my skate fitting experience

[kenneth 5]

So i went to a LHS the other day and tried on literally just about every skate they had sans Surpremes as i used to own one95s and wanted something not as stiff and i was getting pains on the sides of my feet if i lace them too tight (think the opposite side of where your arch would be).

Flexlite 4 - soft, wide forefoot, too tight around the mid-foot, heel killed when i tried to flex forward and bent my knees

Graf G75 - very comfy but didn't have it in my size tried on a pair one size up just for kicks

Graf 735 - felt too soft but they only had narrow in stock so not accurate fit

Graf G3X - very light skate but alot of heel pain again and ankle pain, felt like there wasn't enough ankle padding haven't felt anything like that before, but i like how light they were for a graf skate

Graf G3 - took them off right away too much pain in the heel when forward flex, rest of skate felt nice but i honestly don't remember cause of the pain in the heel

Reebok 11k - i've tried on this skate many times and each time it seems to fit different this time i tried on a D/AA and still felt the heel didn't lock in place (could it be the insole, would superfeet help cradle the heel), kinda tight around the toe cap. But i found it very hard to lace up int he mid foot around were the lacelock would be but overally soft and comfy skate

CCM U+ control (think U +12 but with CL liner) - did not lock my heel at all, and tight along the sides

Vapor 7.0 - Tried on D width, everything felt really nice and only skate that laced up square, forefoot was kinda tight so i'll probably try a EE width. But there is again alot of pain in the heel when trying to flex forward. So couldn't really test heel lock

So at the end of the day i'm still lost. i know heel lock is important but what about having the skate lace up square so the tongue doesn't slide to one side and is there anything in particular about heel cups bauer skates that is giving me so much heel pain when i'm bending my knees and trying to flex the skate? I noticed i got the same pain in a few of the graf skates as well does it have to do with how pronounced the heel shape is?

[AIREAYE 248]

Regarding the 11Ks : Yes, Superfeet is a heel support product but it doesn't 'lock in' your heel so to speak.

U+ Control : http://chevys.sourceforsports.com/catalog/ccm/ccm-u-control-skate

Apparently based on the U+10. If possible, ask to get these guys baked when trying them on; in both D width and E. I'm willing to bet that post-baking, the heel lock issue should be fixed. The U Foam is just that good.

[Vet88 673]

Without knowing more and going by what you have said, you may have a couple of other things going on. If your tongue is sliding towards the outside of your boot "so the tongue doesn't slide to one side" especially during a game and you are getting pain on the outside of your foot then you may have a pronation issue ie your foot is rolling inward. This causes the tongue to slide outwards and the outside of the foot to push up onto the boot causing pain along the outside of the foot, especially around the area that is opposite the front of the arch. Do your shoes wear evenly around the heel or more to one side?

Have a read of this article

http://www.ladyinredcreations.com/Ankles_Down.htm

and if you think you have this issue you may need to get the blade custom aligned or look at some MLX skates that allow you to adjust the blade holder and provide you with a custom fit.

[kenneth 5]

- i'm really gonna doubt any LHS will let you bake the skates before paying for them, i'd feel really bad too if it didn't fit.

- just taken a look at my basketball shoes and i noticed it's pretty even wear maybe little bit more along the insides of the shoe. I do have pronation problems that superfeet did seem to help. My feet looks like the low in step based on this picture

http://www.med.nyu.e...otnlhinstep.jpg

and as you can see where the "bump" is in the midfoot is where i usually get lacebite issue and why i think my tongue is folding over to the side. The only way i can stop it and hold the tongue in it's place is to flop them.

[jsykes 35]

My shop will bake CCMs without question before a sale. CCM says their skates can be baked as many times as needed so it doesnt hurt us to do it because if you dont buy, they can be baked again for another customer.

[Davetronz 109]

My shop will bake CCMs without question before a sale. CCM says their skates can be baked as many times as needed so it doesnt hurt us to do it because if you dont buy, they can be baked again for another customer.

When I was looking for new skates I was told the same thing. Everyone was willing to bake CCM skates as many times as necessary.

I was told that CCM skates don't even get an accurate fit on your foot until you bake them at least once.

[Vet88 673]

Based on what you said, the tongue sliding to the outside and the pain on the outside of the foot are due to pronation. You need to consider how you will fix this with your new skates otherwise the issue will not go away. Once you start skating on the top of the blade it really is revelation, your whole game improves drastically, I say this from hard experience and having gone thru it myself.

If you have the bucks, MLX skates may be your best bet to buy a skate AND deal with the pronation issue (and they really do mold to your foot when baked). Email them and they are happy to answer questions and custom shape a boot to your foot (send them an outline of your feet). However they are slightly heavier than other top of the line skates.

If you find a Graf that you like then these are marvelous skates. Rbk work well for low arch and narrow heels. Aside from the MLX, you need to think about getting the holder realigned or shims put in place.