Breaking in New Boots - how bad is it really?

[AW1]

I was talking to my coach last night about ordering custom boots and we got to talking about her boots etc. She mentioned she's had them 13 years, I squished the ankles with my hands and nearly broke my fingers they were so darn stiff! Anyway she was saying they look all tatty etc, so I said to her, why don't you just get a new pair, surely you can claim them on tax.

Being a completely inexperienced skate buyer, she said to me she hates the thought of having to break them in. I asked why it was such an issue and she said because they hurt etc.

So now I want some other honest reports here. I am getting new boots because my feet are sooooo wide I'm off the size spectrum - but I was hoping that getting customs would mean they would fit better and therefore wouldn't hurt my feet as much but I think maybe I was being a bit naive about it.

How long did it take you to break in your skates? What does it feel like breaking in new skates? Is it really that painful? What was your experience?

I'd love to hear any reports - good, bad or otherwise.

Thanks!

[EastonSkater]

Shouldn't be that bad. Maybe your coach was just trying to do too much when the skates were new. Just don't lace them up so tight at first and don't do too much stuff in them except skate around in them doing simplest things ... like forwards and backwards skating ... for a few hours or more. It just gives the boot some exercise and massage treatment to loosen up the boot material. If you detect bits of the boot pressing really hard up against any parts of your foot too much, and it hurts every time you have the boots on, then you just get the skate shop people to do a bit of brute-force treatment on that section to expand it out.

Heat moldable boots can help a bit. But if you skate around in heat moldable boots for long enough, without doing the heat molding treatment, your boots will naturally break in anyway.

[stardust skies]

It depends on what kind of boots you get. The most important thing is to get a level of stifness that is not too much for your level. That's the main concern when people here (me included) try to dissuade people from buying boots above their skill level in hopes they'll last them longer. Sure, they'll last them longer, cause they'll be out with injuries every other week from trying to break in boots not made for them.

Keep in mind...your coach probably doesn't skate much for herself if at all, does she? It would be nearly impossible to break in new boots by just standing around and coaching people- you have to skate on them. In that light she's been able to keep hers much longer than anyone else really could, and also, she wouldn't be able to break in a new pair very easily.

I skate 3 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, order the stiffest boot my chosen brand makes, and breaking them in takes about 2-3 weeks. I usually only do doubles the first week and a half, and then go back to my normal practice. It does hurt, can't say it doesn't. Boots are really stiff and it's very hard to bend- it's important to buy bunga pads (the gel sleeves that go around your ankles) to not get skin irritation.

Nobody likes getting new skates. There are a few things however, you can do to make it easier:

1. The bunga pads mentioned above.
2. Not getting TOO stiff a boot (what level are you, what is your height/weight, and what kind of brand/model are you currently in? What are you currently looking to get?)
3. PATIENCE. You can't expect to get all your elements right away. It's important the first week to do a lot of stroking.
4. You can get on most boot models an indent where the boot should bend so that it makes it easier to bend when you first get them. It doesn't compromise lateral support, it just makes it easier to bend. http://harlick.com/ has the indent on the boot that I am talking about on their main page, although other companies do them too.

Hope this helps somewhat. It's true that breaking in skates sucks, but the real problems comes when you get the wrong boots, so be careful with it.

[AW1]

I'm supposed to be getting Jackson Compeditors. I haven't been tested for levels but really I'm only a very beginner (no jumps put it that way!) I hope to get much better since I've joined up a synchro skating club :frus: (what was I thinking?)

Anyway, I think this model was recommended because of my height/weight issue. Short (5'2" or so) and heavy!

Someone also told me that there are specific Synchro boots which are softer inside? I still have the option that I can change my order though, if I get in quick enough!

AARRRGGGHHH!!!! :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus:

[Mrs Redboots]

If all you need is a beginner/intermediate boot, they take about a week to get comfortable! And if you have not yet owned a pair, even when they are brand new they are a lot less uncomfortable than hired skates! Yes, if they have been badly fitted they may rub, but a properly-fitted pair shouldn't do so. Your feet may or may not ache just at first, but honestly a lot less than in hired skates.

If your coach is still a competitive skater, he or she will probably be wearing boots suitable for an elite skater, and they are much worse to break in than the "bedroom-slippers" that suit the likes of us!

[flippet]

Plus, if your coach's last experience with new boots was 13 years ago, remember....boot technology has changed a bit since then. Heat molding (I hear) works wonders. You used to have to just 'tough it out', but there are ways around that that apparently don't shorten the life of the boot by any appreciable amount.

If you're a beginner, don't worry too much. Yeah, breaking in new boots doesn't feel like a full-body massage :lol: but it's definitely bearable, especially if you use the 'tricks' that make it easier (like certain ways of tying a new boot, bunga pads, punching out around ankle bones if necessary, etc.).

[Skate@Delaware]

I have broken in two pairs (in three years) of Jackson Competitors with no great deal of pain or discomfort. The only problem I had was due to a bunion which was solved by heat molding.

Competitors are good for your level and will seem sort of stiff-be sure to get them sized correctly or they will not bend with you (a problem I am having now-boot too big for my foot). If you have a very narrow heel, reconsider a different boot though-Jacksons aren't all that snug in the heel if you're narrow (unless you get speciall sizing which costs more).

Skate in them for about 5-10 hours by bending tons, swizzling, pointing your toes, etc. Don't lace them all the way to the top. Then decide if you need them heat molded. Sometimes they mold to your feet without it (unless you've got huge honkin' bunions).

These skates can take you up to doubles. I am working on singles right now (working is the key word):roll:

[Sooky]

Agree with all the good advice here. I also used to wear new boots, loosely tied whilst at home (with guards!) for about 20 minutes each day - no idea if it made a physical difference but it made a control freak like me think I was 'doing something' to move the process on!

I would also emphasis the bending movements because for me it is the stiffness at above the ankle that has always caused most angst - nothing too serious, but certainly some red patches that meant the lower, front part of my legs looked interestingly bashed through my tights for a while. The pads are a fantastic device too.

[Kevin Callahan]

I don't know how common my experience is going to be, but I'm having a downright terribly time breaking in my new boots. Unless I lace them just right, with just the right amount of added padding, then either I cannot move at all, and landings are jarring and painful, or they're too loose and they rub causing blisters and sore spots. However there are several things to consider.

I started with cheap recreational skates from a local sports store. I went so far as to do waltz jumps on them. I was then promptly informed by my coach, that I was going to kill myself because the skates I was using had no support at all. So if figured, a beginning pair of Reidells might work. After all, I wasn't advanced, and I'm a very light person. They were painful for about a week... and then the unimaginable happened, I started breaking them down. I was too agressive a skater to have reidells. Now, apparently, according to coaches I've spoken to, this is really not all that uncommon. I even met one coach who refuses to put her adult skaters into reidells at all.

Yet the jump to my next pair, although directed by my coach, was huge. I am now breaking in SP Teri Super Teri's. This is not a minor difference in the stiffness of boots. Some would argue, and some have argued on this very board, that I didn't need to go up that high. However, I think the reasoning is two fold. One, I'm an adult, in college, paying for a lot of things more important to my daily survival than skating, and so I'd really like to avoid buying another $400 pair of boots as long as possible. And two, I am progressing rather quickly compared to other adult skaters. I'm aggressive and I skate daily, so I practice a lot.

In my experience, breaking in new boots, both times, was a painful experience. My new boots especially so. However, your mileage may vary.

[TashaKat]

I found that it depended on the boots.

Risport killed my feet and ankles and then died before I'd actually reached a comfort zone. The insides of the boots were bloodstained.

Belatis killed my feet (we're talking crying in pain here) before dying before they were comfortable. Also blood stained.

Wifa Super Goldstar were pretty good from the off, Wifa Diamond were a bloody nightmare on my ankle bones (more tears of pain) but were very comfortable once they were broken in. I didn't find them supportive enough for Free though so I ended up using them for Dance.

Harlicks, even the Double Duo Concrete Bond ones were supremely comfortable right from the start. Apart from a little 'ouchie' at the top where the edge rubbed I never had a single problem (or blood apart from the tiny ouchie) with all three pairs of my Harlicks ... love them I do, love them :D

[Bothcoasts]

I was too agressive a skater to have reidells. Now, apparently, according to coaches I've spoken to, this is really not all that uncommon. I even met one coach who refuses to put her adult skaters into reidells at all.



I disagree with the notion above that adult skaters shouldn't use the Riedell brand or that, generally speaking, a skater can be too aggressive to have the entire brand. It completely depends on the particular Riedell boot you wear. I was an adult when I started with my first pair of Silver Stars, and indeed broke them down in 6 months. Since then, I've been using Royals for ten years now and absolutely adore them. I don't have any problem whatsoever with my skates--no pain, no bunions, no blisters, anything. My skates are as comfortable as bedroom slippers.

I'm not saying that every adult skater will be as comfortable as I am in Riedells. However, I do believe that generalizing about the entire brand of skates simply because of one personal experience and some hearsay is unfair. The type and stiffness of the boot are as important as the brand in determining how well a particular boot will work for a particular skater.

Perhaps the problem is that adult skaters typically need heavier Riedell models than young skaters at the same level, and that they're often not recommended as such.

[Rusty Blades]

I am certainly too much of a novice for my opinion to mean much (but that has never stopped me before :roll: )

I have Jackson Competitors with about 12 hours ice time and they are still stiff as a board! No ankle flex at all. However they were an extremely good fit (after a little bumping out) and I can spend hours in them comfortably doing anything. (I have a triangular foot.)

I assume they will eventually break in . . . .

[fmh]

haha my feet are hugely wide too :) I have risport excellence...they didn't hurt at all, but felt really different. It took me 2 weeks to get used to my jumps again, and 2 months to get used to my spins :P But now it is worth it because my spins are way better now...it's not always painful!!:!:

[EastonSkater]

To deal with rubbing if the boots are loosely laced up, just work out exactly where the rubbing occurs .... that is, once you find out roughly where the blisters are 'trying' to build up on the foot, use cheapest band-aids or some kind of adhesive strip to place it right there where the rubbing occurs. Whether it's toes or whatever....place strips on the foot before putting on the socks. Guaranteed ... no blisters. The boot can rub on the band-aid instead.

[SkatingOnClouds]

AW1, you are in Australia, and I am betting your coach's boots are Altamura?

Altamuras seem to last forever, I know people who've been skating 20 years or more in their custom boots without the ankles breaking down. Mine were sheer agony, and they never stopped being agony. I still have a flat ankle bone from the crushing ankle supports.

If I'm right and these boots are Altamura, rest assured that boots have come a long way since then. My Graf Galaxy boots - bunion problems aside - are incredibly comfortable compared to my old Altamuras.

I believe that everyone is different, and that different brands work best for different people. In Australia it is easy to get Jacksons, they are reasonably priced, and the Competitor model should be suitable. They also have a D fitting, so should accommodate your feet (unless they're like mine:roll: I reckon I take an F width)

[Skate@Delaware]

From what I've gathered from anyone who has Competitor's, they are rather stiff and seem to take forever (years) to get the "crease." However, they are rather comfortable to skate in almost from the get-go, assumning you are sized correctly (correct width). Because they are a bit stiff, I don't think they would be a good boot for a "lightweight" like a kid or someone who doesn't weigh very much, unless they are working on doubles and need the extra support (regardless of their weight). They will last for years before you need to replace them.

They are a good skate for those with medium to wide feet and normal size heels. You might also want to consider Gams, which are also good for wide feet.

And, almost any skate can be gotten in "custom" sizing if you have one foot a different size than the other (width or length). You just end up paying more for this service. One note: when I got my feet measured, I had them measure around my bunions, because they were smallish and I can have that area punched out. If you have medium to large bunions, or strange bumps, go to a reputable fitter! The woman who fit me wanted to size me into a D width, which would be too big, because she wanted to include my small bunions in the measurement. I also have a longer 2nd toe, which confused her. (It scrunches up anyway so I don't even consider it when buying shoes). When my boots came in, they fit perfectly!

I'm getting new ones becuse of all the weight I've lost (another 40 pounds this year; 65 pounds total) my feet have shrunken down a whole size in length and from a D to a C width). My feet are swimming in my current skates which has caused problems of it's own. I'm hoping that my weight loss has stopped (sounds weird, huh?) because I don't want to keep buying skates (I'd rather buy clothes!!)

[AW1]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

aaggghhhh now I'm even more worried since I've been "fit" over the phone, by email, by fax, just about every method you can think with and they are telling me I'm inbetween sizes.

They said I'm about a 6 1/2 length, but to get the additional width I may need to get a 7, which means from the sounds of it I will end up with the rubbing = blisters and more pain....

Why the hell aren't there any custom boot manufacturers in Australia? I know I know, we're a little fish in the big pond of ice skating, but still there are rinks in every capital city, so there surely would be SOME demand for them.

Add to my surprise that I was talking to a person from Sydney today who said they have heard lots of horror stories about Jacksons breaking down within 6 months!!

I really don't know what to do now..................... :cry:

[EastonSkater]

I think there might just not be enough people in Australia to sustain lots of good skate shops. There are skate shops in north queensland.....they sell very limited amount of skates. If you physically go to their store, they'd be so happy to want to sell you their skates. But if you ask them to order something for you, they'll either say they'll look into it for you and will get back to you (and they will NEVER get back to you actually), or they may not even respond to your messages.

So I end up ordering parts and things from USA, even if it takes ages. I find that skate service, skate part acquiring, etc....is pretty lousy here. If I need a part here in Australia...it could take ages to get. But in USA, you just walk down to the nearest skate shop, and you might be able to get it immediately, or it might take a few days only to get it shipped (locally in USA).

Anyway, if you order skates by phone without ever trying them on (since it's obviously impossible), chances are that you're bound for trouble. They may send you a skate that is busted slightly either during or before transit ... or has flawed workmanship in a seam, or whatever. And the skate you receive may not fit your foot very well, so you end up waiting ages to send it back to them to get a different size....which costs you time and money to ship back etc. It's a real hassle.

I also doubt there are any custom boot manufacturers for skates here in Australia. It's just not much of a skating nation..... lack of rinks, lack of facilities...climate here doesn't help much either.

[cassarilda]

AW1

- try the WIFA brand - http://www.wifa.at/frameset.html

hubby got customs through them (granted they were through his coach) - boots cost $550 and i think the dance blades were the same - but that might have been with a discount.

They arent in Australia - but they are great skates (apparently ;) ) - oh and they have half sizes! :D

[sunshinepointe]

From what I've gathered from anyone who has Competitor's, they are rather stiff and seem to take forever (years) to get the "crease." However, they are rather comfortable to skate in almost from the get-go, assumning you are sized correctly (correct width). Because they are a bit stiff, I don't think they would be a good boot for a "lightweight" like a kid or someone who doesn't weigh very much, unless they are working on doubles and need the extra support (regardless of their weight). They will last for years before you need to replace them.

Not for me - I had my Competitors for about 6 months and I have a REALLY big crease in the right skate and a big crease in the left. They're still technically "stiff" throughout the boot, but the crease is enough for me to warrant getting new boots.

That having been said - my Riedells KILLED my feel breaking them in, but the Jacksons with the heat molding were completely painless and I was able to do all of my usual tricks within 3 sessions. Hence, I believe I'll be getting Jackson's again when I can scrape together the money to purchase new boots.

[Skate@Delaware]

Not for me - I had my Competitors for about 6 months and I have a REALLY big crease in the right skate and a big crease in the left. They're still technically "stiff" throughout the boot, but the crease is enough for me to warrant getting new boots.

That having been said - my Riedells KILLED my feel breaking them in, but the Jacksons with the heat molding were completely painless and I was able to do all of my usual tricks within 3 sessions. Hence, I believe I'll be getting Jackson's again when I can scrape together the money to purchase new boots.
I had gotten mine sort-of broke in for the ice show last year-only had 10 hours in them before opening night! Everyone thought I was crazy but it really was a smart move, as my feet were happy and the new blades were worth it (killer hot blades, much faster).

We'll see how I make out with this new pair-it fits much better, as my toes are actually near the end of the boot (not swimming as before). I also think I didn't have any crease because they were too big. I have been wearing my new ones (standing and just bending) while I'm waiting for a chance to get my blades mounted and they feel really, really good! I also sit in a chair and raise my legs up and point my toes.

[jenlyon60]

The important thing is that everybody's foot is different (shape, width, bunions/callouses, arches, etc.)

So the boot that is comfortable on Esmeralda might not be comfortable on me, even if we skate at the same level and otherwise have similar body builds and feet.

When I first started skating many years ago, I was fit into Riedells, which was the basic entry-level "real skate boot" marketed in the area in which I was living (this is before Jackson made skates). While I could wear them, my foot was never comfortable in them.

Then I switched to custom Klingbeils for a number of reasons, and I've been a happy camper ever since.

But I have a friend who tried Klingbeils because she'd heard good things about them, and even with getting custom boots, she was always miserable in the things. To the point of turning them into doorstops, and going back to SP Teris (I think that's the brand). She is like "how can you wear those Klingbeils, they'll ruin your feet."

The other year, I bought a pair of low-to medium stiffness Jackson boots because I wanted to play around a bit with relearning freestyle elements. The stiffness in the ankle (for new boots) didn't bother me, but my arches were in pain so bad I could hardly skate within about 5 minutes after putting them on. Didn't matter how loosely I tied the skates over my forefoot...the basic last design of the Jackson boots didn't work with the way my arches are made.

From what you've said about the fitting issues, what I would suggest is that you contact a couple of reputable dealers (Australia or US) and see if you can send them a tracing of your foot (marking where you have any major callouses or bunions or any other foot oddities) and ask them to recommend what boot size you will need based on that drawing.

Then at least you will have some confidence before the boots are delivered that they "should" fit.