WOOHOO!
I travelled to the rink at Nottingham today (quite a trek!) to buy new skates. For those that don't know, I had to get new ones because my old ones (17 months old) didn't fit properly, they were too big. Basically, because I didn't know at first, I've been wearing two pairs of socks in them. My feet have moved around in them for ages, especially in my heels which can be very painful. The woman in the shop said it might be because when I bought them I was a total beginner and now I'm not. After mentioning it on FSW, I got urgent replies that I needed new boots immediately, that I was risking damage to my feet and that two socks and moving heels is really bad. So anyway, I finally get there, and the woman in the shop must have spent about an hour and a half on my feet! She looked at my old skates and basically told me that I could break my ankles in them!!!! There's a deepish crease on the outside or each. She tried my feet in about a million different pairs of boots, and it turns out my left foot is smaller than my right. We also had problems with my little toe on my right foot being squashed. I thought I was going to have to go with customs, but I got skates the right size for my bigger foot. On this foot I will wear a normal thin sock, and on the other I have to wear a totes sock (totes - you know, the thicker kind with the grip on the bottom). I tried the boots out on the ice for a couple of minutes and they certainly fit a lot better than my old ones! Phew! I just have to get the right one stretched a bit over my little toe. It felt so weird not being able to bend my knees though - that's the one thing I'm not looking forward to, the breaking in! lol. The blade is a standard-type one that came on it. The toepick is a different shape which I'm a bit worried about - I might either change blades to my old ones, or buy new ones. (I want better blades anyway) I've gotta talk to my coach about it next week. I'll try the new ones first though. But I'm sooo glad they fit ok!!!!

Good for you! I'm sure things will greatly improve for you now....good equipment can make a HUGE difference.

I am a bit concerned that you've got to wear two different socks---ideally, each boot should fit your foot like a glove, with only a thin sock, tights, or nylons....however, it sounds like you had a thorough fitting, and there's hardly a one of us that doesn't do something a little different or strange, simply because it works for us. (Normally though, skaters are advised to get the size that fits the smaller foot, because you an always stretch or punch out a too-small boot, but there's not a whole lot that you can do effectively to adjust the size of a too-large boot.)

As far as bending knees goes, when you lace the new boots on, don't lace them all the way up. Also, don't use the last lace hole for the first few sessions either. This helps the boot to break in properly, and leaving the last two hooks unused allows you better knee bend, thus you're more comfortable, and more able to stroke properly, and less likely to trip over a toepick. As the boots break in and become more comfortable, add the hole, and add a hook.

Good luck with your new purchase...new boots are so much fun---painful from time to time, but always fun.

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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

Glad you got a better fit. I know how hard that can be (I have one foot smaller than the other too). I have customs, and my previous pair were Grafs, where they were willing to split up two sets of boots for me. Anyhow, rather than the totes sock, you might want to try an insole in the larger boot. It might take up the space and allow you to ditch the thick sock. Worth trying since you can find them for cheap at the drug store. Good luck!

I agree Leslie with the insole idea. My daughter's left skate is too large, and we bought the Dr. Scholl's athletic insole, took out the skate insole to use for a pattern, and cut the athletic insole to fit. It takes up about a half a size or so and her boot fits. She also has two different sized feet, and although we get customs, the left turned out to be still too large this time around.

I'll ask my coach about it, the socks and the idea of an insole etc. If the insole works, it'll be much better. Not only will I be able to use the same socks/tights/whatever for each foot, but a tote sock is really obvious! lol. I've been borrowing one of my brother's for wearing them in the house, and it comes up almost as far as a knee sock. Not sure what I could to with that to make it a bit less obvious! lol. I hope the insole idea works. Thanks all of you for your advice and suggestions, much appreciated

Last thing though, I promise - I have been used to skating with the two pairs of socks, and I also folded them down so I actually had a thickness of about 4 socks on my ankle and the top of my boot, lol. I'm kinda worried about the top of the boots hurting my ankles because of this, or feeling uncomfortable compared with what I've got used to. I effectively had a lot of padding! Any ideas? lol

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

[quote:07aa1e15df="icenut84"]I'm kinda worried about the top of the boots hurting my ankles because of this, or feeling uncomfortable compared with what I've got used to. I effectively had a lot of padding! Any ideas? lol[/quote:07aa1e15df]

It's simple--just don't tie the skates tight around the top. (Make them snug at the bend of your ankle, however.) It sounds crazy, as if you wouldn't get the support you need, but you will. You actually want them just loose enough at the top to be able to stick two fingers between the skate tongue and your shin.

If you still get rubbing or blistering, you can do any number of things--you can get a gel wrap and use that for padding, or just put a band-aid over any spots as a preventative, or you can cut the cuff of a sock and use it just at the top of the skate. But try just the looser lacing first---many people don't have any problems with the top of the skate, though some do.

__________________
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

[quote:031a8651e0="icenut84"]Last thing though, I promise - I have been used to skating with the two pairs of socks, and I also folded them down so I actually had a thickness of about 4 socks on my ankle and the top of my boot, lol. I'm kinda worried about the top of the boots hurting my ankles because of this, or feeling uncomfortable compared with what I've got used to. I effectively had a lot of padding! Any ideas? :lol[/quote:031a8651e0]What you could do is buy a set of cheap sports socks - the ubiquitous kind you can get in any street market for a couple of quid for 5 pairs - and cut the feet off. You will have to run a tiny hem round the bottom, or they'll disintegrate, but that won't take long, and then you can use the tops of the socks as cuffs on your boots to prevent rubbing.

What I want to know, though, is people's ideas to prevent "lace bite", apart from Bungapads which cost so much to import here. My husband is suffering really quite badly from this.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

[quote:7ec4ab2658="Mrs Redboots"]What I want to know, though, is people's ideas to prevent "lace bite", apart from Bungapads which cost so much to import here. My husband is suffering really quite badly from this.[/quote:7ec4ab2658]

The lace bite I've seen (and had) happens when the tounge isn't strong enough to hold the pushing laces away from your shin. The Graf skates have a very hard insert in the tounge so it doesn't get squishy and let the skates press into your leg. Aside from getting Grafs (or Jacksons which have something similar), you can probably see an indentation on his skates from where the laces press into the tounge. You can try to adjust the lacing so they don't press in the same spot (lace over instead of under or the reverse). You can also see if your local skate pro can add a layer of leather to the tounge or add extra lambswool/cushioning on the inside. You can also check to be sure the boots are flexing enough on the outside at the ankle...if not, he's probably putting more pressure on his shin/the tounge of the boots when he tries to bend his knees.

Kim (I do ramble...)

I finally bit the bullet and spent the $$ on a couple of lace bite Bunga sleeves to avoid a recurrence of a compressed nerve contributed to by lacing my old, too large boots too tightly (it took six months for it to heal) and thus to avoid another long and unhappy hiatus from skating (but I know what you mean, they are pricey even for us in the U.S.). They also sell a 4-inch by 4-inch square of gel without the fabric sleeves for less; this can be cut to fit one’s requirements and tucked into tights/socks, but half a square may not be large enough (my ankle area is pretty small – I would think that Robert would have to measure the area of the lace imprint on his ankle). You might try e-mailing the Bunga people -- the girl who answered the phone when I called them was very helpful and actually helped me to find the least expensive solution after I explained what I needed.

-- wannask8

[quote:ce296d3d19="Mrs Redboots"]
What I want to know, though, is people's ideas to prevent "lace bite", apart from Bungapads which cost so much to import here. My husband is suffering really quite badly from this.[/quote:ce296d3d19]

Klingbeil gives each skater a pair of heart shaped shearling inserts for this purpose, to use while breaking in their new boots. They work quite well. I think you could find an old shearling jacket at a thrift shop and cut out a pair for yourself.

[quote:f72be06f36="Mrs Redboots"]
What I want to know, though, is people's ideas to prevent "lace bite", apart from Bungapads which cost so much to import here. My husband is suffering really quite badly from this.[/quote:f72be06f36]

Some people I know use bubblewrap (the plastic bubbled padding you get for wrapping parcels) - you could try this out.

I managed to find a different brand of gel pad in my rink's shop. Sadly, I don't remember what kind, but it was a long strip (called an ankle wrap, I think), and I cut it in half. Each half is probably about 2 1/2" by 4", and they did quite nicely when I had to pad both my inner ankle bones and the instep area. I imagine something like this would work well for lace bite. IIRC, I paid somewhere from $12-16 USD for the strip--not cheap, but less than Bunga. Perhaps if you search your pro shops or even online, you can find something similar.

__________________
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

Thanks for all the ideas. I suspect bubblewrap is most widely used over here. But I might see about lambs' wool, too - I might even have some, left over from my spinning days (spinning wool, not on the ice! I would still do it, but there are only so many hours in the day!).

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Annabel

It's worth trying to get someone some bunga pads if you can (you've got LOTS of contacts so it should be easy enough ). I tried bubble wrap and didn't find it to be very helpful, it's okay at first but then it pops and you're left with sweaty, scarred feet instead of just scarred feet I bought bungas and they're worth their weight in gold! Mine have been passed around my friends at the rink .... to date about 5 different people have used them. One word of advice that I WOULD give, though, is to get the 'true' Bunga Pads rather than the copies. I bought the copies once because they were slightly cheaper ...... they did the job but fell apart quicker and became very thin, my bunga's are STILL going ...... and I'll need them soon as my new boots have just arrived ..... HOORAY

L x

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The best whisper is a click

Oh yeah, one other thing - when I had been wearing my new skates in the house, when I took them off and took the socks off I have lines imprinted on my feet from the sides of the tongue and across the toes (I assume from the front of the tongue). I never noticed this before (but 2 socks probably put paid to indents in my feet!) - does anyone else get this? What do you do?

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

[quote:23460fbf10="icenut84"]Oh yeah, one other thing - when I had been wearing my new skates in the house, when I took them off and took the socks off I have lines imprinted on my feet from the sides of the tongue and across the toes (I assume from the front of the tongue). I never noticed this before (but 2 socks probably put paid to indents in my feet!) - does anyone else get this? What do you do?[/quote:23460fbf10]

Yep. I get those lines every time I skate, because I wear nylons---there's basically hardly anything between my skin and the skate. I just ignore the lines...it's just squished fluid in the skin, and they go away soon enough. If you skate often enough though, you will get funky semi-permanent rough or dark patches/calluses, most often on the front of the ankle bones, but sometimes other places too. It's sort of like the skater's version of the violinist's 'hickey', or the guitarist's callused fingertips. It's not damaging, it's just something that as a skater, you have to deal with.

__________________
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
--Thomas Jefferson

www.signingtime.com ~sign language fun for all!

Sigh deeply and repeat after me:

"I am a skater. I will have ugly calloused feet for the rest of my life."

Ever see a photo of Sara Hughes in bare feet or sandals? YIKES!!!

Hmmm...I don't have any callouses on my feet from skating, but I do have tailor's bunions, and I noticed that if I use a self tanner that a darker line forms where the top of my boots rub.

[quote:bd93fd11da="backspin"]Sigh deeply and repeat after me:

"I am a skater. I will have ugly calloused feet for the rest of my life."

[/quote:bd93fd11da]

[color=blue:bd93fd11da]Never a truer word was said [/color:bd93fd11da]

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MEL
Absolute Skating