Have I been storing my boots in a wrong way?

[migureskater]

Hi! I've been storing my Royal Pro boots for about a couple of years.

I have put the lace storage tabs on those, tucking the tongues in and locking the ankle parts with the tabs.
I only had the lace tabs from my Edea Wave skates, so I guess it was shorter than it needed to be for Royal Pro. So I had to put a lot of power squeezing the boots and pulling the tabs for locking. This is not how the lace tabs should feel, right?

And the problem is, now the tongues seem to be fixed in their squeezed form and got creased on the backside. I'm afraid if this has undermined the tongues' support.

When I tried the boots on, the tongues fitted around my ankles fine, but I felt like it got a little bit softer than before... My coach told Risport boots usually come with softer tongues than Edea, but I wonder if I did wrong to the boots...!!!

Plus, I would like to get some advice on the right way of storing boots which are not in use for a few years.

I would appreciate it if someone could help about this!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi! I've been storing my Royal Pro boots for about a couple of years.

I have put the lace storage tabs on those, tucking the tongues in and locking the ankle parts with the tabs.
I only had the lace tabs from my Edea Wave skates, so I guess it was shorter than it needed to be for Royal Pro. So I had to put a lot of power squeezing the boots and pulling the tabs for locking. This is not how the lace tabs should feel, right?

And the problem is, now the tongues seem to be fixed in their squeezed form and got creased on the backside. I'm afraid if this has undermined the tongues' support.

When I tried the boots on, the tongues fitted around my ankles fine, but I felt like it got a little bit softer than before... My coach told Risport boots usually come with softer tongues than Edea, but I wonder if I did wrong to the boots...!!!

Plus, I would like to get some advice on the right way of storing boots which are not in use for a few years.

I would appreciate it if someone could help about this!

Yes, you did not store them anywhere near correctly. The tongue could be broken down and the boots were not getting time to air out.

 

[migureskater]

Yes, you did not store them anywhere near correctly. The tongue could be broken down and the boots were not getting time to air out.

Thanks for the reply.
Wow..... What have I done...

But don't new skates come like the picture below?

리디렉션 알림

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thanks for the reply.
Wow..... What have I done...

But don't new skates come like the picture below?

리디렉션 알림

I haven't worn Edeas or Royal Pros, always leather boots, but I can picture what happened. You needed first to leave your boots out in the open, laces and tongues loosened as much as possible (I'd have removed the laces completely, but at least down to the instep and then pulled out very loose). Let them rest, changing their position from side to side. You want them thoroughly dry inside, not just to the touch of your hand but right through the lining. Then you can put them in the box or drawer where you're going to store them, preferably not one on top of the other if there's room to separate them. I'd probably put crumpled tissue paper in the toes and wrap each boot in a soft towel, but that would be with leather boots. Still, though, with the laces and tongues very loose.

It sounds as if the boots weren't completely dry to the bone, so to speak, and then you squeezed them with the original tabs for different skates that were too short for yours. The tongue has been crushed into a permanent crease. In the ad you showed, those are new boots from the factory, bone dry, and the tab is the correct length for the cut of that boot's upper and the width of its tongue.

I do see some skaters using the tabs in competition, presumably to keep the laces and tongue in place. I'd be afraid they might pop off in action, as used to happen when we wore tights with straps under the arch of the boot, fastened with Velcro, and a performance would be stopped by the skater or referee because an arch strap had come undone and was flapping down by the blade. I don't even know if my Risports (leather RF1s) travel with a strap on them. My fitter always has them out of the box and ready for me to try on while I'm still sitting down and taking my shoes off. Then they get their usual little bit of moulding in the toe area and the blades attached and get put in a skate bag to go home. I can skate year round where I live, so they never need longterm storage.

 

[tstop4me]

Thanks for the reply.
Wow..... What have I done...

But don't new skates come like the picture below?

리디렉션 알림

When you first click on the URL you cited, there is just a single photo showing the "storage lace tabs" in the shipping configuration. Double click on that photo, and two more photos will appear. The lower right photo shows the storage lace tabs in the actual operational configuration (used to store the boots). Note that the tongue is pulled forward, and the storage lace tab is positioned behind the tongue across the bottom row of hooks.

More info can be found on the main Edea website under "Care and Maintenance", "6--Stay in Shape". Explicit instructions, consistent with your cited URL and with the Edea website info, can be be found on the SkatesU.S. (US Edea distributor) website. Do a search for "Edea Storage Straps", and you will find the following:

"The Edea Storage Straps help to train the Edea Boots to provide more lateral support for the sides of the ankles. For the maximum support, pull the tongue forward and place the storage strap behind the tongue on the bottom set of hooks, using the smallest set of holes. The straps are to be used when NOT skating. Available in white, black or tan." <<Emphasis added>>



All that said, why are you using Edea storage tabs/straps and Edea storage procedures (whether correct or incorrect) on Risport boots?