jenlyon60
06-27-2004, 02:29 PM
Was down at my neighborhood skate shop today for sharpening... Got to see and try on one of the redesigned boots that Jackson has been working with UDel on. This pair didn't have blades, so didn't get to try them on the
ice, just sitting/standing in the shop. Also, this pair was a model made before Jackson/UDel added the buckles. The non-buckle version was fitted with 2 pairs of laces per boot...one pair for the shoe part of the boot, and one pair for the upper/ankle part of the boot. Which made me wonder if I could get something approaching some of the benefits of the new boot design by using 2 pairs of laces for each boot...
Some comments....
1. Very comfortable. I reckon there will be next to no break-in with a pair of these, compared to what most of us are used to, with the current traditional boots. One has "instant" knee bend and toe point (great for dancers) and I felt (standing w/o blades) like I had good lateral support. I will comment that I wouldn't know 100% for sure about the amount of lateral support unless I had a pair fitted for my foot with blades mounted that I could try out on the ice. But I could clearly imagine skating the mid to upper level dances in them, and in fact, would love to do the Blues and Paso in them.
On another chat board, there was a big discussion about the stress on the buckles... From what I saw, trying these on, because of the hinge and the tongue design (which is
much different than a traditional skating boot tongue), there won't be nearly as much stress put on the front of the boot because of the hinge, as with the boots we're wearing now. I reckon that there will be a lot less
"lace bite" and stress of the tendon that runs down the top of the foot. From a looks perspective, I would have to see what the boot with the buckle actually looks like, to comment on that. The boot I tried on had the metal
hinge pivot point very noticeable on both sides of the boot, and the skate shop technician commented that one of the complaints with this design came from dancers with neat foot placement. Supposedly the company is modifying
the hinge appearance so that the metal "screw" or pivot is covered over somehow. I'm not a freestyler, so I can't comment totally on stress against the front of the boot, but with easier ankle bend, I would think that there would be less stress against the front of the boot.
3. I could clearly see that a skater would have some adjustment issues for these boots, when first changing over to them. Because of all the ankle flex (and resulting knee bend) available with these boots, it would be very easy to have the weight too far forward on the blade. I think also that it would also be a bit of adjustment in terms of using the rocker of the blade together with the enhanced knee/ankle bend, especially for 1-foot turns. I would reckon that these boots would work best with a flatter blade, such as Pattern 99, or Coronation Comet, or any of the Ultima blades. (As I recall, Patterns and the Ultimas all have 8 foot radii, and Comets have 8 1/2' radii.)
I said to the technician that I would be interested in trying a pair when they become commercially available (supposedly the big marketing push will come around the time of US Nationals).
ice, just sitting/standing in the shop. Also, this pair was a model made before Jackson/UDel added the buckles. The non-buckle version was fitted with 2 pairs of laces per boot...one pair for the shoe part of the boot, and one pair for the upper/ankle part of the boot. Which made me wonder if I could get something approaching some of the benefits of the new boot design by using 2 pairs of laces for each boot...
Some comments....
1. Very comfortable. I reckon there will be next to no break-in with a pair of these, compared to what most of us are used to, with the current traditional boots. One has "instant" knee bend and toe point (great for dancers) and I felt (standing w/o blades) like I had good lateral support. I will comment that I wouldn't know 100% for sure about the amount of lateral support unless I had a pair fitted for my foot with blades mounted that I could try out on the ice. But I could clearly imagine skating the mid to upper level dances in them, and in fact, would love to do the Blues and Paso in them.
On another chat board, there was a big discussion about the stress on the buckles... From what I saw, trying these on, because of the hinge and the tongue design (which is
much different than a traditional skating boot tongue), there won't be nearly as much stress put on the front of the boot because of the hinge, as with the boots we're wearing now. I reckon that there will be a lot less
"lace bite" and stress of the tendon that runs down the top of the foot. From a looks perspective, I would have to see what the boot with the buckle actually looks like, to comment on that. The boot I tried on had the metal
hinge pivot point very noticeable on both sides of the boot, and the skate shop technician commented that one of the complaints with this design came from dancers with neat foot placement. Supposedly the company is modifying
the hinge appearance so that the metal "screw" or pivot is covered over somehow. I'm not a freestyler, so I can't comment totally on stress against the front of the boot, but with easier ankle bend, I would think that there would be less stress against the front of the boot.
3. I could clearly see that a skater would have some adjustment issues for these boots, when first changing over to them. Because of all the ankle flex (and resulting knee bend) available with these boots, it would be very easy to have the weight too far forward on the blade. I think also that it would also be a bit of adjustment in terms of using the rocker of the blade together with the enhanced knee/ankle bend, especially for 1-foot turns. I would reckon that these boots would work best with a flatter blade, such as Pattern 99, or Coronation Comet, or any of the Ultima blades. (As I recall, Patterns and the Ultimas all have 8 foot radii, and Comets have 8 1/2' radii.)
I said to the technician that I would be interested in trying a pair when they become commercially available (supposedly the big marketing push will come around the time of US Nationals).