flip12

Does that hinder forward flex? 🤔

By the time you’ll have lost that weight you may have wanted to rebake your Trues anyway, regardless of any weight loss. The reason being, once the boots’ foams pack in a bit, a rebake can reset the snugness of the boot, as it can get a bit roomy after some use.

I'm definitely into nostalgic equipment. It's also a bit of a historical design study for me, dissecting why things have gone the way they have with the industry. We're also alike in our dislike of the stiffness of close fitting boots around the ankle. I baked my MLX several times and the last time got the top quite nice by not lacing the last three eyelets at all. I just let them flare out naturally and I think even pulled the tongue out a bit to force the top open a bit more even. It worked quite well but I still need a thin strip of tape around the tendon guard to keep me from getting "Mako bumps" from the cuff edge. If it weren't for that abrasion I could easily skate in those with the top eyelets unlaced. Making sure to bake in some gap around the ankle has made a huge difference in my enjoyment in those boots. Maybe that could be worth a shot in your Makos. You could maybe even just heat gun the ankle area so you can flare it out without having to rebake the whole boot again.

I feel you. I juuuuust finally received a pair of like new 707s I found on German classifieds. They fit great except for the heel shape, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to actually test them. From lacing them up and flexing them, they feel very free. I'm used to that now from skating a handful of sessions in 701s. I've yet to try the no laces thing, but the softer ankle of the 701 diagnosed a few weaknesses I had in my stride. I'm working on how to achieve that perfect Frankenskate like you describe, and I think I'm onto something. I just need to get back on the ice and get some test boots made to try it out. The 703 tongues I've seen and tried have a bit more stiffness to them than Graf's later tongues. I'd bet the flex and balance function will be quite similar to the Mako tongue. Graf were smart enough to soften them up to accommodate the required stiffer quarter panels. I tried an older 703 tongue, probably of similar vintage to the ones you have, in G35s and I lost almost all my agility due to the overly stiff combination. 701 tongues have next to no stiffness in them and are my go to tongues in my MLX now. I also have a pair of near mint 501s that have a plush and very flexible tongue; can't wait to try those boots out. I see why Fedorov cheated on Nike to get back with those, and Leetch still skates in them last I've seen.

That makes sense. Do you miss the cushy feel just at the top or all along the foot? I only tried on a neglected pair of Makos that were lying around the rink and actually was impressed by the tongue, and I have extensive familiarity with and appreciation for Graf tongues. I can see where, with the idea of the extreme moldability of the Mako, they went with something a little less bulky, but I have tried several Graf tongues in my MLX instead of the stock ones. In my opinion, the Mako tongue was much more reminiscent of what I prefer and usually find Grafs to be quite nice. Which Graf tongues do you have lying around? They have changed drastically over the years and there have been quite a number of different tongues since the mid-late 80's, which is where my collection begins.

Tongues have a lot to do with the feel of the boot, especially forward flex and balancing over the blade. If you’re not unhappy with that aspect of the Mako tongue I’d first try to add extra felt to the existing tongue to provide the flop you want without messing with other factors that are more integral to skating rather than purely or primarily cosmetic.

I also usually add a wooden plug for balance. It feels like it’s mostly a weight distribution issue for me, rather than a question of material/vibrational medium. I tested using a plastic plug with a bolt fed through it. I loaded it up with washers to adjust the balance and I couldn’t really feel a difference between that and having a wooden plug of the same weight. The only sticks that I’ve tried that have had great feel without having to add a plug have been Trues. Also a Kovalev gamer but his shaft is heavier than normal and the end plug probably weighs 40-50g as well, effectively reproducing the effect of an end plug.

That’s a great summary, and makes me really want to try the Shift holder.

How do you mean, the dynamic of the Shift holder and steel is different?

I would have, but shipping to and from Europe would have been too expensive for me. I think that kind of program is the future of profiling.

Elite order volume is probably high right now too.

What makes a pair of shoulder pads more protective? My best guess is: 1. Coverage or fit. A good fit, where the pads are properly aligned with where the impact points and prone areas are will protect better. This is a question of size and model. It has to be a good match with the wearer, or even the most protective shoulder pad won't protect as it should. 2. Material composition. There's usually a base of softer foam for comfort and some protection, paired with plastic and or denser foam for higher grade protection, resisting impacts of greater force. The top end pads are usually tricked out with what could be viewed as gimmicks: fancier foams, range of motion provided in dimensions that the body itself doesn't use, etc. You can get a sense of how protective the pieces are and where their respective strong and weak points are in person. It can be a little hard to get a sense for that shopping online. 3. Deformation depth: Just like how a golf ball collapses when struck, the stiffer parts in protective equipment (hd foam or plastic) also compress or collapse on impact. If there's more of a crumple zone in the high impact areas, there's ample space for the pad to bend inwards on impact (sometimes it's called absorbing the impact) and not reach the body of the wearer underneath. I used to have light and slim shoulders (Easton Pro Light Design) that were light for their day but had minimally deep shoulder caps. Ultimately I replaced them because I was playing with some chippy idiots most of the time and wanted better protection against hacks and cross checks. The 20 years between that pair and my Warrior AX1s did a ton for improving shoulder pad protection and performance. I got the AX1s over Bauer Vapor APX2 shoulder pads because I got the AX1s for a great price on closeout. They're not impressively light compared to the APX2, but they are light enough that I don't notice them when I play. The fact that they are extremely mobile also contributes to that. When I took them out on the ice the first time, I was blown away at how much more mobile they were while also being much more protective than my previous shoulders. Although they don't pass the "looking cool in minimal shoulders department," I got over that by looking at how cool Fedorov looked even in bulky shoulder pads (we're about the same height) and figuring I wouldn't have to worry about looking cool anyway. Instead, I'm more concerned with whether or not I'm safe on the ice--before getting these shoulders, I didn't feel protected enough given the group I played with, sad but true--and whether or not I'm having fun. It's much easier to have fun with these shoulder pads on than my previous ones, and I have no motivation to change these at all until they fall apart. For reference, I also wear full face coverage when I play. It has saved me a few times when I've closed on puck carriers faster than they realized and they stuck me in the face as I approached. No scars or dental work necessary.

Vector Pros weren’t bad. They were a bit odd but they had a solid look. They also stuck to the black, white, and grey color scheme.

How long is this long bake?

Absolutely! It just got weird really fast. It’s strange though because Ovi’s SE 10.0s look quite sharp in my book, if a little bling. You had to be world class to pull it off though.

CCM has had a slew of fugly designs over the years, especially the Externo line comes to mind, but just about everything after the 952 was a belly flop in a surfing competition. I submit the Vector 10.0 as the ugliest and guiltiest of all time. Prior to this, skates were black, white and grey. Not the flashiest color palette but workable given the multitude of schemes every skate would invariably pair with, as well as the effect of wear and tear on their looks. Enter the 10.0, with it’s suitably repulsive name, and suddenly arbitrary colors were involved. They were impressively competent at finding a color which looks good with exactly no other color as well, just to touch bottom on the first go. Ever since that, skates’ looks have been been irrevocably tarnishes.

I didn't use shrink wrap anywhere. I let the top three eyelets flare outward to allow for ankle rotation when I skate. It almost got me the same amount of room as in my 703's but not quite. Next time I bake them I'll wrap all the way along the foot up to the top three eyelets and leave them open again.

They look considerably worse with the full striping.

Definitely. There’s a direct correlation between viewing distance and attractiveness of this graphic.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHtVC_dhz0L/?igshid=kq1u8e8e31mz

If you have a lot of ankle aversion in your stride you might want to bake them snug over the foot and loose in the ankle. When I baked my MLX the last time, I didn’t lace the top three eyelets.

SVH said their recommended bake time is 6 minutes.

Does it also fit the True Shift holder?

You can test your hypothesis with lifts. No change to the steel so you’ll be certain what the forward pitch variable does. Everyone is different so predicting how it will affect you is quite difficult.

The Goph M1s are incredible!