Review of the Riedell Instructor 975 boot?

[FethryDuck]

Hi,
Anybody who owns or otherwise has skated in the Riedell Instructor 975 boot?

I like the idea of "the special forefoot cutout relief [which] increases foot comfort for the sensitive ball joint and little toe area."
Also the "added warmth and all-day comfort" sounds great.

(I guess, one does not need to be a coach to profit from those features ...?)

On top, this boot comes in support levels for those on the heavier side.

Anybody who knows for which foot form those boots are a good fit?
Egyptian, Greek or ...?
High or low arches?
"Bony feet" or ...?

Curious to hear from somebody who has skated in those boots.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi,
Anybody who owns or otherwise has skated in the Riedell Instructor 975 boot?

I like the idea of "the special forefoot cutout relief [which] increases foot comfort for the sensitive ball joint and little toe area."
Also the "added warmth and all-day comfort" sounds great.

(I guess, one does not need to be a coach to profit from those features ...?)

On top, this boot comes in support levels for those on the heavier side.

Anybody who knows for which foot form those boots are a good fit?
Egyptian, Greek or ...?
High or low arches?
"Bony feet" or ...?

Curious to hear from somebody who has skated in those boots.

Riedell is predominately good for Egyptian feet, some Greek shaped feet can get away with it. But if you have Egyptian feet with a wide ball it's not going to work. Also, with your previous statement in your other threads of your height/weight stats, you cannot do an instructor boot. They aren't designed for what you need.

 

[FethryDuck]

Hi &thanks for your comment.

I am "just browsing" at the moment.
I feel fine with the boots I have right now; can't come up with a justifyable reason to treat myself to new boots

I simply liked the features of the Riedell Instructor (why should only coaches have well insulated, warm boots ...???) and was interested in other's opinions of the boot.
(Also it's not one of those plastic-phantastic models which I am personally not in favour of.)


Otherwise; I think I did not share my height/weight stats in this forum before; we are talking 5.9 ft /175 lbs in my case.

I am currently working on salchow and toe loop.

Lowest "support rating" for the Riedell Instructor is 75 as per Riedell website.
Maybe that would not be totally over the top for someone my size/ weight ... (although I am not craving for a super stiff boot).

And yes, a perfect fit (i.e. causing no blisters, /chaffing/ development of bunions, ....) is prio 1 for me; too old to buy boots/ shoes (of whatever kind) which hurt my feet.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi &thanks for your comment.

I am "just browsing" at the moment.
I feel fine with the boots I have right now; can't come up with a justifyable reason to treat myself to new boots

I simply liked the features of the Riedell Instructor (why should only coaches have well insulated, warm boots ...???) and was interested in other's opinions of the boot.
(Also it's not one of those plastic-phantastic models which I am personally not in favour of.)


Otherwise; I think I did not share my height/weight stats in this forum before; we are talking 5.9 ft /175 lbs in my case.

I am currently working on salchow and toe loop.

Lowest "support rating" for the Riedell Instructor is 75 as per Riedell website.
Maybe that would not be totally over the top for someone my size/ weight ... (although I am not craving for a super stiff boot).

And yes, a perfect fit (i.e. causing no blisters, /chaffing/ development of bunions, ....) is prio 1 for me; too old to buy boots/ shoes (of whatever kind) which hurt my feet.

You did share you stats in your first thread. And the way skating and boots and stiffness works is, the higher you go up in body mass, the stiffer the boot you need to support you.

Also, coaches get the very warm boots b/c they are on the ice standing still much of the time for hours and hours and their feet start to freeze. Also, if you are skating at a particular level you are not wanting insulation in your boot like that b/c your feet will sweat something terrible and then you have bigger issues.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi &thanks for your comment.

I am "just browsing" at the moment.
I feel fine with the boots I have right now; can't come up with a justifyable reason to treat myself to new boots

I simply liked the features of the Riedell Instructor (why should only coaches have well insulated, warm boots ...???) and was interested in other's opinions of the boot.

In a phone conversation today with a coach (not my own) at our club, she mentioned having to switch from Riedells to another brand when she buys her next boots. I asked her what she used currently and she said when teaching singles she wears instructors' boots because, as @Ic3Rabbit
described, her feet get too cold just standing still on the ice. However when she has ice dance pupils and will be skating with them as a partner, she switches to "skaters' boots" because the sweating in the insulated boots is so unpleasant. She said wearing them to actually skate in, even just set pattern dances, with no jumping or spinning, made her feet feel as if she was going to have to pour the sweat out of the boots when she took them off, and wring out her tights.

Otherwise; I think I did not share my height/weight stats in this forum before; we are talking 5.9 ft /175 lbs in my case.

It would make it easier for others to follow your train of thought if you kept to one thread title instead of using new titles as you go along. Posts are gathered together by titles, not by the name of the OP, so yours have been scattered over time.

Lowest "support rating" for the Riedell Instructor is 75 as per Riedell website.
Maybe that would not be totally over the top for someone my size/ weight ... (although I am not craving for a super stiff boot).

"Super stiff" would be like my Risport RF1s at 90, which I need for my technical level, not for my stats (5'3"/112 lbs the most recent time someone checked). For your stats 70 or 75 is a good stiffness level no matter what your technical level is. Adults need stiffer boots than children skating at the same level, just for safe support.

 

[tstop4me]

However when she has ice dance pupils and will be skating with them as a partner, she switches to "skaters' boots" because the sweating in the insulated boots is so unpleasant. She said wearing them to actually skate in, even just set pattern dances, with no jumping or spinning, made her feet feel as if she was going to have to pour the sweat out of the boots when she took them off, and wring out her tights.

You certainly have a flair for graphic description. If enough skaters did this, the Zamboni drivers could setup collection buckets for all that sweat and recycle it for refinishing the ice.

 

[Diana Delafield]

You certainly have a flair for graphic description. If enough skaters did this, the Zamboni drivers could setup collection buckets for all that sweat and recycle it for refinishing the ice.

Instead of us having to contribute the contents of our water bottles to fill the small holes?

 

[Query]

I used to skate on very cold ice, in a rink where they did not heat the air much above the ice, and that gave me cold feet. Some types of insole are better insulated than others. E.g., you could make your own out of a foam camping mat. Perhaps to get them thick enough, you would need slightly larger boots... You can also find insulated insoles at places that sell ski equipment.

BTW, if your boots are very tight, that restricts circulation, and can make your feet cold. It may actually help to wear thinner socks, or to tie a little less tight. (A slightly loose fit may not work well for skating, but might be OK for standing around.)

You could also try insulated boot covers (e.g., neoprene).

At one point I tried electrical and chemical heat packs. Neither worked very well for me, but helped a little - though that was a long time ago. Maybe batteries have gotten better. Anyway you need to leave room for them too.

This sounds silly, but make sure the rest of you is warm. E.g., wear insulated gloves and a ski hat. Any outdoor hiking or skiing guide talks about this - your feet will get cold if the rest of you is poorly insulated.

Can you heat your boots before putting them on? I used to use ski boot heaters. Some of them can be powered by your car accessory outlet ("cigarette lighter"), some by AC power. People have also microwaved bags of rice, and stuck them inside while going to the rink. But I recommend a heater that is regulated to stay below 100 degrees F (slightly over body temperature), because something really hot could undo the heat molding of your boots, and change their shape. Though upon occasion, I have used the electric hand dryers in the rest room, when I left my boots in a cold car (in the winter).

BTW, you aren't wearing super-lightweight boots, like Edeas, are you? They tend to have thinner soles, which might not be as good thermal insulation, though I don't speak from experience on that.

 

[FethryDuck]

In a phone conversation today with a coach (not my own) at our club, she mentioned having to switch from Riedells to another brand when she buys her next boots. I asked her what she used currently and she said when teaching singles she wears instructors' boots because, as @Ic3Rabbit
described, her feet get too cold just standing still on the ice. However when she has ice dance pupils and will be skating with them as a partner, she switches to "skaters' boots" because the sweating in the insulated boots is so unpleasant. She said wearing them to actually skate in, even just set pattern dances, with no jumping or spinning, made her feet feel as if she was going to have to pour the sweat out of the boots when she took them off, and wring out her tights.



It would make it easier for others to follow your train of thought if you kept to one thread title instead of using new titles as you go along. Posts are gathered together by titles, not by the name of the OP, so yours have been scattered over time.

"Super stiff" would be like my Risport RF1s at 90, which I need for my technical level, not for my stats (5'3"/112 lbs the most recent time someone checked). For your stats 70 or 75 is a good stiffness level no matter what your technical level is. Adults need stiffer boots than children skating at the same level, just for safe support.

Hi Diana, thanks for asking around! That was just the type of "first hand" experience from others I was interested to hear.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi Diana, thanks for asking around! That was just the type of "first hand" experience from others I was interested to hear.

I gave you the same first hand experience information.

 

[tstop4me]

I gave you the same first hand experience information.

Ah yes, but @Diana Delafield 's knack for graphic narrative makes her response more memorable. Though I now wish I didn't have this image of a coach pouring sweat out of her boots etched in my mind.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Ah yes, but @Diana Delafield 's knack for graphic narrative makes her response more memorable. Though I now wish I didn't have this image of a coach pouring sweat out of her boots etched in my mind.

And besides, what I was doing was just passing on supporting information to back up what @Ic3Rabbit had already said. She knows far more about boot brands that I haven't encountered myself.

When my husband and sons returned from hiking excursions, I used to make them leave their boots and socks outdoors on the back porch to air, until such time as I could bring the socks in to the laundry without getting gloved and masked up. I would imagine this would be a similar situation.