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Leif

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Posts posted by Leif

  2. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, caveman27 said:

    I don't see how an external coating on a blade can make you faster or slower without it. Most of the time, it's the area inside the hollow that is making contact with the ice. This is, I believe, why FBV and shallower ROH is beneficial for better glide.

    They claim that these finishes improve glide, but any improvement must be insignificant. I believe that the hardened edges reduce wear and increase the interval between sharpens, but that is my impression based on experience, and not scientific testing. I’m tempted to hone mine with a grit stone given that I sharpen them every few sessions. Any reason not to? In fact I’m also tempted to remove the coating. 

  5. Posted · Report reply

    A Bauer scan would tell him for sure how his feet compared to others. It measures arch height, ankle width etc and gives the results in a clear way. Bauer did not allow me to choose width or length, I guess I could have asked for a bit extra length, but they are perfect in that respect. 

  6. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Oilers97 said:

    With customs, are you getting s full custom boot with the graphics you choose or just slightly modified? If none of these work, would the custom not either? I guess that’s my question. 

    That is a very good question. smu’s experience suggests True can struggle with odd feet. Clearly Bauer start from a given stock model, but how far they can accommodate differences is unclear. Maybe shop owners can chip in. 

    • Like 1

  7. Posted · Report reply

    I haven’t seen much about Bauer customs. I know four people with them including myself, and all are happy. However, that does not tell you much since the sample is small. Customs do well with feet that are a bit odd such as having weird lumps on the heel but otherwise not far off stock. I have flipper shaped feet with narrow ankles and wide shallow forefeet. I would probably fit stock Bauer 2s Pro skates okay, as I fit Bauer s160 skates okay. 

    You sound like an outlier which means you are a severe test of the custom process. I suspect you would be closest to Bauer Vapor and perhaps they could fit your width. Maybe one option is to chat with the shop staff explaining your issues, and get a Bauer or even CCM scan to see how well you match their stock and custom skates.

    • Like 1

  8. Posted · Report reply

    7 hours ago, Hills said:

    I never understood D3O on the tongue of a goal skate... that would never be hit by a puck. I guess it was for lace bite protection?

    It’s purpose is to absorb shock from an impact, it wouldn’t prevent lace bite. 

    I think the main reason it’s rarely used in skates is cost, as it is expensive. And it’s a bit bulky, fine for heel pads though. You’re better off with traditional protection. 

  10. Posted · Report reply

    On 9/23/2019 at 11:51 PM, hockeydad3 said:

    There are big differences. Best examples are speedskaters having no hollow and a flat profile. A shallow hollow and a flatter profile gives you more glide. The heavier you are and the softer the ice is the bigger is the difference. A mirrorlike finished hollow gives you more speed than a rough one. A FBV gives you the glide of a very flat hollow combined with the bite of a deeper hollow although the edges feel different and less prominent. I tryed a lot. Best if you can compare two setups by changing the runners under similar conditions.

    I tried a 5/8” from the LHS and the surface did look smoother than the Sparx machine’s cut, almost mirror like. I do wonder what if any difference that makes. 

  14. Posted · Report reply

    A side effect of taking skating lessons to improve my technique has been that I can move to a shallower hollow. I was on 7/16”, and went to 1/2”. It seemed easier to skate, less tiring, and faster. So I tried 5/8”, and it feels even slippier, albeit without quite so much grip on tight turns. I am 5’10” and 160 pounds. 

    What are opinions on speed in relation to hollow? Is there really a noticeable and worthwhile increase in speed, and reduction in effort associated with shallower hollows? And does it improve with each shallower hollow, or is there some optimum depth? I ask as I only have subjective impressions with no measurements. 

  15. Posted · Report reply

    I’m only 5’10” and 11 stone 6 (160 pounds), and not an expert skater, but going from mid range to top end (Bauer 2s pro), the biggest differences were comfort (no lace bite) and more control. I can skate for three hours no problem.They certainly don’t restrict my ankles, quite the opposite. Maybe they are beyond my abilities, others may know better. It is possible the construction of top end boots has become more sophisticated since Laura Stamm made her comments. 

    6 hours ago, stick9 said:

    That's great, you'll have the best form in the senior home. 😉

    Your comments relating to older players border on the offensive. 

  18. Posted · Report reply

    8 hours ago, stick9 said:

    Look, biomechanics, off ice training, no laces...all that stuff is great. It's definitely something I would steer my young son or daughter to. However, those learning the game at an older age don't have time for that. Frankly, it's all a bit extreme for an older player who just want to lace em up and go for a rip.

    For a player in the OP's position, a proper fitting skate that won't hinder his stride should be priority #1.

    And while I don't wish to go into here. To say that skate fit and all that is irrelevant is pretty short sighted. Correct your form on crap skates is like racing slicks on a Pirus...

    I’m an older player, 56, and I skate roughly 7 hours a week, 3-4 hours of hockey scrimmage/training. Are you saying I don’t have time for skating without laces? IMO someone will learn quicker with lessons, most of us learn and then reinforce bad habits through practice. 

  19. Posted · Report reply

    1 minute ago, hockeydad3 said:

    OK. 

    But for me it's important to go the quick and dirty way to skating. I'm 52 and want to have some fun playing basic hockey. I will never become a decent skater as my boys are. I didn't do any sports for more than 30 years and had never been on skates. So my biomechanics are not there. 

    You can become a good skater. Once you’ve got the basics down, you should find that one on one lessons will help a lot. The coach will correct poor technique, allowing you to be more stable and skate faster for less effort. I’ve been learning for three years, I started at 53, and I’m making good progress. Sure some youngsters learn faster, but many don’t. 

    One thing that is often ignored is the importance of off ice exercises, such as yoga, gym or a martial art. You can do exercises at home, using inexpensive aids such as large elastic bands, a roller, a gym ball and a hockey stick. Without wanting to be rude, at your age you should be doing exercises each day, not only do you become more flexible, but they will cure any longstanding issues, such as back ache and sore knees.  These sorts of exercises are also known to slow or reverse the effects of aging, and reduce the risk of dementia in later years. I do 15-20 minutes a day, I started out aiming to do 10 minutes, but they are quite enjoyable and leave my body feeling much better afterwards. 

    • Like 1

  20. Posted · Report reply

    40 minutes ago, hockeydad3 said:

    This could be an explanation for the deeper hollows they use, because most profiles are getting rounder over the time due to freehand sharpening. 

    Not in my case.☹️ When I bought new skates last November, I realised why I had difficulties on the old ones: the blades were flat just like goalie skates. Repeated hand sharpening had removed the profile. I now use a Sparx, and even though my current blades are nearly worn out, the profile looks perfect. Round here many LHS sharpeners can’t even get level edges, never mind retain the profile. I can’t speak for other people.

    Round here you struggle to get profiling, and most shops will do 5/8” or 1/2” by default. 

    I’m not disagreeing with you, but I’m with stick9 when he/she says that your suggestions were more like guidelines, which can help someone understand depth of hollow. 🙂

    • Like 1

  21. Posted · Report reply

    14 hours ago, hockeydad3 said:

    All those facts or parameters have a influence on the ideal hollow including preferences as an important part of it.

    Imagine the two extremes.: A heavy skater on a tight fitting stiff skate with a 13' radius and a 3/8" hollow or a lightweight skater with soft and loose fitting skates with a 7' radius and a 1" hollow. 

    Do you know the profiles or the skate fit of your examples? 

    Until recently in my area it was usual to get the 1/2" standard hollow for all skaters and profiling the runners was impossible to get. So I think that a lot of the skates had a banana profile and others said that they don't like fresh sharpened skates. 

    I went from a 10' radius to a 13' radius and that was absolutely impossible to skate for me with the 1/2" hollow I had before. I tried a 7/8" hollow and this is good for me now. 

    Yes, those parameters do have an influence. A heavier skater digs in more. A poorer skater might not be able to use their edges on a flatter hollow. A weak skater might not cope with a deep hollow, due to excess grip. Harder ice requires a deeper hollow to get the same grip. And so on. But personal taste is a big factor. I like 7/16”, but I found recently that I can still find my edges on 1/2”, and it is less tiring, and kinder on my knees. I will go even flatter and see how it feels, simply because I might get more speed, less effort. Some people favour speed, some favour grip. If you look at NHL players, you’ll see a huge variation. 

    As to your question, without doubt almost all if not all of the players I know skate on stock profiles. The decent skaters wear decent boots.

  22. Posted · Edited by Leif · Report reply

    1 hour ago, stick9 said:

    I wouldn't dub those points as facts. They're more like guidelines, and fuzzy at that. Though changing hollows with changing ice conditions is not uncommon. 

    It's very much personal preference. There are too many examples to say otherwise. 

     

    I’ve been asking people what hollow they use, and I agree with you. I know a very light (10 stone or probably much less) superb adult skater on 5/8”, a heavier excellent skater on 3/8”, a very heavy skater on 1/2”. However quite a few have no idea. I think here in the UK we are less concerned, most people I know are on 1/2”, 7/16” or 3/8”. I’ve never come across flatter than 5/8”. However, that is not to say each person is on the ideal hollow, it’s not easy to try out alternative grinds. 

    I suspect a deeper hollow helps on glice and other artificial ices. 

  23. Posted · Report reply

    On 2/4/2015 at 8:15 PM, beanhead said:

    I am 140lbs and use a 7/8" hollow. I feel I am one of the very few around here with a hollow that shallow as the guys who sharpen them always double check what I say. They always say "you mean 3/8"?

    I find deeper hollows fatiguing and my knees get sore.

    Exactly.

    I started out on 5/8” and accidentally tried 7/16” thanks to a shop mistake. I was unable to skate on the 7/16”. But over the years I went down to 1/2” then 7/16”. Maybe my leg muscles had got stronger, who knows. Then after a year, and some skating lessons, I decided to try a 1/2” hollow. I was surprised to find that not only can I skate well on this hollow, but it is significantly less tiring. The skating lessons have given me better edge control, which means I don’t need so much grip. I think I will will try 9/16”, 5/8” and 11/16” and see if I can still do tight turns and crossovers without losing an edge. 

  24. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Left Wing King said:

    Just one on the Bauer scanner, does it offer all ranges of its boots say going back to 2016, or is it current year stock only. I say this as out of interest I watched Chase from Hockey Warehouse do a review on Bauer 2Ns and he said they're an in between of the old 1n and n9000 (which I own)

     

    Or does the scanner say you should be in a Nexus range this length and this width then it is upto you to find what boot from what year etc?

    This should answer your question: 

    https://my.volumental.com/en/bauer/2f029e24-c1e1-4885-bd8a-706f9cc01baf/?utm_medium=myvemail

    The scan is from last year, hence last season’s skates.

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