skate tongue breaking down?

[Morgail]

I've had my SP Teris for almost 2 years. The boots themselves are in good shape - definitely not broken down yet. However, the tongue on the right boot has some deep indentations/creases. The foam on the inside of the tongue is fine, though less foamy than it was 2 years ago. I'm finding myself relacing just this skate a few times each session, especially after working on things that require deep knee bend (like back cross-strokes and power pulls). I feel like the tongue is letting my ankle move too far forward in the boot such that I don't feel secure in my jump landings.

I've read past posts from people on here about getting the tongues rebuilt, but usually because the foam is ripped up. Do you think I should look into getting the tongue on the right skate rebuilt, even though the foam isn't in bad shape? And what exactly does rebuilding the tongue include - would it even help my problem? Maybe I should just ask for a new tongue altogether?

Also, who should I contact about getting it done - the manufacturer (SP Teri) or the pro shop where I bought the skates (Rainbo)?

[techskater]

You can order a new tongue from SP Teri and have your local pro shop (or Rainbo) put them in (or a shoe repair guy who you trust).

[Debbie S]

I had the same thing happen with my SP-Teris. In my case, the boots were too stiff too begin with and never really broke in, so the tongue was the only thing that bent, so it broke down quickly (well, after about 2 years, but the boot itself didn't even have a crease). I ended up getting new skates, b/c the SP-Teris just weren't good skates for me, so I never tried to get the tongues replaced, but I did have the foam lining replaced with lambswool about a year after I had the skates, and I went through SP-Teri, not the pro shop. I just called them, they told me to send the skates to them with a note requesting what I wanted and with a credit card number, and told me the price, plus shipping back to me.

I think it cost $40, but they actually did not replace the tongue - just pulled off the foam and stuck lambswool on, but they did polish the boots and put in new laces. I think it took 2 weeks from mailing to receiving.

[Bill_S]

I had tongues rebuilt on a pair of Riedell Gold Stars a few years back. Instead of going to Riedell, I contacted Cookes Skating Supply in Mass. to do the work. It was a little over $100 for the work. A regular (Bill Letendre) from the old RRISR newsgroup lived near them and recommended their work.

I was very pleased with the service and happy that Bill had recommended them to me.

Here's the link to their business:

http://www.cookesskatesupply.com/

My symptoms were broken-down foam that gave me a serious case of lace bite. Cookes didn't replace the leather, only the foam, and it worked wonders for my admittedly well-worn boots.

I believe Riedell wants customers to go through dealers to procure their repair work. I'm not sure about SP Teri though.

[vesperholly]

I have Klingbeils, and last year when I got my boots replaced, I also had them replace the tongues. It made a huge difference.

Have you tried new laces or lacing differently? Maybe if you do single knots, or go around twice on the top hook, it would help the bending. I had a similar problem with my right boot - I felt like the laces were slipping down and the top of the tongue was bending out too far. So I tie a single knot after I lace all four hooks, then I lace over the top hook again. That fixed my problem right up.

[smelltheice]

I have Klingbeils too and found that the lambs wool lining on the tongue instead of foam is much better, more comfortable and holds provides more structural integrity to the tongue too.

[vesperholly]

I have Klingbeils too and found that the lambs wool lining on the tongue instead of foam is much better, more comfortable and holds provides more structural integrity to the tongue too.
I completely agree. I love lambswool, and I hated foam. Foam rips and you can't do anything about it, lambswool just gets matted and you can brush it back out to be fluffy again.

[Isk8NYC]

I have Klingbeil's and always have problems with the tongues slipping. It's because of my ankles, not the skates - happens with sneakers and shoes, too.

I had my 1+ year old Klingbeil's altered by Don in the Fall to add a lacing hook to the center, which keeps the tongues in just the right place now. He also switched the tongues from one skate to another because I had creased them so badly.

Saved some cowskin and it was free, so I'm not complaining. Haven't had any problems with the tongues since that change.

I would go back to SPTeri since they made the skates.

[patatty]

I took my skates in today to Klingbeil because the tongue padding was all broken up, and they replaced the entire tongue. The new padding is much softer and thinner than the old, so maybe it will hold up better. The new tongue looks funny because it is pure white and unblemished, as compared to the rest of the boot, which is pretty dinged up and dirty!

[mamaskate]

My daughter was having a similar problem with her skates. We solved the tongue problem with velcro. We put two pieces of velcro on the tongue, one at the right side and one at the left, then put the corresponding piece of Velcro on the underside of the skate, where it goes over the tongue. She has not had any more slippage problem! You can't see the Velcro when she's wearing the skates.

We did this the night before a test, and her coach was nervous when she found out, but it worked fine. That was over a month ago and it's still holding strong.

[phoenix]

I had my Klingbeil tongues replaced after about 2 years also. The new ones have lasted 3 years now & aren't falling apart.

I'm considering lambswool for my next pair, always thought that looked comfy--though I was concerned it would just mat down & no longer provide enough cushioning.

[Morgail]

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll try lacing them differently first, as vesperholly suggested, and see if that doesn't help. If not, then I'll contact SP Teri about replacing the tongue(s).

I used to have problems with the tongues slipping toward one side of the skate, but then I learned how to use the lace hook on the tongue, and I haven't had that problem since. Now, it's just a problem with too much creasing in the right tongue.

[Helen88]

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll try lacing them differently first, as vesperholly suggested, and see if that doesn't help. If not, then I'll contact SP Teri about replacing the tongue(s).

I used to have problems with the tongues slipping toward one side of the skate, but then I learned how to use the lace hook on the tongue, and I haven't had that problem since. Now, it's just a problem with too much creasing in the right tongue.

Didn't think it was worth starting a new thread, but can someone please brief me in how to tie the laces so the tongues don't slip? I have that problem on- damn, I can't remember which foot now - but on one of my skates.

[Morgail]

Didn't think it was worth starting a new thread, but can someone please brief me in how to tie the laces so the tongues don't slip? I have that problem on- damn, I can't remember which foot now - but on one of my skates.

Do your skates have a hook in the middle of the tongues?

[Helen88]

Do your skates have a hook in the middle of the tongues?

Uhh...*checks*...nope. Just plain. Would they need one?

[Morgail]

Uhh...*checks*...nope. Just plain. Would they need one?

Hmmm....that tongue hook was how I got mine to stop slipping to the sides. Maybe you could try the velcro that mamaskate suggested:

"My daughter was having a similar problem with her skates. We solved the tongue problem with velcro. We put two pieces of velcro on the tongue, one at the right side and one at the left, then put the corresponding piece of Velcro on the underside of the skate, where it goes over the tongue. She has not had any more slippage problem! You can't see the Velcro when she's wearing the skates."

That sounds like it might work!

[Helen88]

Hmmm....that tongue hook was how I got mine to stop slipping to the sides. Maybe you could try the velcro that mamaskate suggested:

"My daughter was having a similar problem with her skates. We solved the tongue problem with velcro. We put two pieces of velcro on the tongue, one at the right side and one at the left, then put the corresponding piece of Velcro on the underside of the skate, where it goes over the tongue. She has not had any more slippage problem! You can't see the Velcro when she's wearing the skates."

That sounds like it might work!

Okay cheers for that Morgail :). Sounds like it might help!