skates for skinny ankles?

[bekster 0]

Hi

I have very skinny ankles and the top 3 eyelets of my skates seem to wrap around too much. When i look at my teammates skates the laces flare out towards the top eyelets or are at least parallel. When i bend my knees the whole skate has to flex forward instead of flexing through the laces. When i tie my skates the way it should look like, i have perfect forward flexion but there is to much space between the sides of my skates and my ankles, and i feel very unstable... :(

My skates are Mission S500 (D width) and i think you can call those shallow, they are almost too shallow for me in the mid part, but not at the top.

Bauer Vapor XX, supreme 5090 and Nike Flexlite: same problem ...

I never had that problem with my old (96 or 97) Bauer supreme 5000 (or supreme comosite), but the newer supremes fit different.

Would you think that the pump feature in the RBK 5K skates could help?

Or are there other skates with less wrap in the top 3 eyelets part?

[Timber 0]

I had a pair of S500's for a few months. While they were very comfortable skates, they do have way more ankle "wrap" than any other skate I have tried. The result, for me, was poor forward flex even when the laces were not snug in the top 2 eyelets.

On my feet/ankles, Vectors and Reeboks have less wrap, and the One90's even less yet.

[jjtt99 0]

Have you tried Tacks? They're a shallow skate, but wide. Rbk's are a lot deeper and the pump is around the achilles tendon so I have a hunch they won't help you as much as you think. Hopefully you live close to a half decent skate shop so you can try on a few options.

Good luck.

[bekster 0]

thanks for your replys!

my LHS just carrys low- to mid-end skates and mostly EE width .. but they had the RBK 4K skate in D. Fit was nice, no arch pressure like i feel in my S500s, but a little wide in the heel. Thats why i thought the pump in the 5K could prevent heel movement and offer better stability in the top 3 eyelet area. But the pump thing is just around your achilles? Whats the advantage then? Just holding down the heel?

They didnt have the Tacks and Vectors in my size, but the skates in my price range (Tacks 692 or Vector 6) are just available in E width in Germany..

@Timber:

So you had the same Problem with your S500 .. and i thought my ankles are just unnaturally skinny ;)

What RBKs did you skate in, the pumps? And were the RBKs and Vectors noticeably better (forward flexing)? Did you also try the Tacks skates?

I will definitely try to go to a better LHS but ill have to drive a few houres ...

Are there any other suggestions for skates that COULD fit me better?

[bekster 0]

Hi

I tried on some Graf skates (dont know wich model) from a teammate and they fit way better in that top eyelet part.

When you compare these to S500s (and flexlites) the top eyelets dont go straight up (vertical). They look more like my old Bauer composites.

Would you think a shoe repair shop could make new eylets (the top 2) behind the originals so that the eylet direction is more like a Graf style oder older Bauer supreme style? Or is there not enough support in that are to hold eyelets without ripping?

Or would you think this idea is just stupid and i should buy new skates? (but 2 new eylets are probably much cheaper than new skates ..)

for comparison:

[bulletproof_funk 0]

I have a pair of PureFlys which are the predecessor to the S500 and fit similar (supplefit). As others have already stated, they do wrap the ankle more than most skates. I also have skinny ankles so I know what you're going through. Before you investigate adding extra eyelets, you could try heavily taping the ankles to see what it would feel like first. Use duct tape or something that won't stretch easily. If that doesn't work, another thing you could try is getting soft gel wraps for your ankles and padding them up before putting on your skates. They're tube shaped and you slip them on around the ankles. Figure skating shops should carry them. Or try a combination of the two. Failing that, maybe try new skates, like Grafs. They have different fits for a variety of feet (in case you didn't already know). Good luck.

[Chadd 916]

Interesting idea to put in new eyelets. I'm not sure if it's possible but it might be worth a try.

[bekster 0]

@bulletproof funk:

Yeah i'm taping my ankles (i use bandages + 2 layers of duct tape), but i would say this is just a temporary solution because it feels a little wired .. nice forward lean and stability (just like i want my skates to be!) but its like i dont feel my skates on my feet .. if you know what i mean?

@Chadd:

would you think it could hold up? the material behind the eylets is even harder then where they are now.

would be a cool thing to have for customizing your skate's fit: two rows of top 3-4 eyelets .. but it would look stupid :D

[Chadd 916]

I don't know if it's possible, let alone if it will hold up.

[Grave77Digger 1]

Im going to be playing in my S500s for 1st time tonite. I have worn them around the house to help break in, but I have not laced the top lace as it seems to wrap (as you have said) around the front of my leg if I pull it tight. Ill see how it goes on the ice tonite though.

Chadd do you lace your S500s all the way up?

[Chadd 916]

Chadd do you lace your S500s all the way up?

Yes, the eyelets are lower than in my older skates. It would be similar to leaving one eyelet open on a CCM or Bauer. Are you going to open hockey at TP tonight?

[Grave77Digger 1]

Ya thats the plan, my feet will prlly be killing me after 5 minutes of skating.

[Chadd 916]

Ya thats the plan, my feet will prlly be killing me after 5 minutes of skating.

I'll see if I can sneak out, my in-laws should be here in a couple hours. East or West?

[Grave77Digger 1]

that would be cool. East.