What is the shelf life of new figure skating boots?

[nicklaszlo]

That is the whole question.

[Loops]

What do you wear?  I'm guessing this is 100% related to your other post.  When I started investigating new skates 2 years ago, I rang up Riedell and talked to their tech department (looking at the possibility of rebuilding my oldkates).  They were super knowledgable which wasn't a surprise, but took time to talk to me in depth, which was.  Why don't you call the manufacturer and ask them (I'm curious too, so feel free to report back here ).  Come to think of it, they might also be able to tell you who sells their boots in Sydney.

[icedancer]

What other thread?

I have to say in general it is a total crapshoot and has as much to do with how you skate, your weight, what you are doing on the ice, etc. - how long they last...

Shelf life, LOL

My skates are 11 year old SP Teri Dance boots.  They look brand new.  I skate 3-4 days a week and am tall, not overweight.  I don't jump at all.  Mostly moves, dance, figures, general basic skating - I wouldn't consider myself a "lightweight" skater but obviously am not hard on boots.

Or else these boots are just ridiculously stiff.

My old SP Teri's lasted 15 years.  I only got new ones because I thought a newer stiffer boot would help my skating.  Ha-ha.

[beginner skater]

If you're talking about  skates not being used, I think storage conditions would have a huge bearing - heat, cold, humidity both excessive and not enough would all accelerate deterioration. Unused skates would probably do better, no sweat/bacteria.

Unused horse tack tends to come with a protective dressing sytraight from the shop. Used tack carefullu looked after lasts a long time

Skate manufacturers may be able to advise

[Loops]

What other thread?

Nicklaszlo is moving Down Under!

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=6840.0

And I would guess that leather, being a natural product could deteriorate, but as beginner skater says it could last long if it's properly looked after.  What I question is all the padding/heat moldable materials.  Somehow I doubt they have the same shelf life.  But maybe.

[sarahspins]

If you are speaking of just having a "spare" pair of boots on hand for when your current skates wear out, I don't see that as being a problem at all.

I once bought a 10 year old pair of SP Teri's as NOS, and they were fine... didn't fit my heel shape well, but the boots had no problems

[TDL]

And I can say that I bought a new pair of Riedells which I didn't use for 18 months or so, and they were fine when I did begin using them.

[amy1984]

I definitely know of people who've bought 'their brand' when they've seen them go on sale and they've sat around quite a bit before being used.  So if that's what you're asking, if you come across something at a good price and can afford to pick them up, having them sit for a bit won't hurt.

If you're asking how long boots will last when wearing them, it's so so specific to the skater, brand, etc.  I broke down a pair of Risports in a year.  I've been in Jacksons for over a year now and they look new.  Others have done the opposite.  It's different for everyone.

[Bill_S]

I can say that without a doubt that 25 years is too long.

That's how long I was off the ice until I came back to skating in 2000. When I first wore the (very lightly used) old skates again, the foam padding inside turned to gooey mush, and stuck to my socks. I had to throw the socks away after I got the skates off.

My current pair of inline boots is almost 15 years old, and besides being very, very broken in, they are showing other signs of distress like old, cracked leather inside.

These aren't new skates, but perhaps you can extrapolate from the data.

[Loops]

...which is why I suspect the padding materials might not last.  My even older Riedells (purchased new either in 88 or 89) are still quite useable....if only they fit my feet.  But they pre-date any internal padding whatsoever.

But I don't think we're talking these kind of time frames here.  The OP has a decent level of skating (doubles if I recall).  Perhaps he can elaborate, but my guess is these would be on the shelf less than a year....

[nicklaszlo]

No, no doubles.

[Query]

I can say that without a doubt that 25 years is too long.

That's how long I was off the ice until I came back to skating in 2000. When I first wore the (very lightly used) old skates again, the foam padding inside turned to gooey mush, and stuck to my socks. I had to throw the socks away after I got the skates off.

Yuk!

BTW, were your boots stored under moist conditions, so that mold had taken root? Or were they in an attic or other storage where they got too hot?

I've had other things made of foam that lasted longer, and didn't turn to goo, with proper storage.

Also, maybe foams have improved since 1975...

I would assume that for the most part, shelf life isn't an issue. However, to some extant, boots have gotten better. I can't imagine that buying boots, then taking them with you would be a problem - as long as they didn't get too hot or too moist when being shipped.

[Bill_S]

Yuk!

BTW, were your boots stored under moist conditions, so that mold had taken root? Or were they in an attic or other storage where they got too hot?

I've had other things made of foam that lasted longer, and didn't turn to goo, with proper storage.

Also, maybe foams have improved since 1975...

Here's the picture of the padding turned to goo after skating. It was a solid, light-colored material unlike my current gray sponge-rubber tongue padding. It was thinner too.



Storage was in a bedroom closet, but with no air conditioning until I moved in 1997. The skates got warm and humid, of course. So did I. 

When I put on the skates after all those years, the rubber wasn't yet goo, but it didn't look very good. It turned to sticky mush while I was skating (heat, moisture, pressure & shear forces, etc.). It made getting the skates off very difficult.

I suspect that the type of padding material makes a huge difference. I don't know much about different elastomers and foams.

[Query]

Some types of vulcanized rubber, like those in tires, can take both heat and moisture. But I've not had any tires for 25 years, so I don't know for sure if rubber can last that long. But, people pass "little red wagon" toys, with tires, down from one generation to the next.

Some types of foam too - I've had kayaks that I kept outside, using closed cell foam to reinforce structure and/or improve fit, sometimes for 20 - 30 years. They would get wet (kayaks do), and when it was sunny and hot, they would get hot. In one case, a black carbon/kevlar/epoxy composite boat, it sometimes got hot enough to smoke in the sun. Nothing ever turned to goo, or suffered obvious damage, aside from color fade. I've also had sponges (also used for kayaking) that have lasted since 1980 or 1981 - 33 or 34 years. Though I suppose that the materials used for boats are deliberately chosen to be very tolerant of weather...

People ship skates all over the world when traveling, or when buying new, so skates must be able to take the usual conditions of shipping pretty well. And if the o.p. carries the boots in carry-on luggage, they can't get too hot.

Maybe buying them in the U.S. will also save on import and export tariffs - if they are made in the U.S. Incidentally I once bought a kayak in Canada. After I declared it at the border, and filled out appropriate paperwork, the Canadian government refunded me the sales taxes, which are very high in Canada. (They did insist on inspecting the boat, which wasted some time.) If that is still true, and applies to skates, and the skates are made in Canada, the same cost saving may apply - if the o.p. lives near Canada.

(OTOH, Edea skates are from Italy.)

The comments in the other thread, about using a fitter who is very good at fitting, rather than worrying too much about their location, makes a lot of sense too.