How much life do these boots have left?

[sampaguita]

When I started getting creases near the flex notch of my Riedell 133s, I was very proud of myself as that meant that I was getting more knee bend -- but it was only when the rubber in the tongue got damaged that I realized that the creases may be a warning of early retirement for my skates!

I have to import my skates from abroad and the turnaround time is around 1-2 months so I would have to order a replacement before the skates become unusable...do you think these skates will last me one to two more years, or should I expect to replace it in a few months? If so, which Riedell model is the best replacement? (I started using Riedell 133 at Alpha-level group lessons and my current skills are Delta-FS1. Not sure if I can progress beyond FS1 as I am afraid of jumping and am horrible at spinning.)

I've used these skates for almost 11 months, at an average of 2 hours a week.  Here are some pictures of my skates, with special focus on the creases near the flex notch. Aside from creases in the tongue, there are no other noticeable signs of wear.

Left skate:
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/skatinganalysis/IMGP6406.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/skatinganalysis/IMGP6405.jpg
Right skate:
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/skatinganalysis/IMGP6404.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc437/skatinganalysis/IMGP6403.jpg

Thank you very much!

[nicklaszlo]

Not an expert, but those skates look merely broken in to me.  Should last a long while.

What level were you at 11 months ago?

Can you post a picture of the damage?  Tongues can be replaced - someone I know just had it done. 

Some people judge boot breakdown by grabbing the thick part of the boot upper on the side, and holding the boot horizontal.  If you take a picture of the amount of droop, that might help.

[sampaguita]

Thanks nicklaszlo!

We were able to repair the tongue damage, fortunately. I was untying my boots and loosening the tongue when suddenly a piece of the rubber came off! We were able to glue it back and I hope it stays that way.

I was just starting forward crossovers when I bought my skates, now I'm at Delta-FS1. Thanks for sharing the hold-it-horizontal test, I've never heard it before. I'll try it on my boots.