CCM U+07 skate fitting

[hockeyaussie 1]

Hi,

I bought a pair of CCM U+07's. Assuming the fitting was about the same as Bauer I went and ordered online, only to find that the CCM's were about 1/2 to 1 size bigger than what I needed.

So, I am thinking of swapping them for the estimated correct size (unfortunately I have no shop in my city where I can try the CCMs on) but before I do I have this additional issue... There is a structural seam right where my pinky goes in the U+07's that really squashes my pinky into the next toe. (unfortunately this is not in the mouldable foam area) Will this stretch out with time or should I just ask for a refund and buy something (in another brand) locally? I think I need a size 8 E in CCM. Would the toe cap be skinnier/wider or the same in the CCM 8 E?

Sorry for the odd question, but good gear is really hard to get here in Australia, and the gear that we can get here is more than double the US online prices delivered!

Any help appreciated!

[toddmanley 0]

I had the same thing happen with my left foot with my own U+07's. It took probably 4-5 ice time sessions before the skate broke in and things got more comfortable. Not sure if others had the same experience, but it's not a problem anymore.

[hockeyaussie 1]

Thats really interesting, because its only on the right foot on mine, even though both my feet are the same width!

[hockeyaussie 1]

I tried my team mate's U+07's last night, and his were a full size down on the ones I ordered. They were still a touch too long but there was no sign of the seam interfering with my pinky toe at all. They are about 3 months old.

Cheers Todd for the reply.

[hockeyaussie 1]

Anyone know if the Cap on the 7.5D's will be the same as on the 8D's in the U+07 ? as mentioned, my mate's 8D's fit fine, but just a touch too long (about 4mm or 3/16"). None of the LHS stores in my state have these skates, so I can't try the 7.5D's until I have already exchanged them!

Cheers.

[Fredrik 0]

Anyone know if the Cap on the 7.5D's will be the same as on the 8D's in the U+07 ? as mentioned, my mate's 8D's fit fine, but just a touch too long (about 4mm or 3/16"). None of the LHS stores in my state have these skates, so I can't try the 7.5D's until I have already exchanged them!

Cheers.

Since a half size equals 4mm and you find the 8.0D a tad big (4mm you say) I'd say the 7.5D would be perfect.

[duch 0]

Not to be a stick in the mud but I'd send them back and get yourself fitted properly at a shop that is closest to you. If you guess wrong a second time you may have problems returning them. I know it may be a bit of a hassle to get to a local shop but it might be worth it to avoid a lot of other aggravation with on line shops. I went though a round like this with an online shop and it was like pulling eye teeth to get them to take back the skates a second time and for me to finally get the proper size I needed. The guy on the phone thought I was trying to pull off a scam of some kind. Take my advice, get your skates properly fitted by a local shop and avoid a lot of hassles.

[hockeyaussie 1]

Thanks for the info.

[hockeyaussie 1]

OK so getting the skates online for less than half price posted was too tempting so I took a risk and exchanged them for 7.5D. Regrettably they are about 1/4 size short and about a size too narrow. (Interestingly while my mate's size 8D were perfect in the width, but just a bit long, the 7.5D are uncomfortably narrow and just too short on my foot)

Subsequently I injured my big toe (toe nail nearly broke off because too much pressure on it)

Thats the last time I take a gamble to save some money!

I am going to try heat molding them with oversized socks on to get a bit more room. But the width problem exists in the non-moldable forefoot area. Can I expect this to widen up after more use? I have done about 6 hours on them (including 3 or 4 games) so far, but at this stage they are still cramping the forefoot.

I have tried to find someone local who can do power stretching, punching etc, but no luck as yet. (Sydney area)

Cheers.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Would a 7.5E fit better?

[hockeyaussie 1]

Yes EE would be better for width but time to start saving for a new pair if I cant find someone to tweak/adjust my existing skates for me. Will the width stretch out a bit if I keep skating in them? 6 or 7 hours of hard skating so far and they still crush my forefoot because they are a bit narrow. Don't want to endure this pain if its a waste of time and effort trying to break them in.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Yes EE would be better for width but time to start saving for a new pair if I cant find someone to tweak/adjust my existing skates for me. Will the width stretch out a bit if I keep skating in them? 6 or 7 hours of hard skating so far and they still crush my forefoot because they are a bit narrow. Don't want to endure this pain if its a waste of time and effort trying to break them in.

Not sure the skates will expand too much over time. Getting them punched out would be ideal.

[hockeyaussie 1]

Not sure the skates will expand too much over time. Getting them punched out would be ideal.

An update in case anyone is interested in my diy:

I managed to widen the front area of the skate a little, I made up this little adjustable widening tool (out of a bolt, nut, washer, a couple of small hex sockets and some stick tape!) that fitted snugly across the inside toecap area. I warmed up this area carefully with a heatgun, careful not to melt anything. Then I adjusted out my special tool a little and pushed it back into the toecap and left it overnight. I then found it fitted quite well across my forefoot. I found that after a week or so the skate seemed to shrink back to being a bit narrow, so after that I just put my little widening tool back in the toe cap whenever the skate isn't in use, and since then its always been fine.

I also tried removing some material from the inside of the toecap where my big toe was hitting it, using a sharpened teaspoon and then smoothing it with sandpaper. (Woulnd't recommend this though... its time consuming, awkward and if you take too much off, it could reduce the protection offered by the toecap.)

The skates aren't ideal for my foot shape, but (unexpectedly) I found that with thicker socks they seem to work better.

Not the ideal, but at least I can use now my investment. I'm just more careful now not to hit the boards with the toe! (My toenail is still on the mend, but at least I can still skate)

Of course next time I'll buy skates from my LHS and avoid all this!