Boot size v blade length

[taka]

After a rather... strident... conversation with a coach recently I'm curious. He said my boots couldn't possibly be the size I think they are as I'm on 11inch blades! (He also clearly doesn't get that there is a size difference between mens and women's US shoe sizes which just served to confuse things further! )

I am in Reidell boots US women's 10 (according to the sole of both boots and box they came in!) which is UK 8 / Euro 42, with a 11 inch blade (with a 1/4 inch gap).

I also recently tried a pair of 7.5UK Jacksons (so equivalent of 9.5US womens?) that had 10.5 inch blade on. (Not sure if they were toe to heel or not)

What sized boots and blade are you using? (And are your blades toe to heel or 1/4 inch shorter?)

[Skittl1321]

My last boots were size 3US Jacksons and the blades were 8.5.
I don't remember how much shorter than the boot they were.

When I went up to size 4, I had to get a larger blade- I think it is now a 9, but it fits pretty tightly to the front end of the boot, and just off the back end (not off the boot, a scant amount until the back end).

[CaraSkates]

I've been in a 10 1/4" blade for the past four pairs of boots - Riedell Silver Stars, size 7.5 (two pair) and Riedell 2010LS, size 8 (two pairs). My feet didn't change sizes, Riedell changed their sizing (according to my skate guy and certainly the blade switched no problem). All pairs had about a 1/4" gap at the heel.

[JSM]

I wear size 5 SP-Teri's with a 9 inch blade, with a 1/4 inch gap at the heel.  9 1/4 blades would have fit toe to heel, but I went with the same size blades as my old pair.

The soles of these handmade skates can vary in size a little bit, my old pair (same brand and size) seemed to have a smaller sole, and the 9 1/4 blades would have been too long for that particular boot.

[jjane45]

When I went up to size 4, I had to get a larger blade- I think it is now a 9, but it fits pretty tightly to the front end of the boot, and just off the back end.

I am Jackson size 5 and also 9" blades. Aligns to the toe and 1/4" from the heel.

[Janie]

I'm a GAM size 7 and 9 & 3/4" blades. Not sure about the alignment of blade to boot though. I *think* it fits tightly on both ends.

[spiralina]

Riedells have really low heels so take comparatively longer blades.  My last Riedells were a size 6 US so a size 4.5 UK, and took a 9 3/4 or 10". In contrast my Risport 245 and Edea 250 will take a 9 1/2 (just) but 9 1/4 is better. All three fit with the same degree of snugness on my feet. In other words,  the Riedells take 1/2 inch longer!

[fsk8r]

My Grafs have a lower heel than my old Jacksons so I'm now in longer blades. 11" blades do sound about right for UK8. I have around 10.5" and am a UK7.

[Query]

According to my source, most brands of boot and shoe are sized in 1/3" units in the U.S. [e.g., Riedell!], with no well defined origin (varies by brand, by sex, and by the child/adult distinction), but by mm length increments in Europe. Some Canadian brands use 1/3" units, some use mm.

In some cases and for some brands, boot sizes are done by the total length of the foot, but in others it is just the distance from the heel to the ball of the foot, which is considered by many to be the most critical fit parameter for several reasons.

Blades are sized in inches, so it wouldn't really be possible for boot size and blade length to be the same for all sizes. It is actually the length of the mounting plate - typically chosen to be the total length of the boot's outsole or a little less - up to about .25". (I think that sizing makes no sense from an ergonomic or optimal performance perspective, but almost everyone disagrees, and almost everyone does it.)

There is no reason why there should be a one-to-one correspondence between these things, especially given the incredible variety of shoe and boot shapes, and the differences between different brands and genders.

I wear about a men's size 6 or slightly less boots and shoes, and my blades are 9.75 inches. (My boots are custom Klingbeils, but when I wore Riedells, 6 fit best.)

In any event, if you are a Riedell women's size 10, and we assume that is about a Riedell men's size 9 (not sure if I got that exactly right), your boots are about 3 sizes = 1" longer than mine. Your blades are about 1.25" longer than mine - so your sizing is roughly right, since my blades are a little shorter than the boots, and could therefore have been almost .25" longer.

So I think you are just about right!

If your coach wasn't aware of the difference between men and women's sizes, then that would require that your blades be another .75" - 1" longer than they are, if I got the conversion right. So I think you are right to see the men's/women's sizing difference as important.

Hope that helps.

But nothing good would be achieved by telling your coach "I told you so."... 

[TreSk8sAZ]

I'm in custom boots, but my shoe size is US12 - my foot measures 11.5". I have 11.25" blades, which are flush to the front and 1/4" from the back of the heel. This is the configuration I've had in every pair of boots for the past 5 or 6 years.

[aussieskater]

I'm in a Jackson 9 with 10.25" blades.  They're mounted flush at the toe with a gap at the heel.

I think the relationship between blade length and boot length has more to do with the shape of the heel than its height.  A "Cuban" heel will require a shorter blade than a "straight" heel.  By comparison, my latest skates have a higher heel than my old ones, but the same blades transferred comfortably across.

[sarahspins]

Jackson 6.5 (us women's sizing), with 9 1/2" blades... my old boots (Elite Plus) had 3/16" between the edge of the heel and the end of the heel plate, the new boots (Elite Supreme) may have closer to a 1/4" gap - I might have been able to go up a size on the blades, but they are fine how they are - I just ordered the same size blades I had on my old boots since the new ones are the same size.

I also have a pair of SP Teri's in 6.5 and those have 9 3/4" blades fit toe to heel.

[Sk8tmum]

Riedell 7-1/2 ladies 1500's with 10-1/4 inch blades.  Never more than a 1/4 inch gap ever on blades.

[Query]

Oops! Please disregard my comparison. I incorrectly calculated the size difference between men's and women's boots. I had also forgotten, as Caraskates alluded to, that Riedell has gone through size and shape changes over the years. E.g., when I wore Riedells, my size was quite different for differently Riedell models.

If you are ordering new boots, you might be best off with a modern measurement by a good expert with a modern Riedell measuring device.

If that is impractical: the store or Riedell may still have records of your purchase, including y our size.

Call Riedell anyway, to find out if their sizes or shapes have changed since your old skates were measured.

If you aren't ordering new boots, this is a lot of work to prove your coach wrong, which is pointless.