ouijaouija
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 161
Post Title: Skate guards etc
Posted: 10-28-2006, 01:53 PM
Okay on the advice of the forum I have bought some soakers and some skate guards, I also bought a lace tighter thingymo.
But during a session I will get off the ice several times to tighten my laces, eat food and drink and take a rest. Is it really worth putting on the guards everytime and having to take them off again?
Also, are there nay other things I should buy? I had a look at various stones and stuff but I don't know if its worth buying. Has anyone seen the sweetstick? The website is confusinf on how and when to use it, what confusion!
Oh my gawd i was going to buy it but its £20.. noway
http://www.sweetstick.co.uk/How about skatemate, are these thigns necessary?
http://www.skatemate.com/addressuk.html d b n y
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8168
Posted: 10-28-2006, 02:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ouijaouija
But during a session I will get off the ice several times to tighten my laces, eat food and drink and take a rest. Is it really worth putting on the guards everytime and having to take them off again?
I think it's worth putting on the blade guards every time I leave the ice. First, it's easy to miss something small, like a paperclip, which can do visible harm, but even the stuff you can't see at all does wear the blades some. Second, if I don't wear them every time, then I end up forgetting to take them off before getting back on the ice. If I put them on absolutely every time, I don't forget to take them off because there is a solid habit in place.
flippet
Board Moderator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3046
Posted: 10-28-2006, 02:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ouijaouija
Is it really worth putting on the guards everytime and having to take them off again?
Judging from the picture of your blade that you posted, YES. The hard guards protect your blade from nicks. Things as small as a few grains of sand can do a number on your blades, requiring you to sharpen them more often. And nicks in the blade will affect the ability to glide properly on the ice, affecting YOUR performance. Rough blades are just harder to skate on. Why take the chance?
The hard guards are easy to use, you just slide the tail of the blade in, and pop it over the pick. Two seconds, no worries. It's very worth it! (And remember, with the hard guards, you don't have to dry your blades off--you just wear them. What you *don't* do is store your blades in the hard guards--that causes rust.)
If you really, really don't want to pop the guards on for some reason, you should walk on your toepicks to avoid nicking up the blade. The guards are much easier, in my opinion!
I hadn't seen a SweetStick before---after looking at the website, I'd be wary of using it on a figure blade---I don't like that it 'sharpens' by rolling the outside edges in. It's probably fine for an often-used hockey blade, because you need to sharpen those sooooo often.
samba
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 827
Posted: 10-28-2006, 02:48 PM
Yes if you want to save your blades and can get yourself into the habit that d b n y describes its a good idea.
Problem is if you have a memory like mine and no amount of habit will correct it then don't do it, I had a lovely black eye the last time I wore those things, I was late for a lesson and in my haste I forgot about the guards, I landed head first, I sported a lovely black eye for at least a couple of weeks plus a visit to casualty with concussion.
I just make sure I dont step into anything, preferably stepping on toe picks as described by flippet since the last incident I have a ritual of stepping slowly onto the ice and sliding both blades slowly to double check there is nothing on them including any damage to the blade.
The only time I wear them now is when competing at rinks such as Sheffield where it is impossible to walk anywhere without them, then I have my coach or a friend with me to remind me to take them off.
sue123
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2141
Posted: 10-28-2006, 05:18 PM
I wear them pretty much all teh time when I walk. When I don't, I try to walk on the toepicks, but it's not very comfortable. You paid a lot of money for these things, why ruin them?
While we're on the topic of hard guards, I just noticed something about mine. They're the 2 piece guards, and one end (the part that comes up when it wraps around) is longer than the other. Honestly, I never paid attention before, is the longer end supposed to go around the toe pick? I think that's how I've been wearing them, but I'm not entirely sure if htere is a right way.
d b n y
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8168
Posted: 10-28-2006, 05:31 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sue123
is the longer end supposed to go around the toe pick? I think that's how I've been wearing them, but I'm not entirely sure if htere is a right way.
The longer end goes on the tail and the shorter on the toe pick; however, I know one skater who wears them the other way around. I think they are easier to handle with the long end in back.
Award
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 329
Posted: 10-28-2006, 06:21 PM
That's exactly right. Normally, the shorter stubby thing at the front, and the longer stub at the back.... like this...
http://www.skateconnectionproshop.co...s//t_16197.jpg
And if you prefer a long stub for both front and back, I think it is possible to order mix and match sets that has long stubs in the front as well as in the back (eg from Guardog)....just depends on preferences. I think I've even seen (in the past) olympic figure skaters have the long stub on the front end. It probably doesn't matter, as long as the thing feels absolutely secure and won't fall or pop off by accident, especially if you're walking on concrete or tiles.
Casey
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1309
Posted: 10-28-2006, 06:31 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sue123
While we're on the topic of hard guards, I just noticed something about mine. They're the 2 piece guards, and one end (the part that comes up when it wraps around) is longer than the other. Honestly, I never paid attention before, is the longer end supposed to go around the toe pick? I think that's how I've been wearing them, but I'm not entirely sure if there is a right way.
Whatever fits. On my old skates the larger end had to be in the back, else it would rub the front of the sole.
The sweet stick is an awful idea and should never be used on figure skates. You do not want to change the profile of the sides of the blade...probably it's not the best idea for any skates...there's a reason they leave the sides alone when you get your skates sharpened...
PreciseIce
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 41
Posted: 10-28-2006, 08:22 PM
The only reason I uses mine with short in front is because ...
If the long ones are at front, it tend to leave a deep "iron on pressing" at the leather part above the toe pick. That irritated me ... so I have set my habit on short front, long at back for easy handle to put on & remove guard off blades too.
* Remember to leave a "gap" on these double sided guards to allow water to drain off ... or rustiness will catch on really fast!*
Ice Dancer
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 229
Posted: 10-29-2006, 11:13 AM
The guards I have have got a black rubber bit on them which you use to connect the plastic guard to the blade, which occassionally sticks to the floor and feels pully when you walk, like they are going to come off. Is there anything that I can do to stop this, or is it just that they are new, or I am fixing them incorrectly?
On the subject of rust, one of the girls in my class stores her skates in hard guards, or did until she casually mentioned her blades were rusting and didn't know why. I asked if she stored them in the guards, and suprise suprise did! She left last week with the aim to get soakers, although she was annoyed as she said she never uses the guards to walk on, she just walks on the blades! It occured to me the first week I got them, normal shoes walk on them bringing in all sorts of rubbish, and I vowed to never to do, even if the rest of the class do.
Skittl1321
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2778
Posted: 10-29-2006, 12:30 PM
My first pair of skates have a small line of rust because I stored in hard guards. Thankfully they were $70 skates that came with blades, and honestly I don't think the rust affected my blades at all because it was on the sides not the bottom- but I thought I was being diligent storing them in guards! No one told me I shouldn't do that.
A lot of the young girls at my rink walk around in soakers. That just seems like a weird idea.
d b n y
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8168
Posted: 10-29-2006, 02:41 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skittl1321
A lot of the young girls at my rink walk around in soakers. That just seems like a weird idea.
These days a lot of soakers have a rubber strip on the bottom. I don't like it either, though.
the old gurl
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 165
Posted: 10-29-2006, 03:14 PM
Most rink staff I know will give you holy hell for walking around withOUT guards on if you're anywhere but on the rubber matting. Just makes sense to wear guards -- to protect your blades AND the floor!
d b n y
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8168
Posted: 10-29-2006, 03:54 PM
On Friday, one of the adult regulars got on the ice with just one guard, and promptly went splat! He was OK, but left us all wondering how he had managed to leave one guard on. The older I get, the more I rely on force of habit .
Speaking of wearing guards, has anyone seen Kurt Browning's program in which he begins with his guards on? You can catch it on YouTube.
Casey
Registered User
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1309
Posted: 10-29-2006, 05:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by d b n y
These days a lot of soakers have a rubber strip on the bottom. I don't like it either, though.
Kevlar, actually. I need to get a set of those.
What I wear now for walking around is regular soakers with a kevlar mesh thingy that velcroes around the blade to stay on. I don't really like it and it's a lot more pain to take on and off than a single piece kevlar-lined soaker would be, but wearing around in just soakers causes them to get cut through terribly fast.
You can't wear hard guards with gold blades because the gold surface is soft in comparison to chrome and you'll get lines from the guards rubbing. Ahh, vanity. But I even have lines in the chrome on my old blades...so walking around in soakers simply keeps them newer-looking (doesn't affect skating though).