I tried "Russian" lacing for a while.
It was initially possible to use it to tie laces tighter (which was what I wanted, rather than the loose/tight/loose lacing Edea likes), so they didn't slip back as much as I tied the bow. And it meant I didn't have to re-adjust the lacing during the skating session. But I found I spent more total time using it, especially when loosening the laces to take off the boots.
(I eventually found that if I used my fingers differently when I tied the bow, I could achieve the extra tension I wanted, and without gradual loosening while skating, without using "Russian" lacing. But that is a separate topic.)
Anyway, I don't think the "Russian lacing" system is "bad" - it depends what you want to achieve, and maybe on how coordinated you are. I think a lot of sports equipment things are like that. We sometimes eventually learn ways to achieve what we want, with a given set of equipment or techniques, which can't be achieved as well or easily with other equipment and/or techniques. So there is no way that everyone is going to agree on everything. Plus our bodies are different.
The fact that I need strong sideways ankle support, that Edea's fit technique clearly doesn't give, may be somewhat like that. I've known speed skaters (both ice and inline), and cross country ski racers, and even a few hockey players, who don't need any ankle support, and use low cut boots that end well below the ankle (though those hockey players instead use boots that just leave the ankle uncovered, but are armored elsewhere), to gain extra speed and efficiency. But I can't even use low cut sneakers without fear of injury, and pay extra, and spend extra time looking, to get high cut sneakers. Perhaps Edea's fit technique is almost like using low cut boots - though the pressure across the front of the foot is higher up.
E.g., I used to use off-the-shelf unmodified backpacking boots, and off-the-shelf Riedell skate boots. But my toes are wider than average; my heels narrower; and my toes somewhat shorter, so I ended up buying boots that were too wide elsewhere, too long, that bent in a place other than the balls of my foot. I literally got to the point of re-injuring my ankles every weekend hiking trip, and eventually got a march fracture hiking, and a broken fibula during a skating fall. By changing the way I fit all shoes and boots (and practicing safer falls, a separate topic), I don't get ankle injuries anymore, nor have I had another bone injury, but maybe the way I learned to compensate partly with a snug shoe and boot fit all over (except beside and in front of the toes) makes me want things from my boots that are different from someone who instead developed strong ankles and other techniques, which the Edea fit method appears to require.
MOST experienced skaters want a fairly snug fit pretty much all over, with no slippage anywhere on the foot when skating - a much more snug than most other sports. Some even want a snug fit to the sides and front of the toes, despite the warnings of some podiatrists that that is dangerous, because that helps the particular technique they use to jump.
I suppose Edea's fit might mean you don't need to punch the boots at the ankle bones, because the ankle bones barely if ever touch the boot. I'm a bit surprised that is possible without major blisters, but maybe you can instead develop callouses to prevent blisters. Whereas as I treat callouses as a sign of improper fit due to unnecessary motion.
And apparently Edea's fit technique, which is loose in many places, satisfies some people just fine.
That kind of difference between what people want and have learned to use also shows, like other people said, people are best off going to a store to see what boots feel right to them - though unfortunately, I also admit that initial impression isn't always a perfect guide, and until one has had a few injuries, it may be difficult to figure out what one needs. Learning from your own past injuries sounds like a crazy way to figure out what you need or want, but AFAICT, a lot of athletes do it. Because most skaters do like that snug fit, I suggest Edea's fit might not be the best initial starting point - unless one has already developed strong ankles and feels confident they can make do that way.
But in this case, the o.p. is an experienced skater and skier, who probably has a very good feel for what she needs. Maybe she should trust herself to make the right decisions based on what she feels while trying them on.
Topic: New boot advice (Read 2947 times)