Skate suggestions

[taka]

After a particularly wobbly skate this morning (I'm firmly falling inwards doing even a straight line glide!) so it looks like I'm on the hunt for some new skates. The question is which ones...

Current skates - Reidell 2010LS, 11.5 months old (for 3 months of which I skated ~1/3 my normal amount due to my rink shutting for renovations)
Skating - ~4-5hrs/week
Weight - overweight (UK size 22 so US size 18ish)
Style of skating - Dance (with v rare attempts at jumping). Hoping to test Level 1 dance in our next dance test session and learning dances up to foxtrot / european waltz level. I tend to skate with more power than is usual for my level thanks to skating for several years as a kid.

I was hoping these would last me for quite a while longer than they have! My previous pair (910LS) lasted a similar length of time (through skateUK and passport). I've been back on the ice for a little over 2 years. I will speak to my coach further on Friday but I know boots aren't really her strong suit. She agrees I need new ones though!

Question is... (a) do I get another pair of these as they seem a decent fit and accept they will only last me 9-10 months of normal usage (if that! £££) or (b) look at buying something else that is dance friendly but also strong enough to cope?

I'll definitely have a talk to the person I get my boots from but I'd love to hear any suggestions anyone has. Thanks in advance!

[AgnesNitt]

You say you're overweight. Maybe you need to go to a stiffer model to get more life.

My friend the Big Guy, 6'3" weighed 280 (not a typo) at the end of his skating, and went through two pair of Jackson Premiers a year + blades!

[supra]

I'm happy with my Edeas, I got a used pair of the stiffest boots for $160, and they're extra stiff compared to normal. In my experience, you should go with something a bit stiffer if you're overweight. I'm a 195lb male, and my first figure skates were like, Jackson Mystiques or something, they had a PVC sole, the PVC sole started tearing off the boot in like 4 months (I've put a dozen screws in each to keep them semi-safe to skate in.) So even though they were good for my level on paper, in practice I destroyed them.

So I'd go stiffer, as it's not gonna be exponentially more money (your last boots were 600, the most your new ones are gonna be are like 1000) and it's possible you'd be able to buy yourself more time with stiffer boots. One option you got, too, is, simply call the factory up and ask if they'll make a version of a boot that's extra stiff for you, and see what it'll cost, just explain you're overweight and break down boots faster.

I personally love my Edeas, though, very light, very stiff, and they got a nice lining that feels nice. Edeas have a lot more support and popularity in the UK, so might be an option. Alot of pros use Edea, too, like Patrick Chan I know does, off the top of my head. I might just be in my "Yay my first good boots!" phase praising Edea, but I like them.

Also, one thing I did with my Jacksons (the leather oddly enough on mine didn't give out too bad) is when I first got my boots, I didn't lace to the top hooks. I only laced the first one the first week, then up to 2 for a couple months, then up to 3, and only now that they're crazily broken down am I lacing all the way. What happens in my opinion when you lace to the top, when you need a deep knee bend, you gotta move the whole boot forward, thus creating a crease, whereas if you don't lace to the top, only the tongue will bend and not the actual boot. So what you do is, as the boot breaks down a bit, you just lace higher and higher until you get to the top. May work for you, may not, but I've had two older people recommend that to me, and my actual boots didn't get much of a crease going on (I just wrecked the soles) but it could be worth looking into in the future if you don't already do this. Even when lacing to the top, I always try to keep a finger or two worth of space between my ankle and the edge of the boot in back, just so I can have a good knee bend forwards.

[taka]

The 2010LS is the stiffest model in this line I think. They are supposedly for high level skaters doing doubles / triples...  (And yep I need to continue to loose more weight. )

[supra]

The 2010LS is the stiffest model in this line I think. They are supposedly for high level skaters doing doubles / triples...  (And yep I need to continue to loose more weight. )

Could always try a different brand.

[VAsk8r]

Is there a chance your Riedells are too long or too big? My Jackson Freestyles broke down in about eight months because they were too long. This happened to two pairs before anyone figured out the problem. It might be worth having a pro measure your feet, even if you think they're OK.

[supra]

Is there a chance your Riedells are too long or too big? My Jackson Freestyles broke down in about eight months because they were too long. This happened to two pairs before anyone figured out the problem. It might be worth having a pro measure your feet, even if you think they're OK.

Riedells run narrower, so that could be something, too. Generally if you carry more weight you'll have wider feet. I know when I lost weight, too (230, to 215, to 180) I went down a whole shoe size.

[fsk8r]

I use Jackson synchro boots for dance. They're as tough as the Jackson Elite (Plus) freestyle boot but low cut at the back for toe point. If you're feet fit in Jacksons then that might be an option as I tried the 2010s when I was looking for new boots and I decided they might be a little soft for me so got the synchro boots as they were as tough as my old ones (Elite Plus).

If you're breaking Riedell's down in a year, don't go for Graf Dance as they're notoriously soft, but Graf Edmonton's are tough (but hard to point toes in).

[taka]

I don't think my boots are too long but I've not been measured since I lost some weight (I just went down a width when I ordered this pair - after self measurements and several conversations with the skate fitter I've used this far). My R boot breaks down well before the L. The 2010s are very stiff and took several weeks to begin to feel broken in - I have a small lump on the outside of my leg near the ankle from breaking my R boot in! L was fine...

How do you tell if they are too long? My feet certainly aren't slipping about and the width is fine. Heel fit is spot on with no slipping.

Not tried Jacksons on since I started skating again and was looking for my 1st pair. I tried on Mystiques & Artistes (all they stock at my rink shop) then and the heel was way to wide. I ended up in Riedell 910LS from elsewhere. I really need to get re-fitted but that means heading down south and that may not possible before around Christmas time and I need to get boots before then...

Fsk8r - I'll look into those too. Did you get them from Everglides?

[PinkLaces]

Break downs can also be caused by wearing a skate that is too wide.  I had Reidells that broke down in 14 months.  I've posted pictures before of how the holes busted straight through.  I am between a wide and normal in Reidells so the fitter put me in the wide.  After the initial break in, the skates never felt tight enough and I was always tightening them.   Plus my feet were slightly slipping in them.

I have Jackson Premieres now in B width.  The difference was/is amazing.  They never hurt my feet the way the Reidells did.  My coach used to be very firm about getting Reidells.  Most of her students still wear them but there are a few of us with Jacksons and Sp-Teri's. 

[fsk8r]

Yes all boots are from Everglides. He wasn't happy ordering them in (apparently there's not much market for synchro boots let alone adult sized ones and he didn't want them stuck on the shelf if they didn't work), but they worked out perfectly.

Sheffield is meant to have a good stock of boots and Skate Attack in London also has a good stock. And they're all a long way south of you.

[Bunny Hop]

Riedells run narrower, so that could be something, too.

People always say this, but I have wider feet and my Reidells are VERY comfortable. They do come in different widths, just like all the other brands. Not saying they're for everyone, but sometimes generalisations don't help.

[FigureSpins]

People always say this, but I have wider feet and my Reidells are VERY comfortable. They do come in different widths, just like all the other brands. Not saying they're for everyone, but sometimes generalisations don't help.

I know you don't believe us because you've said it multiple times, but it is true that Riedells run more narrow than Jacksons.  However, width is not the whole story.  Riedell sizing is smaller and more narrow than Jacksons.  Compare the measuring charts and you'll see - it's obvious in the adult size ranges. 

I measure at a Riedell 6.5D but a Jackson 7.5C.  I have skaters who can't even get their foot into a Riedell medium width, yet the Jackson medium width fits them fine.  Jackson has been filling that need since pro shops don't want to carry a lot of inventory.  If a skater has wide feet, the fitter usually suggests Jacksons. 

Not all models come in multiple widths; that's one of the reasons adults end up being overbooted initially.  The lower-priced models from all manufacturers typically come in one-width-fits-all.  As a result, a good fitter will suggest ordering a higher-level model to get the proper width without pushing up the size length.  The poor fitter or uneducated skating parent will buy a larger size when they really need a wider width.

When someone buys a larger size skate than they need, the width increases accordingly so they think the skates are the right size since they can get their feet in the boots.  I have a student with obviously wide feet wearing a low-end pair of regular-width Jacksons that are a size and half too big for her feet.  I understand how it happened; the parents thought she'd quit after a month, so they didn't want to spend the money on a model with a width size.  When I pull out the insole and have her stand on it, her toes are over an inch from the front.  I've already spoken with the parents and the fitter about the next pair of skates being a wide width and the correct length.   

It's possible you're wearing skates that are too long and that's why the standard width fits your wide foot. *shrugs*  Did the fitter measure the width of your feet and have you had the skates stretched or punched?  Sometimes people think they have wide feet but they really don't in skates because of the stiffness.  It's different from shoe sizing since leather shoes are thin and stretch.

[supra]

I'm glad that in the beginning I had that old guy (my psuedo coach) tell me about sizing. He explained this all, and explained how in shoes he's like a 7 or 8, but his Riedell customs are size 5.5 wide width. Oddly, my Edeas are 290s and just perfect on me. My Jackson I think Mystique (lower end model with a plastic sole) ran too narrow for my feet, or maybe it was just too small of a skate in general.

Another guy at my rink, who's a lot higher level than me said he was skating in the wrong size skates for like 5 years or something like that when he first started skating. So it happens to the best of us.

[hopskipjump]

My daughter has wide feet but a very narrow heel and is very happy in Reidell.  She has the split width - because of foot changes it will have to be semi custom this next time around (wider ball and still a very narrow heel).