Replacing boots and blades

[san]

I need both new boots and blades. Is it advisable to replace both boots and blades at the same time, or is it better to get the blades first, get used to them, then switch them over to new boots?

Any thoughts/advice on the matter are appreciated. Thanks!

[Isk8NYC]

My advice: replace them both at the same time. Saves on holes, lol.
Even replacing the blades with the same make & model doesn't mean the holes are exactly the same.

[sk8tmum]

Are you changing models and maker for either or both? And, if so, how radical is the change? Or, are you just buying new of the same items?

[RachelSk8er]

If your blades have a fair amount of life left, re-use them on new boots.

Same with boots. If your boots are OK but your blades need replaced, there is no reason to spend a ton of money on new boots. Just get new blades.

Any reputable skate shop can plug holes in your soles if you change blades during the life of the boot. I've been on a rotating schedule of replacing boots/blades for years and have had this done on just about every pair of boots and there has never been a problem. (And have similarly never had issues with old blades and new boots.) If you are putting the same make/model new blades on old boots, the skate person should not be using old holes regardless, they should be drilling new ones. You don't want to use holes that may be stripped.

If you wear less expensive boots/blades, I guess it's not that big of a deal and you could replace them both at the same time regardless of whether they both need replaced (I don't always have an extra $1100 laying around to just replace both when only one or the other needs replaced).

[san]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm replacing both boots and blades b/c they both need to be replaced. I'm also going with the same make/model that I've been wearing, for both boots and blades.

A skating friend recommended replacing the blades first, getting used to them, and then getting new boots and then switching the new blades over. I hadn't thought of doing it that way, and was wondering what people thought of that approach.

Coach is recommending replacing both at the same time, which is my inclination, too.

[sk8tmum]

Thanks for the feedback.

A skating friend recommended replacing the blades first, getting used to them, and then getting new boots and then switching the new blades over. I hadn't thought of doing it that way, and was wondering what people thought of that approach.

We used this approach, per our coach, when we were changing to new models/makes of boots and new models/makes of blades at the same time. The preference was to make the change to the new model of blade, then, replace the boots and move the new blades on to them. They wanted to isolate the changes/stresses required in two major changes into two seperate segments.

When it's the same-boot-same-blade replacement, then, they both go at the same time if they both need to be replaced.

[RachelSk8er]

We used this approach, per our coach, when we were changing to new models/makes of boots and new models/makes of blades at the same time. The preference was to make the change to the new model of blade, then, replace the boots and move the new blades on to them. They wanted to isolate the changes/stresses required in two major changes into two seperate segments.

When it's the same-boot-same-blade replacement, then, they both go at the same time if they both need to be replaced.

Agreed. There is no need if they're all the same. The boots will feel stiff and the blades will actually feel really really good. I love the way new blades feel!

I'm actually getting new boots and possibly new blades this year. I have an old pair of hardly used MK Gold Stars laying around the house (used them for not even a full season 8 yrs ago and have been in synchro blades since because up until 08 I didn't do freestyle). I'm not sure if I want to switch back to a freestyle blade or not, but when you have $500 blades hanging around the house, you might as well use them. So after ANs or after I pass my junior MIF, whichever is sooner, I'm going to mount those onto the current boots and skate in them for a month or two, then order my new boots and make a decision on what to do about blades. That way if I don't like them, I'm not mounting them onto new boots and changing them after a few months. (While I said holes are OK and can be patched, I'd rather avoid unnecessary blade changes if I can.) I'm also changing boot models, going from a Reidell 1500 to a 2010, so I won't have to adjust to bigger toepicks/longer heel/different rocker/shorter boot cut all at the same time. If the Gold Stars don't work, I'll just go with a new pair of the model of blades I've been using for the past 8 yrs.

[londonicechamp]

Hi RachelSk8er

I think that you should save your Gold Star blades and mount it onto your new boots, maybe. I stopped skating for 4 years due to professional exam commitments, then went back to ice skating last January (2009). Though I have not used my Gold Star blades for 4 years at least, they were still good. The thing is that I can easily find my sweet spots for spins (one foot spins) on them. :)

Jumps are not that bad either. I am working on loop jump, and has done the half loop. :D

londonicechamp

[RachelSk8er]

Hi RachelSk8er

I think that you should save your Gold Star blades and mount it onto your new boots, maybe. I stopped skating for 4 years due to professional exam commitments, then went back to ice skating last January (2009). Though I have not used my Gold Star blades for 4 years at least, they were still good. The thing is that I can easily find my sweet spots for spins (one foot spins) on them. :)

Jumps are not that bad either. I am working on loop jump, and has done the half loop. :D

londonicechamp


I'm going to get used to them on the old boots before I get my new boots. I have been in synchro blades for the past 8 yrs and have skated in synchro or dance blades for most of the past 15 years, so it will take some time to adjust to a longer heel, larger toepick, and different rocker. If I like skating in them better than the synchro blades I've been wearing, I will mount them on my new boots. (If I don't like them, I'll sell them. I actually got them for free because they were a sample my uncle had at the skate shop he used to work for and they stopped carrying MKs. They happened to be the right size for me. I only wore them briefly when I was doing some freestyle in college, but I remember liking them.) That will be easier and less of a disruption than adjusting to the difference in blades AND adjusting to/breaking in a new boot model at the same time.

[londonicechamp]

Hi Rachelsk8er

Agreed with your suggestions.

londonicechamp