Loose laces on skating boot

[outside edge enjoyer]

Hi! I bought a pair of Risport Royal Pros in July, and while they are still pretty new, they are quite broken in now from consistently skating 5-8 hours a week (with a month break in August due to a non-skating injury lol). However, from the beginning, the laces have always gotten loose very quickly, and it has only gotten marginally better with time. When I bend my ankles, it pushes the laces down on the tongue, and they don't come back up when I straighten my legs again and it feels really unstable. I've started wrapping clear hockey tape right under the knot when I tie them, and this helps sometimes, but I still usually have to retie once or twice per hour (as opposed to 2-3x per hour with no tape). And this is expensive!! I kind of wish they had those hook/stud things some Jackson boots have on the tongue to keep the laces in place. I did start with the top hook unlaced for proper break in, and I did recently get new laces which helped a little. But is there anything I'm missing or could be doing? I'd love to stop wasting as much money having to retie during freestyle sessions and even during lessons sometimes. And the calluses on my fingers from pulling on laces all the time freaking hurt. But if the answer is that I just have to deal with it, I'll survive.

Also, my right boot often comes loose before my left, and that makes sense because I jump CCW, but sometimes it happens before I even jump. That boot was on a display shelf in the shop for a couple months before I bought them. The glue was slightly sun-yellowed, but it seemed fine and there were no other boots in my size/at my level in stock or available from the importer so I was kind of stuck. But could this have degraded the boot itself? I don't know. It's not like there's anything I could do about it, but I'm interested to hear if anyone knows anything.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi! I bought a pair of Risport Royal Pros in July, and while they are still pretty new, they are quite broken in now from consistently skating 5-8 hours a week (with a month break in August due to a non-skating injury lol). However, from the beginning, the laces have always gotten loose very quickly, and it has only gotten marginally better with time. When I bend my ankles, it pushes the laces down on the tongue, and they don't come back up when I straighten my legs again and it feels really unstable. I've started wrapping clear hockey tape right under the knot when I tie them, and this helps sometimes, but I still usually have to retie once or twice per hour (as opposed to 2-3x per hour with no tape). And this is expensive!! I kind of wish they had those hook/stud things some Jackson boots have on the tongue to keep the laces in place. I did start with the top hook unlaced for proper break in, and I did recently get new laces which helped a little. But is there anything I'm missing or could be doing? I'd love to stop wasting as much money having to retie during freestyle sessions and even during lessons sometimes. And the calluses on my fingers from pulling on laces all the time freaking hurt. But if the answer is that I just have to deal with it, I'll survive.

Also, my right boot often comes loose before my left, and that makes sense because I jump CCW, but sometimes it happens before I even jump. That boot was on a display shelf in the shop for a couple months before I bought them. The glue was slightly sun-yellowed, but it seemed fine and there were no other boots in my size/at my level in stock or available from the importer so I was kind of stuck. But could this have degraded the boot itself? I don't know. It's not like there's anything I could do about it, but I'm interested to hear if anyone knows anything.

You really should change your laces out often. What kind are you using, that could make a big difference as well.
And are you putting boot on properly/lacing properly for a Risport? Has anyone really taught you the proper way?

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi! I bought a pair of Risport Royal Pros in July, and while they are still pretty new, they are quite broken in now from consistently skating 5-8 hours a week (with a month break in August due to a non-skating injury lol). However, from the beginning, the laces have always gotten loose very quickly, and it has only gotten marginally better with time. When I bend my ankles, it pushes the laces down on the tongue, and they don't come back up when I straighten my legs again and it feels really unstable. I've started wrapping clear hockey tape right under the knot when I tie them, and this helps sometimes, but I still usually have to retie once or twice per hour (as opposed to 2-3x per hour with no tape). And this is expensive!! I kind of wish they had those hook/stud things some Jackson boots have on the tongue to keep the laces in place. I did start with the top hook unlaced for proper break in, and I did recently get new laces which helped a little. But is there anything I'm missing or could be doing? I'd love to stop wasting as much money having to retie during freestyle sessions and even during lessons sometimes. And the calluses on my fingers from pulling on laces all the time freaking hurt. But if the answer is that I just have to deal with it, I'll survive.

Also, my right boot often comes loose before my left, and that makes sense because I jump CCW, but sometimes it happens before I even jump. That boot was on a display shelf in the shop for a couple months before I bought them. The glue was slightly sun-yellowed, but it seemed fine and there were no other boots in my size/at my level in stock or available from the importer so I was kind of stuck. But could this have degraded the boot itself? I don't know. It's not like there's anything I could do about it, but I'm interested to hear if anyone knows anything.

There are several videos on YouTube that show you how to lace different brands of boots. I have Risports myself, and while I usually have to retie the knot maybe once in a 90-minute session, they don't loosen all the way down the way you describe. The only thing I can think of that would make lacing sag is just hooking it around each hook from the bottom -- are you winding "overhand", looping from the top of the hook all the way around the hook and then up to the next? Sorry, that's not too clear the way I've described it. There's a sailing term for winding a rope completely around a post on a dock like that, but I'm not a sailor and can't think of the word.

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

And are you putting boot on properly/lacing properly for a Risport?

Yes, I believe so--the fitter went over it with me when I bought them, and I just looked at this tutorial from Risport and it is what I do.

are you winding "overhand", looping from the top of the hook all the way around the hook and then up to the next?

Yes! I haven't wound under the hooks since clueless rental skate days.

What kind are you using, that could make a big difference as well.

I've used the Risport laces they came with, another pair of Risport laces, then two pairs of Derby Core thin/lightly waxed laces. I saw on another thread that you don't use nylon laces; where do you find laces without nylon?

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Just wondering if it's the actual fit of the Royal Pro that is causing the problem? Whilst they have fantastic padding and feel incredibly snug at first, the actual fit around the ankle is looser than that of more traditional boots, which could be contributing to your feelings of instability. Maybe you'd be happier in an RF3 Pro...? This is almost certainly not what you want to hear, but something you need to consider.

 

[tstop4me]

OP:

* When I read your Post #1, my first instinct was to recommend that you switch to Derby CORE laces. But when I read your Post #4, I saw that you’ve already tried them, and your problem still persists. So my second instinct was that the tongues and ankles of the boots are not appropriate for your feet, which is what WM suspects in Post #5.

* I checked on the price of a Royal Pro. They’re currently US$529. Since you bought them only in July, I’m sure you’re not happy with the news.

* Before you chuck them, however, I’d like you to try different laces and a different lacing pattern.

* Get the Derby EDGE laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/). They are similar to the Derby CORE laces, except narrower (the reason will be discussed below). You’ll also need to get much longer laces than what you’re using now (also discussed below). By the way, the CORE and EDGE laces are all polyester; no nylon.

* When you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, don’t continue directly to the hooks, as shown in the Risport video. If you follow the video and tie the laces tight along the eyelets, but looser along the hooks, the laces along the eyelets will naturally loosen during the course of skating: there’s no mechanism to maintain different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Instead, when you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, wrap the laces around each other 3 or 4 times, and then pull tight. By this, I mean the following. When you normally finish lacing, you typically wrap the laces around each other once before tying the bow. Here, I want you to wrap the laces 3 or 4 times. First try 3 times. When you pull tight and then let go, the laces along the eyelets should stay snug. If the laces slip, then use 4 wraps. Now check snugness of the lacing along the eyelets. If there are any loose rows, snug them up, and pull on the laces at the top row of eyelets to take up additional slack. These 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets will maintain the different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Now lace up along the hooks. The Royal Pro has 4 rows of hooks. I’ll label them sequentially from bottom to top: H1 (bottom row), H2, H3, and H4 (top row). When you reach H4, don’t tie the bow there as you normally would. Instead, bring the laces back down and double lace H3. Then bring the laces back down and double lace H2. Double lacing is the reason to get the narrower EDGE laces instead of the CORE laces: easier to fit around the hooks twice.

* Now wrap the laces around each other 2 times (better hold than the normal single wrap), pull snug, and tie your bow. I secure the bow with two half knots. But for now just stick with your usual bow.

* Here’s the reason for the double lacing. If you tie the bow normally at the top row (H4), your shin will push out against it the most when you bend your ankle, causing the bow to loosen. If you pull the laces real tight to fight this, you will strangle the top of your boot and interfere with ankle bend. By double lacing the two top rows (H3 and H4), you create a firm elastic mesh to hold the top of the tongue in place, while allowing ankle bend. And by relocating the bow to the second row (H2), the tongue doesn’t push as much against the bow during ankle bend, and you can tie the bow there more snugly without strangling the top of the boot.

* Use the pair of laces you have now. Use a marker to make tick marks on the laces to determine how much extra length you would need for the 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets, the 2 wraps at H2 before you tie the bow, and the double lacing of H3 and H2. Then order the proper length. Are you in the US? When you order from Derby, shipping within the US is $4 if you order one pair of laces, but shipping is free when you order 2 or more pairs of laces (can be different laces). So if you’re not sure of the length, you might want to order one pair with your best estimate of length plus one pair the next length longer.

* Good Luck! Hope you can salvage your new boots.

* If this is not clear, send me a DM, and I'll send you annotated photos.

 

[Diana Delafield]

* When you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, don’t continue directly to the hooks, as shown in the Risport video. If you follow the video and tie the laces tight along the eyelets, but looser along the hooks, the laces along the eyelets will naturally loosen during the course of skating: there’s no mechanism to maintain different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Instead, when you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, wrap the laces around each other 3 or 4 times, and then pull tight. By this, I mean the following. When you normally finish lacing, you typically wrap the laces around each other once before tying the bow. Here, I want you to wrap the laces 3 or 4 times. First try 3 times. When you pull tight and then let go, the laces along the eyelets should stay snug. If the laces slip, then use 4 wraps. Now check snugness of the lacing along the eyelets. If there are any loose rows, snug them up, and pull on the laces at the top row of eyelets to take up additional slack. These 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets will maintain the different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Now lace up along the hooks. The Royal Pro has 4 rows of hooks. I’ll label them sequentially from bottom to top: H1 (bottom row), H2, H3, and H4 (top row). When you reach H4, don’t tie the bow there as you normally would. Instead, bring the laces back down and double lace H3. Then bring the laces back down and double lace H2. Double lacing is the reason to get the narrower EDGE laces instead of the CORE laces: easier to fit around the hooks twice.

* Now wrap the laces around each other 2 times (better hold than the normal single wrap), pull snug, and tie your bow. I secure the bow with two half knots. But for now just stick with your usual bow.

* Here’s the reason for the double lacing. If you tie the bow normally at the top row (H4), your shin will push out against it the most when you bend your ankle, causing the bow to loosen. If you pull the laces real tight to fight this, you will strangle the top of your boot and interfere with ankle bend. By double lacing the two top rows (H3 and H4), you create a firm elastic mesh to hold the top of the tongue in place, while allowing ankle bend. And by relocating the bow to the second row (H2), the tongue doesn’t push as much against the bow during ankle bend, and you can tie the bow there more snugly without strangling the top of the boot.

* Use the pair of laces you have now. Use a marker to make tick marks on the laces to determine how much extra length you would need for the 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets, the 2 wraps at H2 before you tie the bow, and the double lacing of H3 and H2. Then order the proper length. Are you in the US? When you order from Derby, shipping within the US is $4 if you order one pair of laces, but shipping is free you order 2 or more pairs of laces (can be different laces). So if you’re not sure of the length, you might want to order one pair with your best estimate of length plus one pair the next length longer.

* Good Luck! Hope you can salvage your new boots.

* If this is not clear, send me a DM, and I'll send you annotated photos.

I haven't seen that way of lacing boots since my grandfather, who had a factory making industrial safety boots, showed the grandkids how steeplejacks and the loggers who work as tree climbers laced up their boots . I never had to do it with my skates, but apparently it does work for men who need their spiked boots to stay tight and can't stop mid-climb to retie them!

 

[tstop4me]

I haven't seen that way of lacing boots since my grandfather, who had a factory making industrial safety boots, showed the grandkids how steeplejacks and the loggers who work as tree climbers laced up their boots . I never had to do it with my skates, but apparently it does work for men who need their spiked boots to stay tight and can't stop mid-climb to retie them!

Necessity is the mother of (re)invention. I never needed such complex lacing until a year ago when I got the Jackson Supreme (formerly Elite) 5362 boots. I had worn a previous generation Elite without major issues. But the current model has the 6K Supreme tongue, fabricated with a thin leather cover and a thick, tough compressed felt body instead of the previous sponge foam liner. Feels OK in the shop when the boot is freshly heat molded. But the tongue doesn't appear to have a thermoplastic liner, and doesn't retain its molded shape afterwards. It is recalcitrant (I actually use another word ... but that would be bleeped), extremely difficult to break in; and I ended up playing around with different lacing schemes until I came up with one that worked. The boots cost $800 then (now $900), so I was highly motivated to come up with a solution. I empathize with the OP. Hope my solution works for them too.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Necessity is the mother of (re)invention. I never needed such complex lacing until a year ago when I got the Jackson Supreme (formerly Elite) 5362 boots. I had worn a previous generation Elite without major issues. But the current model has the 6K Supreme tongue, fabricated with a thin leather cover and a thick, tough compressed felt body instead of the previous sponge foam liner. Feels OK in the shop when the boot is freshly heat molded. But the tongue doesn't appear to have a thermoplastic liner, and doesn't retain its molded shape afterwards. It is recalcitrant (I actually use another word ... but that would be bleeped), extremely difficult to break in; and I ended up playing around with different lacing schemes until I came up with one that worked. The boots cost $800 then (now $900), so I was highly motivated to come up with a solution. I empathize with the OP. Hope my solution works for them too.

You were channeling generations of loggers and steeplejacks, I guess, and coming up with the same solution ! My grandfather had taught the method to his sons, none of whom needed high safety boots, but my father passed on the method to my husband who was into rockclimbing and hiking in steep terrain. His climbing boot-lacing never failed him -- admittedly he fell off a small cliff and had to be lifted in a basket stretcher off a ledge by a US Coast Guard helicopter, but that was from his cleats skidding on a patch of ice hiding under loose snow. (And gave me a comeback every time he expressed nervousness about me pairs skating, since I'd never had to be winched off the ice by a rescue helicopter. )

I wish there was a solution to that problem of skating boots being so expensive but non-returnable, once you've attached the blades and tried one circuit of the ice. I see the point from the retailers angle, but then you have to buy another pair, and you end up effectively paying, in total, two or three times the sticker price of the pair you actually end up wearing. Who can afford that? [Sorry, ]

 

[tstop4me]

You were channeling generations of loggers and steeplejacks, I guess, and coming up with the same solution

I'm always impressed when people with different backgrounds, using different approaches, come up with the same solution to a problem. In my instance, I'll need to credit the practical training from my dad, who was a machinist, plus my academic studies and R&D experience as a physicist and engineer. Though loggers and steeplejacks are a more colorful lot for a narrative.

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

Just wondering if it's the actual fit of the Royal Pro that is causing the problem? Whilst they have fantastic padding and feel incredibly snug at first, the actual fit around the ankle is looser than that of more traditional boots, which could be contributing to your feelings of instability. Maybe you'd be happier in an RF3 Pro...? This is almost certainly not what you want to hear, but something you need to consider.

This could definitely be it--RF3 was what I was originally supposed to get, but then they weren't stocked anywhere in my size and not available to be imported. I do appreciate the freedom of movement the Royal allows before it reaches the point of instability, but when I need my next boot I'll definitely check to see if the RF3 is available (because I almost definitely won't need to move up in stiffness by then lol). Thank you!

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

OP:

* When I read your Post #1, my first instinct was to recommend that you switch to Derby CORE laces. But when I read your Post #4, I saw that you’ve already tried them, and your problem still persists. So my second instinct was that the tongues and ankles of the boots are not appropriate for your feet, which is what WM suspects in Post #5.

* I checked on the price of a Royal Pro. They’re currently US$529. Since you bought them only in July, I’m sure you’re not happy with the news.

* Before you chuck them, however, I’d like you to try different laces and a different lacing pattern.

* Get the Derby EDGE laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/). They are similar to the Derby CORE laces, except narrower (the reason will be discussed below). You’ll also need to get much longer laces than what you’re using now (also discussed below). By the way, the CORE and EDGE laces are all polyester; no nylon.

* When you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, don’t continue directly to the hooks, as shown in the Risport video. If you follow the video and tie the laces tight along the eyelets, but looser along the hooks, the laces along the eyelets will naturally loosen during the course of skating: there’s no mechanism to maintain different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Instead, when you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, wrap the laces around each other 3 or 4 times, and then pull tight. By this, I mean the following. When you normally finish lacing, you typically wrap the laces around each other once before tying the bow. Here, I want you to wrap the laces 3 or 4 times. First try 3 times. When you pull tight and then let go, the laces along the eyelets should stay snug. If the laces slip, then use 4 wraps. Now check snugness of the lacing along the eyelets. If there are any loose rows, snug them up, and pull on the laces at the top row of eyelets to take up additional slack. These 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets will maintain the different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Now lace up along the hooks. The Royal Pro has 4 rows of hooks. I’ll label them sequentially from bottom to top: H1 (bottom row), H2, H3, and H4 (top row). When you reach H4, don’t tie the bow there as you normally would. Instead, bring the laces back down and double lace H3. Then bring the laces back down and double lace H2. Double lacing is the reason to get the narrower EDGE laces instead of the CORE laces: easier to fit around the hooks twice.

* Now wrap the laces around each other 2 times (better hold than the normal single wrap), pull snug, and tie your bow. I secure the bow with two half knots. But for now just stick with your usual bow.

* Here’s the reason for the double lacing. If you tie the bow normally at the top row (H4), your shin will push out against it the most when you bend your ankle, causing the bow to loosen. If you pull the laces real tight to fight this, you will strangle the top of your boot and interfere with ankle bend. By double lacing the two top rows (H3 and H4), you create a firm elastic mesh to hold the top of the tongue in place, while allowing ankle bend. And by relocating the bow to the second row (H2), the tongue doesn’t push as much against the bow during ankle bend, and you can tie the bow there more snugly without strangling the top of the boot.

* Use the pair of laces you have now. Use a marker to make tick marks on the laces to determine how much extra length you would need for the 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets, the 2 wraps at H2 before you tie the bow, and the double lacing of H3 and H2. Then order the proper length. Are you in the US? When you order from Derby, shipping within the US is $4 if you order one pair of laces, but shipping is free when you order 2 or more pairs of laces (can be different laces). So if you’re not sure of the length, you might want to order one pair with your best estimate of length plus one pair the next length longer.

* Good Luck! Hope you can salvage your new boots.

* If this is not clear, send me a DM, and I'll send you annotated photos.

Wow!! This is super helpful (and promising), thank you for taking the time to type it out! I'll definitely be trying this once I get the laces in the mail and get over this cold I have.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

This could definitely be it--RF3 was what I was originally supposed to get, but then they weren't stocked anywhere in my size and not available to be imported. I do appreciate the freedom of movement the Royal allows before it reaches the point of instability, but when I need my next boot I'll definitely check to see if the RF3 is available (because I almost definitely won't need to move up in stiffness by then lol). Thank you!

Just know that RF3 Is stiffness rating 60, Royal Pro is 65.

 

[outside edge enjoyer]

OP:

* When I read your Post #1, my first instinct was to recommend that you switch to Derby CORE laces. But when I read your Post #4, I saw that you’ve already tried them, and your problem still persists. So my second instinct was that the tongues and ankles of the boots are not appropriate for your feet, which is what WM suspects in Post #5.

* I checked on the price of a Royal Pro. They’re currently US$529. Since you bought them only in July, I’m sure you’re not happy with the news.

* Before you chuck them, however, I’d like you to try different laces and a different lacing pattern.

* Get the Derby EDGE laces (https://derbylaces.com/product-category/derby-laces/waxed-edge-laces-4-5mm/). They are similar to the Derby CORE laces, except narrower (the reason will be discussed below). You’ll also need to get much longer laces than what you’re using now (also discussed below). By the way, the CORE and EDGE laces are all polyester; no nylon.

* When you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, don’t continue directly to the hooks, as shown in the Risport video. If you follow the video and tie the laces tight along the eyelets, but looser along the hooks, the laces along the eyelets will naturally loosen during the course of skating: there’s no mechanism to maintain different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Instead, when you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, wrap the laces around each other 3 or 4 times, and then pull tight. By this, I mean the following. When you normally finish lacing, you typically wrap the laces around each other once before tying the bow. Here, I want you to wrap the laces 3 or 4 times. First try 3 times. When you pull tight and then let go, the laces along the eyelets should stay snug. If the laces slip, then use 4 wraps. Now check snugness of the lacing along the eyelets. If there are any loose rows, snug them up, and pull on the laces at the top row of eyelets to take up additional slack. These 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets will maintain the different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Now lace up along the hooks. The Royal Pro has 4 rows of hooks. I’ll label them sequentially from bottom to top: H1 (bottom row), H2, H3, and H4 (top row). When you reach H4, don’t tie the bow there as you normally would. Instead, bring the laces back down and double lace H3. Then bring the laces back down and double lace H2. Double lacing is the reason to get the narrower EDGE laces instead of the CORE laces: easier to fit around the hooks twice.

* Now wrap the laces around each other 2 times (better hold than the normal single wrap), pull snug, and tie your bow. I secure the bow with two half knots. But for now just stick with your usual bow.

* Here’s the reason for the double lacing. If you tie the bow normally at the top row (H4), your shin will push out against it the most when you bend your ankle, causing the bow to loosen. If you pull the laces real tight to fight this, you will strangle the top of your boot and interfere with ankle bend. By double lacing the two top rows (H3 and H4), you create a firm elastic mesh to hold the top of the tongue in place, while allowing ankle bend. And by relocating the bow to the second row (H2), the tongue doesn’t push as much against the bow during ankle bend, and you can tie the bow there more snugly without strangling the top of the boot.

* Use the pair of laces you have now. Use a marker to make tick marks on the laces to determine how much extra length you would need for the 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets, the 2 wraps at H2 before you tie the bow, and the double lacing of H3 and H2. Then order the proper length. Are you in the US? When you order from Derby, shipping within the US is $4 if you order one pair of laces, but shipping is free when you order 2 or more pairs of laces (can be different laces). So if you’re not sure of the length, you might want to order one pair with your best estimate of length plus one pair the next length longer.

* Good Luck! Hope you can salvage your new boots.

* If this is not clear, send me a DM, and I'll send you annotated photos.

It took longer than I expected for me to fully test this out for several reasons, including my "cold" being something more serious and then me getting a concussion , but I finally have and it's gone great! I only had to retie the boots once during my hour-long session. I'll be skating for two hours tomorrow and don't expect to have to retie more than twice! And while this definitely is a way to "get around" the looser design of the Royal Pro, I feel like I'm still benefiting from the range of motion the Royal collar style allows for, and I do still love the boot overall.

One thing I ran into, though--I realized when relacing my boots that I had been lacing the eyelets from the outside in, the way Edea says to, so I threaded the new laces through the eyelets from the inside out, per the Risport tutorial from this message:

Yes, I believe so--the fitter went over it with me when I bought them, and I just looked at this tutorial from Risport and it is what I do.

And it was horrible!! When I put them on to skate the other day, the laces would loosen SO much when I let them go to move to the next set of eyelets. My boots were so loose and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't have the time to relace them, so I just powered through...not my best session but it was okay. I've since relaced them outside-in and they're perfect. I think Edea recommends the outside-in lacing because of the way it locks the laces in place a little better, but I don't see why that wouldn't be desirable regardless of the boot type.

 

[tstop4me]

It took longer than I expected for me to fully test this out for several reasons, including my "cold" being something more serious and then me getting a concussion , but I finally have and it's gone great! I only had to retie the boots once during my hour-long session. I'll be skating for two hours tomorrow and don't expect to have to retie more than twice! And while this definitely is a way to "get around" the looser design of the Royal Pro, I feel like I'm still benefiting from the range of motion the Royal collar style allows for, and I do still love the boot overall.

One thing I ran into, though--I realized when relacing my boots that I had been lacing the eyelets from the outside in, the way Edea says to, so I threaded the new laces through the eyelets from the inside out, per the Risport tutorial from this message:

And it was horrible!! When I put them on to skate the other day, the laces would loosen SO much when I let them go to move to the next set of eyelets. My boots were so loose and there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't have the time to relace them, so I just powered through...not my best session but it was okay. I've since relaced them outside-in and they're perfect. I think Edea recommends the outside-in lacing because of the way it locks the laces in place a little better, but I don't see why that wouldn't be desirable regardless of the boot type.

Sorry to hear about your health issues; hope they are all behind you. Glad the new laces and new lacing scheme are working out for you! Let's also hope that with some fine tuning, and as the tongues break-in to the new lacing scheme, you'll be able to go through an entire session without re-lacing at all.

With regard to IN-OUT vs OUT-IN lacing of the eyelets, by all means use whatever works for you. I've tried both (on Jackson boots), and personally prefer IN-OUT for the following reason. With OUT-IN, if I mess up the tension on one or more rows, I find it extremely difficult to fix them afterwards; I need to undo everything and re-lace from the first row. But with IN-OUT, I can fix them afterwards, as I described above:

* When you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, don’t continue directly to the hooks, as shown in the Risport video. If you follow the video and tie the laces tight along the eyelets, but looser along the hooks, the laces along the eyelets will naturally loosen during the course of skating: there’s no mechanism to maintain different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

* Instead, when you’ve laced the top row of eyelets, wrap the laces around each other 3 or 4 times, and then pull tight. By this, I mean the following. When you normally finish lacing, you typically wrap the laces around each other once before tying the bow. Here, I want you to wrap the laces 3 or 4 times. First try 3 times. When you pull tight and then let go, the laces along the eyelets should stay snug. If the laces slip, then use 4 wraps. Now check snugness of the lacing along the eyelets. If there are any loose rows, snug them up, and pull on the laces at the top row of eyelets to take up additional slack. These 3 or 4 wraps at the top row of eyelets will maintain the different tension along the eyelets and along the hooks.

<<Emphasis added>> That is, I don't worry too much about each row as I lace up. I wait until I reach the top row, do the 3 or 4 wraps, and then snug up all the rows, using the multi-wraps to hold the tension when I let go to snug up the rows (repeat the bolded steps a couple of times as needed).

But again, there is no one right way. Highly a matter of personal preference.

 

[Diana Delafield]

With regard to IN-OUT vs OUT-IN lacing of the eyelets, by all means use whatever works for you. I've tried both (on Jackson boots), and personally prefer IN-OUT for the following reason. With OUT-IN, if I mess up the tension on one or more rows, I find it extremely difficult to fix them afterwards; I need to undo everything and re-lace from the first row. But with IN-OUT, I can fix them afterwards, as I described above:



<<Emphasis added>> That is, I don't worry too much about each row as I lace up. I wait until I reach the top row, do the 3 or 4 wraps, and then snug up all the rows, using the multi-wraps to hold the tension when I let go to snug up the rows (repeat the bolded steps a couple of times as needed).

But again, there is no one right way. Highly a matter of personal preference.

That's one of the reasons I use that lacing system myself. If you have good grip strength and lace quickly you can, probably, keep the tension going all the way up. But I'm a chatterer and if there's someone else on the bench with me, I'm going to be talking and lacing at the same time, which means pauses and the lace has a chance to slacken.