Rockin' the Radius

[jjleip11 0]

Quick question that maybe some of you MSHers have personally dealt with...just wanted some input, since my LHS folks didn't seem to have a great answer to this:

I recently switched from Vapors (with Custom+ holders and steel) to One75's because they fit my foot that boot MUCH better. However, they have the longer LS2.1 steel on them, which, as I understand, is a longer radius than what is on the Vapors. Also, I've found that the One75's have a more neutral stance (not told to me when I bought them), and I'm more used to leaning forward a little for skating. I've used the skates about five times now, and am getting more used to them, but I still can't quite get the quickness out of them that I had with my Vapors. Just feels a little off.

So, I want to know what I can do to get the feel of skating in Vapors with the One75 boot. I've already stopped lacing up the top eyelet, which has helped some. But, should I replace the steel with LS2 steel? Should I just have the LS2.1 steel radiused to match the Vapor radius? Should I get heel lifts put on? Like I said, I can't get a straight answer from my LHS. Thanks for any help.

[gxc999 7]

The best advice I can give you is to allow yourself a 4-6 week adjustment period before making any changes. I'm pretty sure the one75's have a forward lean, same as the vapors.

[21Forsberg 0]

The Short answer is yes to replacing the steels if you want your skates to feel like your old vapors. I believe the LS2 comes at a 9' radius and the 2.1 comes at an 11' radius. What that means is more steel on the ice, think of a speed skaters theory, more blade touching the ice is more beneficial for longer strides but in turn not so well for turning, or not what you're use to for turning I should say. So you can either have your local shop profile the radius, the downside is they have to shave off some steel to change the blade but the upside is you can have them rocker a forward pitch and change the radius to your skates as you desire. In my opinion though it's probably a safe bet to stick with what you know and just swap out for some LS2's if you just don't want to deal with all this, but if you are interested in trying something new my suggestion is if you want to play around with this try it out over the summer when your not in the full swing of the season (assuming you play travel) because it does take some time to adjust to. Hope this helps!