Boot problems - ideas needed!

[uhh]

I got new boots about a month ago (Edea Chorus, same style and size that I've been skating on for about 5 years). I've had no problems before, but that's not the case so far with this pair!

After skating on them for about 4 hours, I was feeling that I was favouring the inside edge on my right boot & it got to the point where getting onto an outside edge was a real struggle (e.g. doing a RFI inside to set up for a toeloop - I couldn't stay on a strong enough outside edge to get my right foot to come past the picking foot properly). Went back to my skate guy, he did a regrind because it looked like the inside edge on that boot was much duller than any of the other edges & so we thought it might have just been a ropey initial sharpening. That made things better for a couple of sessions, but then I felt all my problems coming back, to the point that if I tried to hold a flat on that boot, I'd end up drifting wildly to the left.

Back to the skate shop again, this time we've moved the blade over as far as it will go to the inside. Again, that has made things better for a while - skating last Thursday, Saturday & Sunday I felt like everything was fine. But then last night I could feel again that none of my edges on that boot were secure - I can't get comfortably on to the outside edge unless I really carefully place it, and if I'm on an inside edge it feels like the edge is completely dull and on the verge of shooting out from under me. At least I'm not drifting on a flat any more, but it still doesn't feel right.

It's at the point where I don't want to jump at all because I have no confidence that I can hit & hold the back outside edge on landing. There's no room to move the blade in any further, it's on securely & hasn't moved from where it was re-positioned to. The edges aren't dull, my foot feels fine in the boot, I've got no issues with overpronation & the boot is only a month old & there is no creasing so it's not a question of the boot itself breaking down - I've got no idea what to try next! Does anyone here have any suggestions?

 

[Tavi...]

I got new boots about a month ago (Edea Chorus, same style and size that I've been skating on for about 5 years). I've had no problems before, but that's not the case so far with this pair!

After skating on them for about 4 hours, I was feeling that I was favouring the inside edge on my right boot & it got to the point where getting onto an outside edge was a real struggle (e.g. doing a RFI inside to set up for a toeloop - I couldn't stay on a strong enough outside edge to get my right foot to come past the picking foot properly). Went back to my skate guy, he did a regrind because it looked like the inside edge on that boot was much duller than any of the other edges & so we thought it might have just been a ropey initial sharpening. That made things better for a couple of sessions, but then I felt all my problems coming back, to the point that if I tried to hold a flat on that boot, I'd end up drifting wildly to the left.

Back to the skate shop again, this time we've moved the blade over as far as it will go to the inside. Again, that has made things better for a while - skating last Thursday, Saturday & Sunday I felt like everything was fine. But then last night I could feel again that none of my edges on that boot were secure - I can't get comfortably on to the outside edge unless I really carefully place it, and if I'm on an inside edge it feels like the edge is completely dull and on the verge of shooting out from under me. At least I'm not drifting on a flat any more, but it still doesn't feel right.

It's at the point where I don't want to jump at all because I have no confidence that I can hit & hold the back outside edge on landing. There's no room to move the blade in any further, it's on securely & hasn't moved from where it was re-positioned to. The edges aren't dull, my foot feels fine in the boot, I've got no issues with overpronation & the boot is only a month old & there is no creasing so it's not a question of the boot itself breaking down - I've got no idea what to try next! Does anyone here have any suggestions?

I'm assuming you're not coming back from a long layoff with undiagnosed foot problems?

I have really bad pronation and even with custom orthotics, I need to have my blades moved fairly far to the inside - but since you say you have normal feet, I question why your skate guy has been trying to solve the problem that way. If your boots and blades are both new (you mentioned initial sharpening), are you sure it's a boot and not a blade problem? It sounds like you have a manufacturing flaw in one or the other.

If your skate guy didn't actually check the blades and boots individually before mounting (e.g., for warping and misalignment, crooked seams in the boot, etc.), you might ask him remove the blade and do that. If you still have your old blades you could also ask him to temporarily mount them to see if you can isolate the problem that way. Once you have more info, I'd suggest you or your skate guy (if you bought through him) call the manufacturer.

 

[jf12]

It seems like there's something wrong with the mounting - it might not just be an issue with the side to side alignment withh the blades, but could be an angle issue - such that a tiny shim needs to be put where the blade attaches to the boots.

 

[concorde]

Some boots are just funky.

My daugher had one pair of boots (Jacksons) and everything was fine. Went up a size and the new ones never really worked right. I was so happy when her foot grew and we could justify getting a new pair.

Fyi - she currently is in Jacksons and has no complaints.

 

[uhh]

I'm assuming you're not coming back from a long layoff with undiagnosed foot problems?

I have really bad pronation and even with custom orthotics, I need to have my blades moved fairly far to the inside - but since you say you have normal feet, I question why your skate guy has been trying to solve the problem that way. If your boots and blades are both new (you mentioned initial sharpening), are you sure it's a boot and not a blade problem? It sounds like you have a manufacturing flaw in one or the other.

If your skate guy didn't actually check the blades and boots individually before mounting (e.g., for warping and misalignment, crooked seams in the boot, etc.), you might ask him remove the blade and do that. If you still have your old blades you could also ask him to temporarily mount them to see if you can isolate the problem that way. Once you have more info, I'd suggest you or your skate guy (if you bought through him) call the manufacturer.

No foot problems or layoff, just needed a new pair because the tongue in my old ones had completely broken down.

We moved the blade after he & my coach had watched me skate on it - it was clearly misaligned for me from the way I was drifting in a one foot glide & moving it has made things better, just not quite as good as I want! You don't just move blades because of pronation or supination - I've always had my blades mounted without all the screws in, skated but not done anything heavy like jumping and then made any adjustments in or out before having all the screws put in. The boots & blades were all checked before he mounted them, he knows what he's doing...

It seems like there's something wrong with the mounting - it might not just be an issue with the side to side alignment withh the blades, but could be an angle issue - such that a tiny shim needs to be put where the blade attaches to the boots.

Thanks, I'll have a chat with him about if it's possible to try that.

Some boots are just funky.

My daugher had one pair of boots (Jacksons) and everything was fine. Went up a size and the new ones never really worked right. I was so happy when her foot grew and we could justify getting a new pair.

This is what I'm worried about! Unfortunately, I'm done growing, so it's either keep going with the funky skates if we can't find what the problem is, or just cut my losses & get another pair now. This sport can be so frustrating...

 

[Tavi...]

No foot problems or layoff, just needed a new pair because the tongue in my old ones had completely broken down.

We moved the blade after he & my coach had watched me skate on it - it was clearly misaligned for me from the way I was drifting in a one foot glide & moving it has made things better, just not quite as good as I want! You don't just move blades because of pronation or supination - I've always had my blades mounted without all the screws in, skated but not done anything heavy like jumping and then made any adjustments in or out before having all the screws put in. The boots & blades were all checked before he mounted them, he knows what he's doing...



Thanks, I'll have a chat with him about if it's possible to try that.



This is what I'm worried about! Unfortunately, I'm done growing, so it's either keep going with the funky skates if we can't find what the problem is, or just cut my losses & get another pair now. This sport can be so frustrating...

Perhaps I wasn't clear. Yes of course we all get temporary mounts and yes blades are adjusted even if you don't pronate or supinate. What's unusual is that you said he moved the blade all the way over to the inside - which is an extreme correction - and it's still not right. Basically you're saying your skate guy knows what he's doing, he checked everything and it's fine, your feet are fine, he reground the blade, it helped but then it didn't help, he moved it all the way over, it helped but then it didn't help. Something doesn't compute.