G-Form Lace Bite Pads

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

open

[ktang 34]

I was one of the volunteers for the Lace Bite product - long term review, on 15 June 2011.

I am 44 years old and have had lace bite for about 30 years. My left ankle's anterior tendon sheath has a permanent bump on it that is tender. I always get lace bite when the skate tongues break down, and then I re-pad the skate tongues. I have not tried Bunga pads, so I won't be able to compare these ones with Bunga pads.

Here is a pic taken tonight of the inside of my left foot (toes are towards the top, knee is towards the left, anterior tendon sheath bump is at the middle of the "L").

Pic of the inside of my right foot (toes are towards the top, knee is towards the right, anterior tendon sheath with NO bump is at the middle of the "L"). You can see the surgery scar on the inside ankle knob.

Here are pics of the G-Form Lace Bite Pads that arrived by UPS today, with the package to the right. The back of the package contains the product description and instructions. The tiles on my kitchen's floor are 12" x 12". The pad at the top of the picture is sticky-side-down (backing still on), and the pad on the bottom picture is sticky-side-up (backing still on).

Closeup of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad that I installed on the left skate for tonight's game. I decided to put it on only one skate so that I could compare its feel with the other skate. You can see the stylized "G" in the middle. The pad is stuck onto the inside of the skate tongue so that the two tabs point towards the top of the tongue.

Pic of the Lace Bite Pad stuck onto the skate tongue. I positioned it so that the stylized "G" was on top of the bump on my anterior tendon sheath. You can almost make out the transparent backing that I removed from the sticky side of the Lace Bite Pad.

Info on the back of the packaging:

"G-Form Lace Bite Pads are the first low-profile pad designed to reduce pressure on the foot created by skate laces. Self-adhering, repositionable conforming pads allow you to skate longer.

• Clear inner tongue of lint.
  
• Peel backing from pad.
  
• Position pad with pressure against inside of tongue.
  
• Advanced adhesion technology leaves no residue if the pad is repositioned.
  

To renew Lace Bite's adhesion: rinse in plain water and let dry.

For more detailed support and information, visit us at:

www.g-form.com"

I stuck one pad onto my left skate's tongue for tonight's game (easy level, playing D, 5 D). The adhesive is extremely sticky.

When I got to the rink I noticed that the pad had fallen off, so I put it back on. The grooves on the sides line up almost perfectly with my skate's tongue's stitching (Bauer 8090s, original hard foam tongue interiors replaced with thick felt).

The Lace Bite pad is quite thin and dense, so I could barely feel it through my socks (regular athletic socks). They were very comfortable throughout the warmup and the game, and didn't affect my forward lean or ankle lock.

I'm guessing that flopping the tongue (which I don't do) would loosen the pad's grip on the tongue.

After the game the pad was still on the tongue, in the same location that it was applied. The game was pretty choppy, with very little flow, so there were lots of starts, stops, and backward crossover starts for me.

After getting home and blowing warm ozone through my skate, the pad was coming off a little bit at the top and on the outside tab. There doesn't seem to be any lint on the sticky side, and the back of the pad is still sticky, so I pressed it back on.

Next game is tomorrow. I will probably be playing D for this team also.

[ktang 34]

I played my 2nd game with the G-Form Lace Bite Pad tonight. Usually, if I play 2 games on consecutive days, the lace bite on my left tendon sheath would act up; after tonight's game (ended about 2 hrs ago), there was no flare-up. Again, I was playing D in a choppy game - lots of starts and stops, and backwards crossover starts for me.

What I like about the G-Form Lace Bite Pad is that there is a channel for the anterior tendon sheath. This is similar to the channel that the Bauer Form-Fit tongues used to have, but since you can stick the G-Form Lace Bite Pad anywhere, I could customize it to my anatomy - tendon sheath positioning AND orientation (not easily achievable with the Bauer Form-Fit tongues - either your tendon sheath was lined up, or it wasn't).

Also, after blowing the warm ozone into my skates after getting home, the G-Form Lace Bite Pad has not fallen off this time (unlike after the first game). I think the lace pressure from two games has helped the G-Form Lace Bite Pad to stick better to the inside of the skate tongue.

I plan to remove, wet, and re-apply the G-Form Lace Bite Pad after a few games to see how well the pad sticks at that time.

Next brace of ice times is Monday; I could have 1 shinny and 2 games (one game as a forward, then one game as a D). I would definitely be hobbling around with lace bite after the 3rd ice time normally, so this will be a good test until reffing starts in August.

[ktang 34]

I had 1 shinny session in the morning, and then back-to-back games tonight.

In the shinny session there were no problems, and no tenderness in my problem area.

After I blew ozone to air out the skates, though, the left side of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad came loose. It was still sticky, with no lint of fuzz, so I just pressed it back into place.

When I got to the first game tonight (played as a winger, lots of sprints and tight turns), the G-Form Lace Bite Pad had come loose again. I just put it back in place and laced up the skates. In case this is important, I put the shin pads over the tongues. Again, I had no tenderness in my problem area.

After the first game I took the skates off so that I could drive to the second game. When I got to the second arena, the entire lace bite pad had fallen off and gotten stuck on the footbed. The skate lining was pretty wet, but the tongue was pretty dry. So I peeled it off the footbed and put it back on the tongue and laced up the skates. Again, I had no tenderness in my problem area. Usually after back-to-back games I would have some pain. After the game, when I took off the skates the lace bite pad was still firmly attached.

When I got home I saw that the left side of the lace bite pad was loose again, so I pressed it back in place before blowing ozone through the skates to air them out.

At the moment I'm thinking about sewing on a liner on the inside of my skate tongue so that there would be a place for the lace bite pad to adhere to.

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

In one of the emails, Trevor said to pick off some of the felt when you apply it. Perhaps try that?

[ktang 34]

OK, I will try to scrape and pick off as much of the felt as possible before applying the pad again.

[ktang 34]

I played again last night. Played D, with only 4 D, so lots of extra skating in a game with good up-and-down flow but not too much cycling against us. Again, the G-Form Lace Bite Pad was very good at preventing lace bite.

2 days ago I used some hockey tape to try to take off as much felt from the tongue as possible, and I also used a rasp to try to scrape off any additional fuzz and lint. I then re-applied the G-Form Lace Bite Pad.

When I got to the game last night the G-Form Lace Bite Pad was still attached in the middle and the right, but was starting to come off on the left top corner. I talked about this with my team-mates, and we might have a some reasons for this problem that Adam14 and I both seem to be having:

- the felt gives less surface area for the G-Form Lace Bite Pad to bond to because it is an uneven surface;

- the tongue is quite flexible; and, most importantly

- the tongue is shaped like a pringle chip (hyperbolic paraboloid).

So, when I'm taking off the skates or putting them on, any deformation of the tongue produces "sliding" against the G-Form Lace Bite Pad (shear force). Because the bond is not as strong due to the porous surface of the felt, the shear force overcomes the bond and the G-Form Lace Bite Pad separates from the tongue. This is similar to the racking (twisting) of two flat pieces of metal welded together causing the weld to fail.

The skate tongue also deforms slightly when the skate is drying, which might explain why the G-Form Lace Bite Pad separates while warm ozone is being blown into the skate boot.

So, hatch coamings on ships are welded only on the corners to prevent the welds from separating as the ships rack (twist). I'm going to try lightly sewing over the corners of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad to the tongue (not through the G-Form Lace Bite Pad), unless instructed otherwise, to see if this helps.

Shinny tomorrow, will post another report then.

[ktang 34]

Only 2 on the bench per side at shinny today. With the extra shifts I would usually have lace bite, but with the G-Form Lace Bite Pad my tendon area feels really good right now.

The skates are drying out now; tonight I will put on the thread to mechanically fasten down the corners of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad to the tongue, and I will try to post a pic.

So far, after 7 ice times, the G-Form Lace Bite Pad is really holding up well. I can't see any difference in the surfaces between the pad that I am using and the one that I'm holding in reserve.

[ktang 34]

Yesterday I used white thread (easier to photograph) to fasten down the 4 corners of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad to the tongue on my left skate.

Before I fastened down the G-Form Lace Bite Pad with the thread, I removed the pad and used tap water to rejuvenate the sticky surface. After shaking off the excess water and letting it dry, the G-Form Lace Bite Pad was as sticky as ever. I then stuck it to the tongue and then sewed on the thread.

Here are some pics of the work. The thread is threaded through the outer layer of the tongue felt, and does not pass through the G-Form Lace Bite Pad.

You can also see from the pics how well the G-Form Lace Bite Pad held up after 7 ice times.

Tonight I played two games, back-to-back, on D. The first game we had 4 D, and the second game we had 3, then 4, then 5 D (latecomers). Both games were pretty tough, with a lot of cycling going on in the corners. Again, no pain or irritation at all on my anterior tendon sheath. I love it!

With the thread holding down the corners of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad, the pad didn't peel off between the two games (I again had to remove my skates to drive from the first game to the second one), and it also didn't peel off after I got home and blew warm ozone through the skate.

I was watching the other 9 skaters and goalie in the first game, and the other 13 skaters and goalie in the second game, and without exception, all the skaters grab the skate tongues to swing the skates onto their feet when they are putting on their skates. I do this too.

After the game, the laces are loosened, the tongues are grabbed from the top, and the tongues are lifted out of the way before the feet are removed. I do this too.

With all this twisting of the tongues it's easy to see why the G-Form Lace Bite Pads peel off.

[ktang 34]

10th ice time with the G-Form Lace Bite Pad tonight. Played wing in a high-level league (Div 2): lots of sprinting and tight turns. Had lots of PK time because our team got into penalty trouble, so lots of backwards crossover starts and quick stop-and-starts.

No lace bite issues at all - usually at this level I would have some pain immediately after the game, if not during it. Also, with the thread holding down the corners of the G-Form Lace Bite Pad, the pad didn't detach after the game and after blowing warm ozone through it.

[ktang 34]

I had shinny last night, and today's shinny session didn't have an ice time following us, so it was more like a back-to-back shinny with 6, then 5, then 4, then 2 on each bench. So, lots of skating - 3 ice times in 2 days again, with no faceoffs - and no problems with my decades-old lace bite.

It's pretty hot in Calgary now, and after this morning's shinny I had to get some groceries. The car was pretty hot when I got back to it, but the G-Form Lace Bite Pad was OK.

[ktang 34]

Playoff game tonight, Div 2. Played as a winger, with only 5 forwards. Really cranked on the laces (back-laced) for this game; lots of skating, too, on Olympic-sized ice. Again, no problems with lace bite, whereas before using the G-Form Lace Bite Pad I would be in pain by now.

Blocked a shot off the instep: painful; unfortunately the lace bite pad doesn't help with that!

[ktang 34]

Had another league game last night. It must have been a tough one, even though I was one of 6 D, because I'm still sore in the legs today. No problems with lace bite whatsoever!

Reffing season is right around the corner, so I can't wait to see how well the G-Form Lace Bite Pad will help out in triple headers with no breaks during games.

[ktang 34]

Final game before playoffs for this league last night, important for standings and to avoid a stacked team in the 1st round. Had to put in a new waxed lace because the old one finally broke (looks like somebody stepped on my skate last game), so I was able to get the laces really tight for this game.

I was one of 5 D, and our D had to be active joining the rushes because the other team got ahead. Also had to defend their fastest and shiftiest player on 1-on-1 rushes a few times (got him each time!) Still sore in the legs today, but no lace bite!

[ktang 34]

Playoff game tonight; I was one of 3 and then later 4 D. It was pretty intense for the first period; I got called for roughing, and then luckily I calmed down. Again, I really cranked on the laces, and there were lots of quick moves needed in this game. I have no lace bite whatsoever, during or after the game!

[ktang 34]

Shinny this morning. A few young guys, and 3 on each bench, so it was pretty fast. My butt muscles are burning now, but no lace bite. The G-Form Lace Bite Pad has been staying in place, too.

[ktang 34]

I'm up to 30+ games playing with the G-Form Lace Bite Pad on the left skate. No problems with lace bite, and actually the bump seems to be getting less hard.

Also, yesterday was my first games of the reffing season. Lines for the first game, then 8 hours later it was 2-man. Both games weren't that hard, so there were no lace bite problems, so we'll see how they do with three hard games back-to-back-to-back later.

[ktang 34]

Played a game 2 days ago, then reffed 3 games + played 1 yesterday. No problems with the lace bite, but the stickiness on the G-Form Lace Bite Pad is almost gone - maybe my sweat composition is bad for that? Anyways, it has been on the skate for a very long time and a large number of games. It's probably time to take it off and re-wet it in order to refresh the stickiness.

[ktang 34]

So far in October I have reffed 32 games (through 4 weeks) and played 6 games. The re-wetted G-Form Lace Bite Pad got its stickiness back, and the thread that I sewed around the corners are helping it stay in place.

4 days ago (Saturday) I had back-to-back-to-back games reffing. Midway through the 1st game, my right foot started getting lace bite. This is the skate that didn't have the G-Form Lace Bite Pad in it.

So between the first and second games I put the other G-Form Lace Bite Pad into the right skate. During the second and third games the problem didn't get any worse. The next day I reffed 2 games and played in one, and again the problem didn't get any worse. Last night I reffed one game, and the problem had gone away.

So, for me, it was very convenient to have the extra G-Form Lace Bite Pad in my ref bag as a precaution. It probably helped prevent a bigger lace bite problem.

[ktang 34]

Reffed 35 games and played 7 games in November with no problems.

Since the end of December I have been using a 3rd-hand pair of Nike/Bauer One95 skates. I removed the G-Form Lace Bite Pads from my 8090s and put food wrap on the sticky sides, then stored the G-Form Lace Bite Pads in my ref bag because I knew that the molded plastic foam tongue inserts in the One95s would crease and give me lace bite eventually.

In the 2nd game of reffing 4 games in a row I could feel the crease on my right One95 skate's tongue giving me lace bite again. After the game I stuck a G-Form Lace Bite Pad onto the tongue, and I was fine for the 3rd and 4th games.

I did some surgery on the One95 skate tongue, replacing the molded plastic foam insert with some thick felt, so I haven't needed the G-Form Lace Bite Pad since. However, I now keep one in my ref bag and one in my player's bag just in case.