Skate shops in New York City

[airyfairy76]

I am currently debating going to New York for a break in the early months of 2008.

This also coincides with the time (funny that!) that I want to invest in a new pair of skates. As I potentially can save £100+ by buying skates in the USA if the current exchange rate stays as it is, it seems a good idea to buy some in New York! Shipping them over is too risky, with the threat of import tax.

So my question is, can anyone recommend good skate shops / fitters in NYC?

Also, I know that Klingbeils are in New York and I wondered what peoples experiences of their stock boots was?

Thank you!!!

[sue123]

I don't think there are any good ones in NYC itself, but you can go out to Long Island or New Jersey, if you're willing.

[airyfairy76]

I'd be happy with anything that could be done in a day-trip . . .

[lov2sk8]

Ice House in Hackensack NJ. You have to make an apt. ask for JIm Skibin.

[airyfairy76]

I was having a look round the net yesterday, and also came across these guys on 5th Avenue.

http://www.wsskate.com/home.html

They seem to sell a wide range of skates, including Harlick, Graf, Gam and Jackson - a few brands there that might be good for my wider feet! I also noted that the owner of Harlick has the odd day there to do fittings, which can't be bad?!

Anyone know anything about this place?

[dbny]

I was having a look round the net yesterday, and also came across these guys on 5th Avenue.

http://www.wsskate.com/home.html

They seem to sell a wide range of skates, including Harlick, Graf, Gam and Jackson - a few brands there that might be good for my wider feet! I also noted that the owner of Harlick has the odd day there to do fittings, which can't be bad?!

Anyone know anything about this place?

I've heard them recommended for sharpening.

[Query]

Take this with a grain of salt - my experience may be different from yours.

When I visited the factory/store for Klingbeil

http://www.klingbeilskatingboots.com

Don Klingbeil (master bootmaker) attended me himself. Get an appointment well in advance, and ask for him.

They are pretty stiff boots, without much padding, and don't break down, so they better fit, or you will be in torment through the rest of eternity; customs make sense. I talk more about my boot experience on my web page on falling, mentioned elsewhere. To be brief, if you won't be there a couple weeks or so later to pick up the boots and get a heat molded fit and modifications (which is the best way, takes another appointment), tell your local fitter that Don says they heat mold at 140 degrees. If they don't do this for everyone, it is worth getting the conforming foam in the boot top and bottom. They still won't do a great a job of conforming to the soles of your feet, so use carefully placed first aid tape under the insoles to equalize pressure over different parts of your foot. If you buy it a little tight (use no socks?), you can sort of stretch fit Klingbeils by skating a time or two with wet socks. (Of course, applying tape in will tighten things a bit.) Buy or bring your blades there - they mount and maybe sharpen for free, as of when I was there.

Your local fitter will charge a pretty penny to make mods to boots bought elsewhere. Don't know if that will make up hypothetical savings.

The factory is not a discount store. You buy there for service and expertise.

If your feet are changing in size or shape (e.g., if you are a child), maybe a brand with more padding, or which heat molds at a higher temperature (so it molds more) makes sense. Maybe a more flexible brand, if you don't jump.

I can't tell you anything about other boot fitters in NYC. I can tell you navigation around there is pretty complicated, and construction may slow traffic to a crawl. If you are lucky, and you choose your time right, you may find a meter next to Klingbeil to park at. 8O

[dbny]

Take this with a grain of salt - my experience may be different from yours.

Indeed! Are you talking about Klingbeil stock boots? I thought they stopped making them. I've never heard of anyone having any of the trouble with custom Klingbeils that you have had. I've also never heard of customs being heat molded, and I just got a new pair. Klingbeils are known for being incredibly easy to break in. I wore mine barefoot for an hour the first time and had no marks on my feet and no pain. As for stiffness and padding, custom boots are made for each individual. Mine are not particularly stiff and have a lot of padding.

Re NYC traffic, travel, and parking - yes, it's awful! There is alternate side parking in the immediate vicinity of Klingbeils on Thursday and Friday, which ends at 11 AM, so parking on those mornings is difficult, still, I always find a spot within a block. Sometimes I'm at a meter, and sometimes it's free, and sometimes it takes 15 minutes to find it, but I always do. Saturday mornings are considerably easier with no alt side, but still tight.

[Debbie S]

I've been to Klingbeil, but I didn't drive there, I took the subway - the E train from Penn Station to Sutphin Blvd. You can also get there via the Long Island Railroad, which also leaves from Penn Station and stops at Sutphin Blvd across the street from the subway, but the subway is easier. I think I walked 2 blocks, made a left, and walked another 2 blocks and crossed the street.

As dbny said, I've never heard of Klingbeils being heat molded. They are customs and are fit to your feet (custom last) and the padding and stiffness are designed for your skating needs - I'm working on single jumps so I obviously don't need the same amount of boot strength as someone working on doubles or triples. After having terrible problems with GAMs, SP-Teris, and Jacksons, I was pleasantly surprised by the minimal break-in time for my Klingbeils. The biggest adjustment was getting used to a blade that was 1/4 inch shorter (I've heard it's normal to require a slightly shorter blade when going from stock to customs). I think I was doing all of my jumps and MIF after a couple of skating hours. I've had them 1 year and a half, and no sign of breakdown - I had to have the tongues replaced about 9 months ago (well, really only 1 of the tongues had to be replaced b/c it would twist to the outside and was bending funny and irritating my ankle, but they asked me to send both skates to them and they replaced both tongues) and so far, no problems with them. Their customer service is usually quick, and it's a good thing too, b/c after skating once in my SP-Teris when my Klingbeils were getting new tongues, I couldn't believe I had managed to skate in them for 2 1/2 years - eek!

[miraclegro]

Has anyone had the experience of the Klingbeils feeling a bit big through the toe box? I'm still breaking mine in and am not so sure....

[Debbie S]

When I first got my Klingbeils, they were a bit big in the ankle and heel area, but the toe box was fine. I called Klingbeil and they said to send them back and they would fix the problem (actually,this a week or 2 before U.S. Nats in St. Louis, and I was going (as a spectator), and I ended up going by their booth and talking to Don in person about it - he had me try on the boots, drew new measurements of my feet, said he knew exactly what the problem was, took them....and then they sent them back about a week, maybe less, after they returned from Nats).

[dbny]

I had to have the tongues replaced about 9 months ago (well, really only 1 of the tongues had to be replaced b/c it would twist to the outside and was bending funny and irritating my ankle, but they asked me to send both skates to them and they replaced both tongues) and so far, no problems with them.

Did they put the extra hook on the side of the tongue to keep it from twisting? I've got that on my new ones.

Has anyone had the experience of the Klingbeils feeling a bit big through the toe box? I'm still breaking mine in and am not so sure....

Yes. They are known to have a roomy toe box. It shouldn't take too long to get used to it. My new Klingbeils are shorter than my old ones, so I thought I would have less room for my toes, but that's not at all the case.

I really think Klingbeil's level of customer service is outstanding, to say the least.

[Debbie S]

Did they put the extra hook on the side of the tongue to keep it from twisting? I've got that on my new ones.Yep. I had that hook on my SP-Teris, but it didn't seem to work, so I stopped using it. I only use the hook on the right tongue, since that was the tongue that was twisting (odd that it was only one and not both) and I think it helps - at least, the tongue is twisting a lot less than it did before. It still moves a little, but it hasn't been a problem so far.

[NoVa Sk8r]

I really think Klingbeil's level of customer service is outstanding, to say the least.Amen to that! They have refurbished my 2003 boots twice already for no charge. ["We're not making any money off of you," Don said to me. "Well stop making such good boots and fixing them!" I told him.] I also had a sudden death in my family in February and had to go to NY; they were understanding about my schedule and fit me in on 2 days' notice. :bow:

And ditto about taking public transportation. Although I think LIRR is much much better than the icky subway, which has more stops and takes longer. (Or maybe I just like the LIRR better because the cars are the same as MetroNorth's, which I rode all the time growing up. 8-) )

[airyfairy76]

Unfortunately, I don't drive, so will be relying on public transport. I will probably stay about a week. So that'll be a day for skates, and six days for shopping . . . :twisted:

I won't be able to go back two weeks later to pick up boots, so I think whatever I have to go for, it will have to be stock. I have only been skating for a year anyway, and have had little problems with my current boots, so am quite happy about this I might think about customs in a few years time!

I guess the best thing to do is just to go and try them on - try as many brands as possible and see which ones feel best.

According to Klingbeils web page, they do stock boots - approximately $400 I think.

[Debbie S]

I won't be able to go back two weeks later to pick up boots, so I think whatever I have to go for, it will have to be stock. You don't have to go back to Klingbeil to pick them up in person - they'll ship them to you. They may charge extra for shipping to the UK, and if there are any fit problems, you'll need to ship them back, so that is something to consider....but I (and many others) went for a fitting and then had them shipped, and it really wasn't a problem. IMO, if you're goin to spend $400 for a stock Klingeil, you might as well spend the extra $150 to $200 and get the custom. If you are really trying to save money, you may want to check out Jacksons, which are a tad cheaper (excluding the hinged boot) than other brands in the U.S. (I think b/c of the Canadian exchange rate?).

[double3s]

If you have wide-ish feet, I'd recommend Jacksons. They come in A, B, C, and D width, and their D width is definitely wider than Reidell's "wide width" boots. They are relatively inexpensive too, at least compared to comparable boots, and of very good quality. Mine are hardly broken down at all after 3+ yrs of skating.

[airyfairy76]

I would like to try Jackson's on for fit. I am currently in wide Reidells, so don't think my feet are too wide - just verging on it.

I'd also like to know what Harlick are like - any comments? Obviously I realise it's all personal, but anything on comfort (padding etc), build quality, lifespan?

[Query]

>Are you talking about Klingbeil stock boots? I thought
>they stopped making them. I've never heard of anyone
>having any of the trouble with custom Klingbeils that
>you have had.

Mine were customs, but they weren't fit at the factory.

>I've also never heard of customs being heat
>molded, and I just got a new pair.

AFAIK, all leather boots (and most leather shoes) are heat molded during manufacture, to the last... When Don Klingbeil says they can be heat molded again to your feet, and he does so at the factory if you make an appointment for it, that's a pretty darn authoritative source.

Then again, 140 degrees F is not a very serious heat mold. Some brands can be heat molded up to 300 degrees F without melting the glues or threads.

>Klingbeils are known for being incredibly easy to break
>in.

If something fits perfectly, no breaking in is needed. Many thousands of hours of use have created no change of shape, no creases have developed, and when I punch them out, leaving the ball-and-ring plyers on the punch for a few days as tight as I can make them, they pretty much go back to where they were in a few weeks. This constancy would be great if they fit to begin with. They also haven't softened perceptably, though I specified ice dance boots, as soft as Klingbeil was willing to make them. The moist sock thing did stretch them in a bit, and did help some.

>You don't have to go back to Klingbeil to pick them up
>in person - they'll ship them to you.

It was people at the factory store who said the best technique for a good fit is to have it fit there, then go back for modifications and heat mold. But the initial fit is theoretically the most important part.

>I won't be able to go back two weeks later to pick
>up boots, so I think whatever I have to go for, it will
>have to be stock. I have only been skating for a
>year anyway, and have had little problems with
>my current boots,

I think customs are worth it, if they are done right. Your first boots were probably only a little stiffer than normal shoes, and easily formed to your feet. Everything Klingbeil sells is a lot stiffer. If I was buying again and wasn't getting customs, I would be very well advised to get something softer and more padded. For my relatively small feet, finding a store that has men's skates in my size in stock is impossible, so trying them all isn't an option - but maybe it is for you.

>If you are really trying to save money, you may want
>to check out Jacksons, which are a tad
>cheaper (excluding the hinged boot) than other
>brands in the U.S.

Jacksons "Elite" level boots (somewhat expensive) look plushly padded and are said to be fairly moldable. If I were buying again I might well get them, from the best bootfitter I could find. I love the hinged-boot idea (expensive) one of their models has, and I love the interchangeable blade idea (expensive, and could be used on other brands of boot), though I worry about the reliability of so many moving parts.