard was discontinued a while ago), except that I almost tripped on toe picks a couple of times. It was very scary at first. My friends who got themselves Ultina Protege also adore them.