A really silly suggestion about blades...

[aussieskater]

This is going to sound really stupid I know, but bear with me, and please don't jump down my throat...

When I got my Jacksons skates 2.5 years ago (wow! As long ago as that ??), they came with Ultima Mirage blades. The boots are great, the blades are crap, and I want to change them. I posted in another thread that I was considering getting synchro blades, which I understand are basically freestyle blades but shorter (ie: they have a decent pick and are thicker than dance blades, and are not as short as dance blades).

Since I want to change the blades anyway and now is our "off season", I had this mad idea that maybe I could just get the ends chopped off my yukky blades to give the idea of synchro blades a try before I committed to them. If I adjust OK to the shortened blades, then I buy synchro blades; if I don't then I buy new freestyle blades.

The chrome on the blades has peeled horrendously and the blades are now as ugly as sin, so no-one in their right mind would buy them as secondhand blades. (Well, maybe they might pay $10 for them but no more.) I was figuring that since they were effectively worth next to nothing, the experiment would cost next to nothing.

OK, now what's against the idea? Can it even be done? Is the rocker constant from front to back? (If not, that would put the kybosh on the idea right there.) What else might go wrong?

Any ideas, anyone?

[phoenix]

I don't think it will work because of the balance of the rocker. The blade will end & still be on the ice, I think; whereas a truly short blade will have that tiny bit of curve up at the end. You could talk to a really good blade technician & see what they think, but my gut reaction would be that even if they could make it workable it still won't give you the same feeling the shorter blade will, & frankly it sounds like it could be dangerous. That's just my 2 cents.

Also for what it's worth, I went from beginner freestyle blades to syncro blades & I don't remember there was much adjustment time at all. Then later I went from sychro to dance blades & that was more of an adjustment, but still I was totally comfortable in them inside of a week. It's not that big a deal.

Also FYI, dance blades aren't necessarily thinner than other blades; depends on the brand/blade model. I have Ultima Ascend Dance, & they're standard thickness. They also have way more toepick than my synchro blades had! I like them way more than I ever liked the others as well. The main thing I noticed was the improved ease of turns.

[Skate@Delaware]

Peeling chrome is a problem I've heard about the Mirage blades. I have talked about hacking off the heel of my blade, but only in a joking manner!

I wouldn't do it!

At worst, you are stuck with something you could stick to blocks of wood for bookends. While they look ugly, that's about it. You could sand the chrome off, or get them re-chromed (which wouldn't be worth the $$$).

I don't think you would have any real adjustment time to any other blade. The Mirage has a "real" toepick---that is more of an issue that the blade length for most people. The other lower blades (Mark IV) that come with the other Jacksons have a smaller toepick. When those people get freestyle blades (Pattern99, Coronation Ace/Comet, etc), you usually see them tripping up over the toepick--because of the big difference. Usually because most people don't lean way back on their blades....

[aussieskater]

um, skate@delaware - it's about that "usually most people don't lean way back on their blades"... if you read a practice report from me a week or two ago, you'll know that sitting too far back is, indeed, one of my besetting sins.

In hindsight, where I sit on the blade probably accounts for why I had little or no difficulty adjusting to the "real" (ie: much bigger) toepick on the mirage blades. (On the other hand, where I sit on the blade has a *lot* to do with last week's fall straight onto the coccyx I'm still not sitting on as I type this.)

My thought, I suppose, was that because of where I sit on the blade and despite my best efforts to correct it, I'm probably going to have more problems than most adjusting to a blade with a shorter tail. By shaving a millimetre off a week, I could adjust gradually. Sounded good in theory with the aid of a glass of red...!

PS - no, I don't plan to have them re-chromed. Given that they were the beginner blade which came with the boot, it wouldn't be worth it even if I wanted to. It just was that because I'm moving away from freeskating (as if I could ever really jump and spin anyway) to synchro and dance, I figured that eventually I'd get new dance or synchro blades and this might be an easier way to adjust than just going for it all at once.

[Skate@Delaware]

Maybe you lean that way because you are "down under"???? :lol:

You are a-typical then! The only time I've ever fallen on that part of my body was during an ice dance class-back progressive-and caught the heel of my blade....I fell down flat backwards and suffered for weeks after. I spent many days visiting the chiropractor, so I really feel your pain!!!

I would worry about having too-short a tail/heel then! Maybe you should invest in some tailbone pads! Do you counterbalance with your arms more to the front or are they out to the sides? I was wondering....

My group coach turns her old blades into decorative elements for her house! She has her hubby smooth off the edges to they are round and safe, so far they have become door handles, towel racks, bookends, etc....

[Isk8NYC]

The stuff peeling off is chrome plating. This is a known problem with those blades. On my daughter's last pair I asked the pro shop to have them replaced. Jackson sent her a decent pair of blades that she still pines for today, two pairs later.

I wouldn't chop them. I've never cut open a pair of blades, but I have to think that a set with chroming problems would probably rust. Big time. And, be very sharp and dangerous. Not to mention the unbalanced rocker designed for a longer heel. Different blades have different purposes for good reasons, and more than just the length supports those activities.

A smart friend of mine bought used blades for a few bucks and tried them out to see if she liked them BEFORE investing the big money in a new pair. How about looking into this?

[aussieskater]

A smart friend of mine bought used blades for a few bucks and tried them out to see if she liked them BEFORE investing the big money in a new pair. How about looking into this?

Good idea. Only problem is that with a foot which requires a blade over 10 inches long (!), secondhand synchro ones might be hard to find...since there aren't too many men doing synchro down under and my boots effectively require men's size blades (yes, I'm known to have just about the largest female feet at the rink. Yeti, here I come!) Seriously it is a good idea and I'll ask around.

[aussieskater]

Maybe you lean that way because you are "down under"???? :lol:

You are a-typical then! The only time I've ever fallen on that part of my body was during an ice dance class-back progressive-and caught the heel of my blade....I fell down flat backwards and suffered for weeks after. I spent many days visiting the chiropractor, so I really feel your pain!!!

I would worry about having too-short a tail/heel then! Maybe you should invest in some tailbone pads! Do you counterbalance with your arms more to the front or are they out to the sides? I was wondering....

You feel the pain! So do I...still. I'm wondering when it'll let off. I'm still riding the pedals, rather than the driver's seat, in the car!

As for the tailbone padding, I have the UltraCrash kneepads (to protect my delicate little knees - you know, the ones above the 10-plus inch blades!) I use them pretty much only in competition (while my right knee MCL etc is still dodgy, I want to ensure as far as I can that I don't re-injure it), and use ugly black ones for synchro practice, and generally nothing any time else.

Since I did my coccyx in, I've taken the UltraCrash kneepads, used paper tape to stick them together and then more tape to tape them across my backside under my tights!! (Seriously ugly but effective. Fortunately nobody can see I've done it - the backside is sufficiently large that a bit more padding isn't noticed. Which is sad, now I come to think of it.)

[Skate@Delaware]

My blades are size 10 1/3! I have big feet!

[Isk8NYC]

Good idea. Only problem is that with a foot which requires a blade over 10 inches long (!), secondhand synchro ones might be hard to find...since there aren't too many men doing synchro down under and my boots effectively require men's size blades (yes, I'm known to have just about the largest female feet at the rink. Yeti, here I come!) Seriously it is a good idea and I'll ask around.

Somewhere in NYC, there IS an all-men's synchro team. I read a cute article about them in either the ISI or USFSA magazine. Have you ever looked at the Synchronized Skating board - maybe they would have used blades? Here's a link to a thread about blades: http://www.synchroboards.com/board/index.php?showtopic=7212

[icedancer2]

You know, aussieskater, I'm not sure, but I think your idea about cutting the backs off of your regular (un-sellable) blades might not be a bad idea.

IIRC, when dance blades first came out, all they were were regular blades with the backs cut off. It seems to me that when the "dance blades" came out, some people that I knew just cut off the backs of their blades and did just fine. Never saw any reason to buy any of those fancy-a** blades.

Of course, these were New Englanders and that may have just been the local attitude, I don't know!! :) :D

Good luck and let us know how you do!

[aussieskater]

My blades are size 10 1/3! I have big feet!

When I read that, skate@delaware, I idly wondered if we could really confuse things if we actually met one day. After all, from the Boots & Blades thread, you're about the same age as me, the same sex as me, the same height as me, the same weight as me - and now you have the same blade length (and therefore the same large shoe size) as me!! But you're a much better skater than me, so confusion's not possible. (Mind you, getting to your part of the world with two little kids in tow sadly is not on the agenda for the near future!)

[Skate@Delaware]

When I read that, skate@delaware, I idly wondered if we could really confuse things if we actually met one day. After all, from the Boots & Blades thread, you're about the same age as me, the same sex as me, the same height as me, the same weight as me - and now you have the same blade length (and therefore the same large shoe size) as me!! But you're a much better skater than me, so confusion's not possible. (Mind you, getting to your part of the world with two little kids in tow sadly is not on the agenda for the near future!)
This is toooo creepy! I have two kids also! However, they are not so little, as one is 16 and one will be 10 in a few months. But they will always be my babies!!!

Although, as most skate bags are black, I'm sure we could possibly pick the wrong ones! I almost get the wrong van also, as someone else also has the same kind as mine and if I don't look for my sticker, then I get mad because my key doesn't unlock their van! :oops:

PS-I don't think I'm much better; skating ebbs and flows with such inconsistancies! It seems what you gain in one week is gone the next, especially as an adult! And by the time "muscle memory" sets in, I'm sure I'll be fighting senior senility while collecting my retirement checks!

[aussieskater]

This is toooo creepy! I have two kids also! However, they are not so little, as one is 16 and one will be 10 in a few months. But they will always be my babies!!!

Although, as most skate bags are black, I'm sure we could possibly pick the wrong ones! I almost get the wrong van also, as someone else also has the same kind as mine and if I don't look for my sticker, then I get mad because my key doesn't unlock their van! :oops:

PS-I don't think I'm much better; skating ebbs and flows with such inconsistancies! It seems what you gain in one week is gone the next, especially as an adult! And by the time "muscle memory" sets in, I'm sure I'll be fighting senior senility while collecting my retirement checks!

Hmmm, "creepy". Good word, that. Especially when I re-read the Boots & Blades thread and got the princess toe and the Jackson Competitor skates too... On the other hand, the fact that we wear the same brand of skates is not really so surprising - large feet need large skates and not many brands make them properly except as expensive customs. Note to Risport - you don't just *lengthen* the boot. You don't even just *widen* the boot. You also need to make the boot higher from the foot plate to the tongue & lacing!

My littlies are 6 yo and 3 yo so no possibility confusing them! About the skate bags being black - my wheelie bag (less than $20 from the local discount store so if I can swap it for someone else's...I might be onto a good thing here!) is not black but very dark navy. And usually has my Jamaica Blue (a coffee chain) cup attached to the handle with a strip of velcro (couldn't possibly forget the coffee at the end of the session now, could we??)

You are so right about how long it takes for adults to learn anything physical, and for muscle memory to set in. Many times I have wished I'd had the opportunity to learn this as a kid. I don't think I'd necessarily be any *better* at it - but I might be a bit less scared!