skates--can i fix them?

[Scarlett]

Hello all...I have another question. I have had my skates (Jackson Freestyles for a little over a year). I have a feeling that they are starting to break down. My heel moves and I am not feeling secure on my landings. Is there anything I can do to them? They look fine on the outside.

TIA

[Michigansk8er]

I have a chronic problem with my right heel moving. I've found that insoles sometimes help..........the cheap Dr. Scholls kind you can cut to fit. Also, a bunga sleeve sometimes takes up enough space to work for awhile. These are only temporary fixes, but they will extend the life of your boot. Good luck!

[dooobedooo]

Sounds silly but ... have you checked the attachment of the blade to the boot? It may be that a screw in the heel has come loose.

I had this happen a couple of times, on different boots, about four years apart. All of a sudden nothing worked!

[windsor]

[QUOTE=Michigansk8er]I have a chronic problem with my right heel moving. I've found that insoles sometimes help...

Have you tried wearing SP Teris? I have narrow heels and they fit me really well, plus I can have them sized so they are normal through the ball of my foot, but narrow in the heel. My heels always slipped until I started wearing Teris.

[Isk8NYC]

You're an ISI Freestyle 3 skater, right? You're doing singles and a couple of one-foot spins? Do you jump a lot? Skate many hours each week (more than 6?)

Unless you're really beating the boots up, they shouldn't break down within a year. Heat and/or cold will accelerate the boots' demise, so keep them out of your car trunk/boot. (I say as I think about my skates baking in my car right now!)

I would go back to your pro shop and ask them to take a look at the skates. A year seems too short a life for the skates. Unfortunately, I don't think the heat-molded skates can be rebuilt, but they can be remolded to your feet. Maybe that's all you need.

Good luck!

[CaraSkates]

My first skates lasted 11 months. I completly broke them down. My problem was, that within the year, I was doing more then anyone expected me too (singles on Riedell Blue Ribbons) and I was skating 5 days a week for over 12 hours. The skates were also half a size too big. When I discovered I couldn't stand up in them without wearing socks or three pairs of tights and my heel lifted up no matter what I did we bought new skates. I'm now very happy in an old model of Riedell Silver Stars with the ball punched out (B width) and MK pro blades.

[Scarlett]

Thanks everyone. I will probably take them to a pro shop some time this weekend and see what they can do. If not, I guess I will have to buy new boots :cry:

[Isk8NYC]

If not, I guess I will have to buy new boots :cry:

Don't be sad. Be slightly confused and polite when you speak with the pro shop, which is what you are feeling. Call and ask when the owner/manager is going to be there. If you go when a teenage rookie salesclerk is there, you'll get no satisfaction -- he/she can't help you. A good pro shop person cares about the shop's image and the quality of goods they sell. They'll make good on the sale. I would expect, at the very least, a discount on new skates.

Someone in the skate trade mentioned to me recently that Jackson's planning to get away from heat-moldable skates. He said they've been having a lot of trouble with quality. I think it's idle trade gossip, but there's got to be a kernel of truth there, given the person who made the statement.

When I burned through two pairs of Reidell Gold Stars in less than 18 months, including a rebuild, I bought Klingbeils. The quality and customer service made it worth the investment. They do cost quite a bit, but my first pair were still decent after almost 15 years of skating. I love my current pair, too, but I really miss wearing those ratty old ones. (They're too small, thanks to having three kids!)

Good luck!

[Scarlett]

Thanks everyone. Now for the update, I went to a different pro shop and found that I had been fitted incorrectly for my skates. I was told I needed a full size smaller and a narrower width. I ended up having to switch brands so I went for a skate a level below what I had just to try out the manufacturer (and they were having a great sale). Wish me luck!