Harlick Customs came and are awesome!

[DressmakingMomma]

After a looong wait, dd's skates arrived! Our fitter heat molded them and mounted the blade tonight. My little skater had a chance to try them out for a few minutes and she says they feel perfect. We'll spend time at the rink tomorrow to begin the break in process - I'm so happy they fit.   

[rd350]

Ooooo, congrats!  This is great to hear!  I am getting traced for a pair next week.

Let us know how it goes.  Weeeee.......................... have fun!

[TreSk8sAZ]

Yay! I'm so happy they worked out for her. Couple of tips for breaking in Harlicks:

1. It is completely normal and okay to NOT lace all of the hooks right away. I generally do two until I feel like they're getting too loose, then three. If she feels like she can't bend or they're too stiff (especially backwards) try unlacing a hook first if they're laced all the way up. Harlick actually recommends breaking them in by lacing an additional hook over time.

2. One of the first things I do when I get my new skates is change the laces to cotton. I hate the nylon blend laces that come with them (they dig into my hands and I get cuts). If you find that the laces are loosening too much during a session, or it's too hard to lace, that could be why.

Good luck to both of you with the break in! Hope all goes well!

[lutefisk]

2. One of the first things I do when I get my new skates is change the laces to cotton. I hate the nylon blend laces that come with them (they dig into my hands and I get cuts). If you find that the laces are loosening too much during a session, or it's too hard to lace, that could be why.


Where do you find 100% cotton laces?  I keep looking for ones in  black, 120" long.  They seem to be like unicorns (i.e. nonexistent).

[TreSk8sAZ]

Sorry, lutefisk, I get them through my skate guy, but mine are white and I don't know how long they are. I think shoelaceexpress.com may have 120" black, but you'd have to ask them if they're 100% cotton or a cotton blend.

[DressmakingMomma]

Try a shoe and boot repair shop - our local store has a huge selection of long laces. Dd picked out the 50/50 tongue and I think those make it soooo hard to get the skates tight, especially with the nylon laces. We're leaving them for now but will probably change out for cotton. I think the advantage to the nylon is supposed to be that they give a bit - better for deep knee bend.

We're trying to follow Harlick's break in process and lacing only two hooks for the first 4-6 hours, then three hooks for another 4-6 hours. I'm not going to be able to make her skate in circles though. She did a bit of jumping today - but she just has the waltz, 1/2 flip and sow so I hope it will be okay. She skated for two hours and the only spot that hurt was the back collar. We had it cut down 1/2" for better flexibility but I'm wondering if we should have added the padded backstay. I wrapped the edge in moleskin and we're heading back to the rink for the evening public skate so she can get another two hours in - hopefully the moleskin will help.

I'm so glad we decided to spend the money and have her skates custom made, she has struggled with fit since she started skating two years ago. I'm excited to see how she progresses. After being off the ice since May, she managed the nicest scratch spin I've seen her do yet and her half flips looked cleaner, more controlled, faster and higher then before. I was shocked at how well she skated after such a long break. She says she feels like she has more control over her blade - so that's a win! This was definitely the right decision.
Yeah Harlick!!

[sarahspins]

She skated for two hours and the only spot that hurt was the back collar. We had it cut down 1/2" for better flexibility but I'm wondering if we should have added the padded backstay.

I got the BB backstay with mine and I *love* it - it's very comfortable and I've also had no ouchy spots at the top of my boots at all (which has been typical in most new boots I've worn).

[littlerain]

Yay! That's so great!

[rd350]

Nice to hear things are going well.  What kind of blades you did you get with the new boots?  Was it the same as she had before or did you get a new style blade?

Hope the evening session went well!

I'm going to consider that cushion in the back now.

[DressmakingMomma]

She skated two hours tonight and felt great. The moleskin at the back collar took care of the only sore spot and she absolutely loves them.

We were able to use her old blade, a coronation ace with lots of life left. I still can't believe how well she is doing - guess that 4 month break was good for her! She said tonight, "Mom, I guess I'm a Harlick girl." with a big grin. Oh Happy Day!

[rd350]

Aww!  Happy Day indeed!  Love it