Any solutions for a twisted Ice Fly

[christy]

I've been wearing my Ice Flies for about a year now, skating an average of twice a week, and for the last 6 months the left skate has felt a bit twisted. It's been getting worse so I've checked the blade and it's totally straight, so the problem is definitely the boot (and this pair were a replacement for a pair that were really badly twisted when I bought them). I've tried replacing the insole (Superfeet) to see if that helped but it didn't make any difference.
I don't currently have access to a good skate tech so I was wondering if there was any way I could fix it myself?

 

[MCsAngel2]

No, if the twisting is due to a defect of anatomy, it needs to be assessed by an orthopedist. And then you need orthotics to use from the beginning with your next pair of boots.

 

[tstop4me]

I've been wearing my Ice Flies for about a year now, skating an average of twice a week, and for the last 6 months the left skate has felt a bit twisted. It's been getting worse so I've checked the blade and it's totally straight, so the problem is definitely the boot (and this pair were a replacement for a pair that were really badly twisted when I bought them). I've tried replacing the insole (Superfeet) to see if that helped but it didn't make any difference.
I don't currently have access to a good skate tech so I was wondering if there was any way I could fix it myself?

<<Emphasis added>>

Could you please clarify your scenario?

* Were your first pair used? Or were they new and defective, but you decided to keep them rather than return them?

* What about your second pair? Bought used or new?

* You don't currently have access to a good skate tech. When you purchased your first and second pairs, were you fitted by a good skate tech? That is, are you confident you have the right size (or even the right boot)?

* Could you describe in more detail how the boots are twisted?

 

[gliese]

In addition to the questions above, what level are you and what skills are you doing?

 

[tstop4me]

I've been wearing my Ice Flies for about a year now, skating an average of twice a week, and for the last 6 months the left skate has felt a bit twisted. It's been getting worse so I've checked the blade and it's totally straight, so the problem is definitely the boot (and this pair were a replacement for a pair that were really badly twisted when I bought them). I've tried replacing the insole (Superfeet) to see if that helped but it didn't make any difference.
I don't currently have access to a good skate tech so I was wondering if there was any way I could fix it myself?

All pairs have been brand new and all fitted by the same skate tech, who has an excellent reputation. My first pair were fine, no problems at all, then I got a second pair as the first were starting to break down. I skated twice with the second pair and realised there was a problem so returned to the fitter who checked them over and said they were twisted. By that point he'd had a number of pairs with the same problem, so he carefully checked the replacement (third) pair and they looked good. The third pair felt good at first but then the left boot started to feel strange after a local sharpening so I had the blade checked and that was all ok.
Looking at the boot you can see that the heel isn't quite 100% straight. It's not as off as the pair that my skate tech exchanged, and nowhere near as bad as a number of other pairs I've seen, but it was manufactured at the time when they were sending out defective boots :-(

gliese I'm mainly doing dance atm - Bronze and Silver levels.

<<Emphasis added>>

I just want to check that I understand your scenario correctly.

* Your left skate never felt quite right from the start, but you lived with it for 6 months. Recently, you had it sharpened by a local sharpener (not the skate tech who sold you the skates), and the left skate then got worse, to the point where you can't live with it any more. Is that correct?

* But what exactly is the performance issue you have with the left skate that leads you to the conclusion that either the boot or the blade is twisted (and that your problem is not caused, e.g., by a bad sharpening)?

* You said you had the blade checked (by whom? the local sharpener?) for straightness; and it was straight. Did you check for mounting alignment? Did you check that the edges were level along the whole length of the blade?

* What blade do you have?

 

[marcopolobear]

Hi,

What exactly are you doing with a spirit level to check a blade?

M

 

[tstop4me]

It's a matrix elite blade, and I've checked several times along the length of the blade (both sides) using various spirit levels, including removing it from the boot to check it, and then remounting it. I've also moved it, within the allowance of the screws to see if that would help. I'm 99% sure the blade is straight.

The local skate tech has sharpened the blades a number of times. He does a reasonable job, but the sharpening isn't the same quality as my preferred skate tech. The local guy had sharpened my blades a couple of times before I noticed a problem. Everything seemed good for the first 6 months, so when I noticed the problem I actually wondered if the skate was dropped during the sharpening, which is why I checked the blades and they were straight.

When I try to glide my foot feels twisted from front to back, and the heel doesn't sit properly, meaning I can't glide on the outside edge on that foot. I don't have any problems when I use the first pair of skates, and I've tried taking the insole out of my first pair of skates and putting it in the problem boot but it doesn't help, and conversely the insole from the problem pair isn't an issue in the first pair of skates either.

* I have the same question as marco concerning your use of spirit levels to check for straightness of the blades. Are you actually using the bubble level feature, or are you just using the spirit level as a reference straight edge? You just need to lay a reference straight edge (such as a rigid machinist's ruler) along the length of the runner and sight for gaps between the reference straight edge and the runner. It's important to check with the blade mounted: even if the unmounted blade is straight, it can get bowed via improper mounting.

* Even if previous sharpenings were OK, your last one could have been screwed up (I've had that happen even with a good sharpener who's usually reliable; he had an off moment). I recommend that you check that your edges are level along the length of the blade. It just seems like strange coincidence that your problem suddenly became worse after your most recent sharpening.

* So you seem to be having problems with the heel of the upper portion of the boot (that you slip your foot into), rather than the heel of the lower portion (that the blade is mounted onto). Is that correct?

 

[tstop4me]

I've checked it both mounted (before and after I removed it), and unmounted. I use the spirit level (checking the location of the bubble) along the length of the blade itself. OH also checked with a metal ruler before I removed / remounted, again along the side of the blade itself, but not since I remounted it (however removing / remounting didn't change the problem).
The problem is with the lower portion of the heel area within the boot. So I put the boot on, tie it, and when I get on the ice my foot feels like it's not sitting flat along the insole, and the inside of the left foot is higher than the outside. This happens with both sets of Superfeet, and I tried it yesterday with the Edea insoles (just to see if it made a difference) and had the same problem.
Also, and I know the outside view isn't always the full story, when you look at the heel of the boot it looks lopsided.

OK. One quick thing to try is to insert a heel wedge under the Superfeet footbed in your left boot. The thicker portion of the heel wedge would go along the outside of the boot to compensate for the offset you are experiencing. You can buy heel wedges, but in your case, just use layers of adhesive moleskin (or adhesive moleskin foam, if you need thicker correction). You can readily cut the moleskin (or moleskin foam) to shape with scissors and adjust the total thickness by varying the number of layers. {ETA: You can also build up a wedge with layers of Velcro tape; this is more durable than moleskin/moleskin foam.]

 

[tstop4me]

Quick update. I got the moleskin so now there's a lot of trial and error going on. I think it may help if I can get the position and quantity correct, but it's going to take some time.

Do as much trial and error as you can off ice to get a first approximation. Then make up a batch of (say) 6 trial wedges of different shapes and thicknesses. This way when you go to the rink, you can try out a bunch during a single session. You should then be able to fine tune a second batch, if needed. This is a lot faster than trying out one trial wedge per session.