New skates, thinking of venturing out to different brands.

[-brady2 0]

I'm 15 and I play high level rep hockey and I'm looking to venturing out into different brands since i'm working this summer and will be able to pay for my own skates. I've always had foot trouble and a hip problem(I don't remember any of these significantly enough) and upon(sp?) going to a pro skate in edmonton I got an employee who fit me very well there. I had different insoles and lifts on my skates for a few years, and rocked graf 502's up to this past season, where i had to go to 301's(not exactly my choice). I'm pretty skinny and I have weak ankles and odd shaped feet, but I want to try going into a high end bauer skate since I know they fit narrow feet, but I'm worried about stiffness and lace bite, since I had brutal lace bite a few years ago and i've been getting double tounges on my grafs the last few years. If it matters at all and anyone has seen graf 301's there are these green plasticky looking things between the 4th and 3rd eyelet down that is cracked on the inside half of my foot, on the right skate. And some may say if its not broken down fix it but this year i had a bit of pain wearing these skates, and they weren't all that comfortable. I'm making this thread because i am wondering what type of skates i should be looking at getting. Sorry for the horrible punctuation and grammar.

[Rustpot 1]

going to a pro skate in edmonton I got an employee who fit me very well there

If he did a good job like you said, he found the skates that fit you best. My guess is, since you talk of only having worn Graf skates, he did not.

Go try on skates. You say you have an odd foot shape? Who knows what will fit you then.

Check for volume with the pencil test, as that will be a good indication of lace bite. If Graf has been giving you foot trouble and you need to get custom tongue work done, I would assume they don't fit you correctly.

If you want Bauer skates, try them on. If the shoe fits, as they say. If they don't fit, or you lace them up and they give you lacebite, then inquire with the worker about ways to fix the issues if there are any.

We can't magically tell you exactly what skate will fit you best. Do some leg work, stick your feet in as many skates as you can, and report back with your findings if you still need help.

[-brady2 0]

I forgot to add that guy does no longer work there, and when he fit my skates I had no foot problems then, the last couple of skates there have been brutal and I doubt I will go back, or atleast to that proskate

[bhingston 0]

If you're wanting to try and get another fitting I would recommend United Cycle just off Whyte Ave. I am relatively new to hockey and the combination of doing lots of research on my own and their very helpful and knowledgeable staff led me to perfect fitting skates.

[P5man 0]

the lace bite issue definitely sounds like a volume issue. my foot has a a lot of volume and I've always fit well into eastons and just recently the One95s.

[-brady2 0]

the lace bite issue definitely sounds like a volume issue. my foot has a a lot of volume and I've always fit well into eastons and just recently the One95s.

i don't understand what exactly volume is, like how tall my foot is? so if i had a deeper boot i wouldn't have the lace bite issue?

[P5man 0]

when you tighten your skates, the laces want to lay flat from eyelet to eyelet. when your skate doesn't have enough volume, your foot keeps the laces from doing this, thus causing the laces put pressure on the top of your foot and creating lace bite.

so yes, a deeper boot wouldn't give you lace bite. make sure to do the pencil test when you try on skates

[-brady2 0]

when you tighten your skates, the laces want to lay flat from eyelet to eyelet. when your skate doesn't have enough volume, your foot keeps the laces from doing this, thus causing the laces put pressure on the top of your foot and creating lace bite.

I see, i wonder how much volume my foot has then, lol.

i guess the thing is i have really skinny ankles, so i have to do it up tight for me to be able to sktate

[duch 0]

My advice is try a few brands and find the one that fits you the best and buy them. Fit is everything with skates.

[-brady2 0]

Another question, will it be very hard to transition into stiffer skates after skating into softer ones? My speed is a big asset to my game.

[P5man 0]

it will just be different. you'll need to get used to it like any other new piece of equipment.

[duch 0]

Yes, you'll need to go through a period of adjustment but after six to ten games you should be alright. Everytime you change to another skate there needs to be some breakin time and time to adjust to the different feel on the ice. Some skates may take you a little longer others less time.