How to tie Royal Prime while breaking in?

[outside edge enjoyer]

First of all, I know that the prevailing opinion here is that Royal Prime is an egregious overboot for me (adult working on flip, lutz, pre-bronze dances, etc.), but I am not here to discuss that. I just spent a year in Royal Elites and they were perfect until they broke down. Yes, they're the right size, yes, I tied them correctly, etc., etc. I'm 5'8" and I fluctuate between 150 and 160 pounds, making me taller than most and much heavier than virtually all women doing triples and quads. I skate fast and jump big and my knee bend presses into the tongue at quite an acute angle. I have no interest in replacing Royal Pros that are technically closer to my level every 6 months, and the Risport Royal line is by far the best fit for my foot.

Here are my questions: I know that I shouldn't lace to the top hook at first as I start to break them in, but how does that work with the extra hook (pictured below)?

More specifically,
1. Should I lace up to the third hook or to the fourth, more wide-set hook at first?
2. Once I'm lacing all the way up, would it make a difference whether I lace from bottom to top or up the narrower-set hooks first and then down to the extra hook? I generally like getting longer laces and lacing up and then down a few hooks so that I'm not loosening the knot as much when I bend my knee, but I don't want to cause premature breakdown by lacing incorrectly.

Thank you, and I hope y'all will help me out even if you disagree with my boot choice.

 

[Query]

Did you choose high level boots because you got them second hand, rather than new? I'm not criticizing, just wondering.

Even though I've done more or less what you did, though with different boots, I'm not going to pretend it is optimal. Nonetheless, if it makes you happy, and you try to be careful of your feet...

My preference would be to use the wide-set hooks. But you could experiment to find what is most comfortable.

It is possible your high level boots will never completely break in. So, assuming they can be heat molded, I hope that was done well, so they don't fit you too badly. Especially that there are no high pressure points that hurt because they are taking all the pressure. (I believe a tight toe fit eventually created or contributed to my osteoarthritis.) And that it doesn't slip against your feet anywhere - though there are fixes for that that we could discuss if needed.

Since they might last you virtually forever, make sure he soles have been properly waterproofed (assuming they are still made of leather?), and repeat as needed.

In one case (not super-high level boots, just Klingbeil dance boots, but I was much less high level than the boots in question), I did oft repeated heat moldings to break a pair in, after getting tired of the fact that they hadn't broken down after 6 years and thousands of hours on the ice. But that to some extent that sped up the break down. I then took them back to the factory to see what master boot maker could do) I should probably have replaced them after 10-12 years, but have used them for over 20, with some interruptions trying other boots.

I had a tech (I forget who - might have been Don Klingbeil himself, who rebuilt them after they broke down the first time) create "flex notches" to improve flexibility. That involved cutting and stitching the leather, which exceeds the tools and ability of some techs. But if you can find someone who can do it, it might be worth it.

In one of those interruptions I tried Graf Edmonton Special Boots that I got free for complicated reasons, designed for triple & quad jumps. I've never done more than 1/2 jumps, and was working on pre-bronze Dances. It was partly an exercise in boot modification to prove to myself that I could, not because I thought it optimal.

It is possible that your boots will seem quite heavy to you, and that flexibility moves like spirals that require you to lift your foot against their weight will be difficult. If you are flexible enough to point your toes much, I don't know if the Royal Primes are cut low enough in the back to let you do it. Changing that would exceed the abilities and equipment of many skate techs too.

Don't be surprised if a coach tells you that you could advance faster by getting lighter, more flexible boots. They might be right.

Have fun!

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

Did you choose high level boots because you got them second hand, rather than new? I'm not criticizing, just wondering.

Even though I've done more or less what you did, though with different boots, I'm not going to pretend it is optimal. Nonetheless, if it makes you happy, and you try to be careful of your feet...

My preference would be to use the wide-set hooks. But you could experiment to find what is most comfortable.

It is possible your high level boots will never completely break in. So, assuming they can be heat molded, I hope that was done well, so they don't fit you too badly. Especially that there are no high pressure points that hurt because they are taking all the pressure. (I believe a tight toe fit eventually created or contributed to my osteoarthritis.) And that it doesn't slip against your feet anywhere - though there are fixes for that that we could discuss if needed.

Since they might last you virtually forever, make sure he soles have been properly waterproofed (assuming they are still made of leather?), and repeat as needed.

In one case (not super-high level boots, just Klingbeil dance boots, but I was much less high level than the boots in question), I did oft repeated heat moldings to break a pair in, after getting tired of the fact that they hadn't broken down after 6 years and thousands of hours on the ice. But that to some extent that sped up the break down. I then took them back to the factory to see what master boot maker could do) I should probably have replaced them after 10-12 years, but have used them for over 20, with some interruptions trying other boots.

I had a tech (I forget who - might have been Don Klingbeil himself, who rebuilt them after they broke down the first time) create "flex notches" to improve flexibility. That involved cutting and stitching the leather, which exceeds the tools and ability of some techs. But if you can find someone who can do it, it might be worth it.

In one of those interruptions I tried Graf Edmonton Special Boots that I got free for complicated reasons, designed for triple & quad jumps. I've never done more than 1/2 jumps, and was working on pre-bronze Dances. It was partly an exercise in boot modification to prove to myself that I could, not because I thought it optimal.

It is possible that your boots will seem quite heavy to you, and that flexibility moves like spirals that require you to lift your foot against their weight will be difficult. If you are flexible enough to point your toes much, I don't know if the Royal Primes are cut low enough in the back to let you do it. Changing that would exceed the abilities and equipment of many skate techs too.

Don't be surprised if a coach tells you that you could advance faster by getting lighter, more flexible boots. They might be right.

Have fun!

I appreciate the advice, but I have already spent a year skating in boots of a similar stiffness, Risport Royal Elite, the predecessor to Royal Prime (I got them new; my shop had them after the person who ordered them in flaked). They broke in and in fact broke down, and I didn't have any issues. Noted about the wide-set hooks though, thanks!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

First of all, I know that the prevailing opinion here is that Royal Prime is an egregious overboot for me (adult working on flip, lutz, pre-bronze dances, etc.), but I am not here to discuss that. I just spent a year in Royal Elites and they were perfect until they broke down. Yes, they're the right size, yes, I tied them correctly, etc., etc. I'm 5'8" and I fluctuate between 150 and 160 pounds, making me taller than most and much heavier than virtually all women doing triples and quads. I skate fast and jump big and my knee bend presses into the tongue at quite an acute angle. I have no interest in replacing Royal Pros that are technically closer to my level every 6 months, and the Risport Royal line is by far the best fit for my foot.

Here are my questions: I know that I shouldn't lace to the top hook at first as I start to break them in, but how does that work with the extra hook (pictured below)?

More specifically,
1. Should I lace up to the third hook or to the fourth, more wide-set hook at first?
2. Once I'm lacing all the way up, would it make a difference whether I lace from bottom to top or up the narrower-set hooks first and then down to the extra hook? I generally like getting longer laces and lacing up and then down a few hooks so that I'm not loosening the knot as much when I bend my knee, but I don't want to cause premature breakdown by lacing incorrectly.

Thank you, and I hope y'all will help me out even if you disagree with my boot choice.

1, 2, 3 hook over to extra hook and then back to 3 and tie them. Leave 4 out of it for now lol! Good luck and happy skating!

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

1, 2, 3 hook over to extra hook and then back to 3 and tie them. Leave 4 out of it for now lol! Good luck and happy skating!

Thank you!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you!

you're welcome!