No Experienced Pro Shop: Sp-Teri's, Jackson's Or Something else?

[PhysicsOnIce]

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post here.
So here is the deal... I started skating again after a 15 year pause last year and now am starting to think about getting on to the competition team of my club. However, my boots (Sp-Teri Super-Teri from 1998, my 3rd pair of Sp-Teri's and they have always been my favourite boot) are

a) too heavy for me (according to my coach) to pull in fast enough on my doubles ( I am landing in the back but about an 1/8 of rotation from a 100% clean landing)
b) severally breaking down (It's my third season with them) and
c) are too big because my foot shape/size has changed since we bought them and we bought them big in case of growth

Also, my blades (MK Professional Freestyles) are starting to show some major damage on the tail, which my sharper has no clue were it is coming from.

So in short I need new skates.

The Problem is that a) our rink doesn't have an experienced pro shop, b) the experience pro shop here ( I live in Leuven Belgium) only carries Risport and Edea, both which just don't fit right, c) I don't want to buy a pair of skates without trying them, and d) I just feel like I simply need some input from more knowledgeable people.

Our Pro shop sells basically every brand but the skaters at my rink mainly use Risport, Edea and Graf, with the exception of Sp-Teri's, and I am considering the Jacksons Premiere or Jackson Elites. I am working on all my doubles ( no double axel yet), weigh 68 kg, and i'm 163cm, have a wider toe bed than heel and a significantly higher than normal arch and prefer a stiffer boot with enough cut in the heel to point my toes.

Can Anyone help? Also, I need new blades. Thanks a million

[fsk8r]

Have you looked at where there might be other proshops in Belgium/Netherlands/France/Germany to see where you might be able to try different boots? There might be somewhere which isn't too far to travel to which has the different brands for you to try on.

I'm in the UK and we don't have many proshops so I have to travel at least an hour to get to a decent shop and even then you may need them to order in the boots to try, so I know the difficulties.

[PhysicsOnIce]

I went to Antwerp to the pro-shop my coach recommends, but that is the shop that only carries Risport and Edea. That was already a several hour excursion for me ( I have no car).

I know that in the UK and in Germany there are shops that carry Sp-Teri's but it would seem like a waste of time/resources to go to a pro-shop to try on some Sp-teri's and then not like them. I know that they have changed their last, specially the arch support.

[Loops]

The Problem is that a) our rink doesn't have an experienced pro shop, b) the experience pro shop here ( I live in Leuven Belgium) only carries Risport and Edea, both which just don't fit right, c) I don't want to buy a pair of skates without trying them, and d) I just feel like I simply need some input from more knowledgeable people.

I feel your pain.  I just went through this here in France.   I'm happy to share what I learned, but things here just seem to work differently than what I expected from my past experiences in the US.  I'm like you in terms of your points B and C, and really felt like if I'd had access to someone like in your point D my feet would be happier (they're OK though).

If you want to get to a reputable fitter or a particular brand, you may need to travel far and wide.  In my case we had to schlep to Paris just for a skate shop, which is a haul.  We used it as an excuse for a little family holiday- we took the kids and had a nice weekend.

If you want to try the SP-teris it sounds like what you'll have to do.   If you can handle the language, I'd look around and see what Germany has to offer, otherwise head  up to the UK.   The advantage to the UK is that there are some people on this forum who know where the good fitters are.  FWIW, at least relative to France, prices in the UK are very interesting.....even considering shipping.

I don't know why the American stock brands aren't so well represented over here.  I never even saw Riedell's! 

On the contrary, blades are going to be easy once you know what length you need.  I imagine you already have a model or two in mind!

[PhysicsOnIce]

In my case we had to schlep to Paris just for a skate shop, which is a haul.

FWIW, at least relative to France, prices in the UK are very interesting.....even considering shipping.

Were you happy with the fitter in Paris? What brands did they have? Do you have their website?
My Boyfriend and I have been toying with the idea of a small weekend get away to Paris for a while.  Paris is not that far.

[Loops]

I wish I could recommend them.  They did have a the widest selection of boots I've seen, Graf/Jackson/Gam plus the two you've ruled out, and all the models. Nothing from the US though- no Riedells, SPteris, or stock Harlicks.  But they weren't fitters, just shoe-salesmen.  No measuring apparatus of any kind got taken out, no interest in my old skates, or known fitting problems. 

If you're considering a French Holiday, what about Lyon?  When I need to do this again, the first place I'm going to investigate is a store there called Glace-Danse.  In Lyon is a/the French ice dance training center and at least one other skating club.  So I would hope they would be more of a skate fitter, their selection is limited though- they do have several different versions of the Elite, but not the Premier.  It's a beautiful city, considered the second in France and well worth a visit in it's own rights.  But I would still call them and have a chat first.  You could also post a question on the french language skating forum: passion-patinage.com.  Don't mention you're in Belguim- apparently they get hit with lots of "where do I buy skates in Belgium" and they might not read carefully enough to see that you're looking for France.  Hmm, I guess also searching through that forum might give you some other places in BE, but your coach would probably know.

I'll also check out the UK- Everglides is one store I've heard bantered around, I'm sure there are others.  I don't know if they're qualified as fitters, but the people at sixpointzero are super nice.  They're in northern wales, if they even have a brick and mortar store.  I'd certainly check in with them, too.

[taka]

Welcome!!

I'm in Scotland which isn't easy for skate shopping either. Places here often only deal in 1 or 2 brands and don't have much in adult sizes - especially if you need anything above beginner boots. After a supposedly "good" shop a couple of hours away completely mucked me about for 2 months last summer, I wound up travelling to the other end of the UK for new boots and blades. Low cost airlines rock!

Have you asked anyone at the rink who has feet roughly your size, if you could try their boots on? Might help rule in / out some brands so you could narrow down your search a bit?

It looks like combining a mini break and boot shopping is the way to go though! Good luck!

[AgnesNitt]

Is roller skating popular in your country? Many ice skate manufacturers also produce skates for roller--sometimes the exact same models. See if you can find a roller skate fitter.

I'm told roller is enormously popular in Europe and Australia and Asia.

[PhysicsOnIce]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all of your replies. Here is a small update on the situtation.
I spoke with  my coach and the Dance Instructor/head of our club  last night at practice. Apprently, there is a fitter on the outskirts of London who use to fit our Dance Instructor and all of his students.
I guess I will have to take a trip to London. I'll report back when I know when I can go and after my experience to let everyone know.
Cheers. 

[Loops]

London is good!!!!  You'll have a wonderful time in addition.   I am very much interested in how this goes for you, so please do keep us posted.

[fsk8r]

I would make contact with the pro-shop ahead of going to make sure they've got what you're thinking about trying in stock. A lot of the shops in the UK don't have all sizes /  models available to try on so you might try a different model boot for sizing and then they order in the model you are after. But most of them do have a selection of manufacturers.

PM me if you're needing help working out where places are around London or need details of any of the other pro shops/rinks which are nearby. 

[Loops]

fsk8r is right.  I called ahead to the store in Paris and told them which boots in particular I was interested in trying, so they had a stack ready for me when I came in.  That saved some time.  Plus they had things in storage (?) elsewhere, perhaps it was another location for the shop, I dunno, but that gave them time to get things. 

They should try to ballpark your size for you, at least they did for me.  This is useful, because then you can tell them which blades you want too, and they'll have them pulled in the right size when you get there. 

If you call early enough, they may also be able to get things in stock for you (if they're part of a network, and assuming you aren't going to need a special order) before you get there.  Let them know you're coming from out of country.

Good luck!!

[PhysicsOnIce]

London is good!!!!  You'll have a wonderful time in addition.   I am very much interested in how this goes for you, so please do keep us posted.

I will definitively keep you posted. You guys have been so helpful with everything.

[taka]

I agree it is a good idea to phone ahead and talk what you think you need over with the fitter / shop - especially if you are travelling a long way to visit them.

If you are heading to London then the only UK SP-teri dealer is not too far outside of London (Les Westaway, near Reading) if you are still thinking SP-teris may still work (though in a different size!).

Sorry I don't know the South of England fitters other than Everglides in Gosport (Highly recommended!) but that is a several hours journey from London by public transport.

Good luck!

[Loops]

So, for what it's worth, I posted on the French skating forum a question about where the proshops are and who are the good fitters.

Maybe it was a language thing, and I wasn't clear, but despite saying no internet shops, I got 1 response and it was an internet shop that carries up to Jackson Freestyle/Risport RF2 (so to mid-level, not too high).

Sooooooooo  maybe someone eventually will chime in there with some useful information, but I suspect that the people in the know aren't on that forum anyway.

I guess the verdict remains the same: Go to the UK- how's your hunt going, btw?

[PhysicsOnIce]

In case anyone is wondering how this turned out.
I ended up going to London and taking a short but rather nice trip to see Les Westaway in Reading. The man is very nice and super friendly.He is a bit quirky but definitively knows what he is doing. He measured my foot width and length asked the standard questions and had me walk around his "shop" a bit to see if I needed orthopedics. I thought he was very professional. Yes he is a divorced quirky old man but his experience and professionaity is worth the visit. I tired everything from the KT3 to the GAM Brozen label.he definetively did not try to up sale me at all and gave me reasons why he liked/disliked each pair for me. I Ended up with KT2 with professional freestyles two sizes smaller  than my old Super teris and orthopedic since I am falling to the outside.

Can't wait to try them on the ice tomorrow.

[Loops]

Nice.  So did you call in advance, so he'd have things in stock in your size, or did you go in cold?

Glad for the good report.  He's on my list for the next time! 

Hope all goes well on the ice!  Enjoy.

[PhysicsOnIce]

I actually sent him a detailed email with my skating history and an approximate size.I asked him what his recommendations for me were and asked iwouldne had them in stock. Calling would have been expensive. My mom measured my feet and did and alright job at it 253 versus 255 cm. He is very keen on Sp-teris and prizes himself in being one of the two shops in Europe to carry them. He actually has gotten trauned and is good friends with Sp-teri himself. 

That being said he also carries Riports( on demand) and GAM.His selection of GAMs and Sp-Teris is huge but he only carries those two ( or three if you call well in advance).  So if you don't really know what you want do a bit of research for if  those two brands will work for you.I can discuss the Sp fit in detail if you want. But here is my short and quick review after my now fourth boot. The fit on the Sp-teris is very special, for me they are the only "prefect fit" but you do pay a slightly higher prices and they are a bit heavier boot than most but they are quality all around. 

One thing I loved was that he let me try things that he would not recommend for me just to see how I liked them or what I thought of them but he would tell you why or why not.if you are a light skater try the Zero Gravity , for me they would not hold up to my weight (~70kg) but they feel like house slippers but are built for the light weight advance skater. Let he know if you need his contact info. Cheers. I'll report tomorrow on how they feel on the ice.

[PhysicsOnIce]

So In case anyone is wondering, Yesterday was my first day on the ice with my new skates. I am going to be 100% honest... They HURT! In comparison to my old super-teris they are super stiff and the ankle padding is much harder than I  originally thought, but there are signs of glory at the end of the breaking in process.  My spins are perfectly centred, although I do feel a bit like a duck out of water at the moment.  I can't bend through my knee properly ( I did have them laced up all the way... woops my bad) but I spent 2 hours on ice and 1.5 hours off ice with them last night.  I am having some major pressure points on my ankles but I know that's normal and part of the breaking in process.  I haven't gotten the nerve to try jumping in them but I am feeling much more (maybe even too) secure in them. 

I am thinking of getting them heat molded so that they soften up a bit the ankle area a bit, but I am afraid of damaging them or making them too soft. Any suggestions? Yes ? No? Does it really help?

[Loops]

Oh yes- Heat mold them!!!!!  My risports had no break in (in terms of blisters/sore spots) at all, and I credit the heat molding.  It's a wonderful technology!

I'm actually surprised he didn't do it for you at the shop- it takes a whopping 15 minutes.

And also if you need it, some angel on this forum recommended gel sleeves (silipos is the brand).  They might also be your new bestie.  I found them in the UK for 1/2 the price of anything I could find here in France.......

Nice about your spins!!!  Hopefully the rest of the break in process will go smoothly.

That rocks that he's actually a trained fitter.  Kind of a bummer that he only carries those two (or three) brands- I'm in Risports now, they're OK, but I really want to try some Jacksons.  Suspect I need a split width though, so really want to talk to a properly trained fitter about it.  But I bet he'd have some good insights on fit, and that might be worth the visit in and of itself!

I'm glad this whole process is basically going well for you.   I'm so glad you didn't go to the store in Paris- it really wouldn't have been worth your time.

[PhysicsOnIce]

Oh yes- Heat mold them!!!!!  My risports had no break in (in terms of blisters/sore spots) at all, and I credit the heat molding.  It's a wonderful technology!

I'm actually surprised he didn't do it for you at the shop- it takes a whopping 15 minutes.

And also if you need it, some angel on this forum recommended gel sleeves (silipos is the brand).  They might also be your new bestie.  I found them in the UK for 1/2 the price of anything I could find here in France.......

Nice about your spins!!!  Hopefully the rest of the break in process will go smoothly.

That rocks that he's actually a trained fitter.  Kind of a bummer that he only carries those two (or three) brands- I'm in Risports now, they're OK, but I really want to try some Jacksons.  Suspect I need a split width though, so really want to talk to a properly trained fitter about it.  But I bet he'd have some good insights on fit, and that might be worth the visit in and of itself!

I'm glad this whole process is basically going well for you.   I'm so glad you didn't go to the store in Paris- it really wouldn't have been worth your time.

He actually did ask me if I wanted them to be heat molded and/or punched out anywhere, but me being the Old fashion kinda girl said no! I didn't want to ruin them and that I preferred to skate them in, but I didn't realize that they were so hard. So it is completely my fault. I actually have no blisters just sore spots. Plus I dont think I have room in the boot for a gel sleeve at the moment, I was wearing them in my old skates.

If you have the chance, specially if you think you may need split widths, you might want to pay him a visit. He doesn't expect or will push you to buy anything, so if you want to try the Sp-Teris it is worth the visit. specially since they do do split widths standard in all their stock boots.  Mine are the standard stock US 6C ( ~EU 37) with is a C ball and a B heel. They are actually very similiar to the Jacksons in a lot of respects, but I still find them more classic (if you know what I mean) . They are completely made of Leather with no plastic or funny stuff inside the boot, just leather and padding.

[alejeather]

I have SP Teri KT2s and I didn't heat mold them at first. I thought they felt okay, but two weeks in I decided to heat mold them and then I wondered why I waited. I recommend it.

[taka]

That rocks that he's actually a trained fitter.  Kind of a bummer that he only carries those two (or three) brands- I'm in Risports now, they're OK, but I really want to try some Jacksons.  Suspect I need a split width though, so really want to talk to a properly trained fitter about it.  But I bet he'd have some good insights on fit, and that might be worth the visit in and of itself!

Not sure if you'll be able to do split widths in Jacksons outside of Northern America. 2 different skate shops told me the options in the UK were for stock or full custom, nothing in between. Riedell could do "special order" (ie one change away from stock) for £50 odd (55?) so I ended up in Riedells with E width and B heel.

[PhysicsOnIce]

I have SP Teri KT2s and I didn't heat mold them at first. I thought they felt okay, but two weeks in I decided to heat mold them and then I wondered why I waited. I recommend it.

Did you not find them super hard in the ankles bones? Is it okay to mold them with your blades mounted?

[alejeather]

Did you not find them super hard in the ankles bones? Is it okay to mold them with your blades mounted?

I think they rubbed a little at the ankles, but it was bearable. I molded mine with the blades mounted. Just be careful not to touch the blades--they'll be hot.

About 6 weeks in, the corners at the top of the boot started digging into my legs painfully and I wore gel sleeves for about a week, but haven't needed them since. I think this started to happen because I could bend my knees deeper, but the top of the boot needed to soften up to accommodate.