Progress with Wicked 1's

[clarko_99 1]

So for all you Wicked 1 owners...

a few months on from their release and everyones initial break in pains, how are you getting on with them now? have you done anything else to the boot to aid the break in process? how's the performance?

after about 15/20 skates, I love the performance, still hate the pain...but it's slowly getting better.

[Crazy legs 0]

few blisters and pain for the first 5-6 skates...

30/35 skates later...

they feel great, vangaurd chassis took a few to get used to, being more of an "upright" stance, still very stiff, feel like they'll last a few years...

1 area still gives me a slight rubbing/almost blister, but that's my own fault.... coulda gone with a 1/2 size smaller <_<

overall.. love'em and would buy another pair!

[mattzilla 0]

i have the 3's, which will be similar to the 1s as far as comfort, pain, etc.

i still get a bit of pain for the first few minutes of a skate, after that its gone.

i sometimes put a foam pad between my ankle and the boot

as far as performace goes, theyre great. i love these skates.

[BrunoZ 0]

Due to my oversized ankle bones, the pain was unbearable at first. Couldn't wear them. Heat-fitted, bend-fitted (and I can tell you that these are tough boots !), bend fitted again, and I still had to slip foam pads in my socks.

After about 50-60 hours on them, I still need the pads and I still have to bend them again occasionally with my "ankle bones tool" (they seem to want to get back to their original shapes, good point), but things are way better now, pain is just a distant little nuisance. They'll probably fit like socks in 50 more hours.

Oh,btw, I love them. Really fast and responsive, with a lot of control, performance-wise I couldn't ask for more. Fit-wise, they're perfect for me EXCEPT (and that's a BIG except) around the inner ankle bones. If you never have problems there and have thin feet, just get them.

[saba 0]

So I had my 3rd game in the new Wicky 1 skates. Some observations, many repeated in that other Mission thread

These things are stiff as hell. I had them baked and punched. In the store post baking they were really comfortable, even more so when punched. However, the next day I made it through just warmup and 2 games in an iron man before I had to switch to GMAN's awesome and trusty 9500. Second day I made it through warmups and 30 minutes, when at halftime, the switch was made. Today I made it through an entire game without making the switch...woohoo. My successful skate today was due to someone on my team who has made it to the other side with these skates. His suggestion was to not tighten down so hard on the top-most laces. This was a tremendous suggestion allowing me to skate, not with the same dexterity, but in a lot more comfort

Little tricks, wonder if they will work?

I have placed IDS pucks in the skate overnight, which might help with that medial malleolus rub.

Wear moleskin with large band-aide covered by duck tape on those malleoli. No blisters so far unlike my TOUR Beemers

Limited time on each skate has kept the feet healthy and ready to climb back in the saddle. Rather than waiting till things get ugly, I simply jump out to fight another day.

There is a much better skating position with the Vanny chassis. Personally since I had already been in Tours for 2 years I found this more standup,tighter turning, more straight-away speed not alarming. For me there was not much of a transition to the Vanny.

Overall I miss the speed I can generate in a nicely GMAN broken in 9500 but in the long run these skates will easily outperform it predocessor if, and I mean IF, they can get to the same level of comfort as the 9500.

GOOD Skates

[cbettner66 0]

i just used mine for the first time yesterday and my ankle are a little sore as well - i had tried them on a few times, baked them twice and then took a heat gun to them

i wore 2 pairs of thick socks and it wasn't actually that bad - i would expect it will go away before too long - hopefully!

[gman 0]

Dang Saba, you're making me miss those 9500's :D

I am glad they are working out for you. :)

[saba 0]

Gman,

If you did not go ice boot with sprung you should give the wicked series a try, not as bad as all that. Me thinks the kiddies got a little too comfortable in their right out of the box slipper skate mode.

[gman 0]

Saba,

I have not made a new purchase yet. Still waiting for something to fall from the sky, if you know what I mean... I'll look harder at the wicked series. Thanks for the encourgement.

Gman

[gokings55 0]

Guys, it sounds like you guys are tolerating too much pain. Perhaps the Wicked 1's or Missions just aren't for your feet.

[Patrick67 1]

I can't believe all the people on this board that state how much their feet hurt after up to 50+ hours of skateing and still think the skates are great.

Unless these skates last 3 seasons or more it's not worth the break-in period compared to skates you can actually skate in from the get-go.

Fit is king for me because of bone-spurs and seseamoid bones on my feet, so this observation is entirely my own opinion, not racking down on the performance of the skate since I haven't tried it.

[CoXmT 0]

I can honestly say that I feel zero pain in my Wicked 1's. Felt pretty good at first and had the usual "break-in" period. By far the best performing "from the box" skates I have ever used. I love to convert ice boots but I just might stick with this guy.

Now if I can just get GMAN to work some overtime and get a pair!

[gman 0]

Now if I can just get GMAN to work some overtime and get a pair!

You sound like my wife :D

[BrunoZ 0]

Speaking for my very own case :

I always had problems with my medial malleoli in any kind of stiff tight boots (hockey, ski etc.). Boot standards are just too far from my own anatomy. So pain is always there, in any boots, any brands, any models.

In the case of the Wicked One, the boot is so stiff that the problem is just amplified, and the break-in much longer, and involves custom-fitting because some parts are just unwilling to bend under normal use, a good thing imho (they will last).

Bottom line : a boot that would fit me right out of the box would have to be too loose for anyone having "regular" ankles. As stiff tight boots will eventually get looser but loose boots won't ever get tighter or stiffer, I can't blame a company for making the obvious choice. It's just too bad for me, that's all.

Now that would be awesome if we could have something akin to Conformable ® inner boots for hockey skates that wouldn't make the whole thing weight a ton or big like a ski boot.