How much does a skate size change after bake and break in?

[Precision 4]

I swore I was a size 9d skate because I have a 10.5 shoe. I bought a pair of 9d U+ 12 and wore big socks and still got a little heel lift in the right, I tried on a pair of 8.5 crazy light retails tonight and it seems to fit, a little snug on the left foot but I'm thinking after baking them and breaking them I'm enough room will he made naturally for the perfect fit? I wonder how significant my skating will improve when actually wearing the perfect sized skate?

[ArrogantOwl 7]

There isn't a strict guideline. I wear a size 7.5 shoe and fit into 4.5-5 size skates.

[Precision 4]

Im assuming once I bake them the ufoam will form around my foot and create the tiny amount of spare room I'd need for the left foot, the crazy lights fit is tight until the foam gets heated up I think.

[ArrogantOwl 7]

Yeah, the boot will mold much better once it gets heated up. It should still be tight, but not uncomfortably tight.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

The correlation between shoe size and skate size is irrelevant.

People wear their shoes comfortably, with excess room in the toe. You do not want that in a skate.

[IPv6Freely 2097]

Indeed. I never realized how much extra room I had in shoes until I started paying attention. I also didn't realize that my right big toe always rubs on the inside of my shoe until I got skates...

My RBKs were 9E, and my Grafs are 8.5W. Basing it on your shoe size is just a general starting off point for trying on skates. Ideally you'd just have your foot measured, but no LHS ive ever been to has ever done this for me. (I also don't know how to measure how much of heel backstay shape depth you need, I've never seen any retailer do that, either).

[natbat 0]

I have had a lot of experts tell me that newer skates need to be baked for proper fit. New skates are so stiff that very few people can wear them out of the box. Here is my little story that changed my thinking...Over a month ago I purchased a pair of CCM U +10. They felt great in the store, I had them baked, LS2 holders installed and blades profiled. The skate was a disaster! It was a great skate and felt great but the boot didn't work for me. I headed back to the store and tried on a pair of Bauer one80's (The most the wife would let me spend ) They didn't feel that great.. and my left foot fell asleep during the fitting. After the baking and approximately 3 hours of Ice time, it is the best skate I have ever worn. I think there has to be a compromise between comfort and performance. My old 8090's were very comfortable, but not as responsive as the one80's. I think during the baking process the skate can accommodate small modifiations from your foot structure. My heel did not fit right during the fitting and after the baking my heels locked in and the left skate made room for my larger left foot.

And as JR said, I wear a size 11 4 E shoe and a 8.5 EE skate....

[pelikano 1]

I was comfy in a pair of 9.5 W Grafs. Now I am in 9E CCMs. I also tried Grafs, Bauers, and Reeboks that were 9 and felt good. My street shoes/sneakers are all 12s and 13s.

It's all in the feel.

[Sliwka 0]

When I size people, I rarely measure them unless they are unsure about their shoe size mainly because our only Brannock device is from Bauer, not all skate manufactuerers have the same shoe/skate size correlation (I like 7.5 in most, but 8 was needed in Graf), and our Brannock is super old and I know that skate size is not standard and could have varied slightly in the past.

I always, when people ask for a size, specify if that is their shoe size (often it is) and I usually drop a half size from that.The fit inside the boot is more important than the number on their shoes, or in the boot.

As a generality, I also suspect a lot of people think they have wide feet from buying previously improperly fitted skated (My vapors hurt my toes, I must have wiiiide feet).

My question as a retail staffer to those who may know more than I: Do you remove the insoles during the actual baking, or do you leave them in?

[AIREAYE 248]

^I (we) only take out Superfeet (if they have them in) and leave in the rest.

[JamesCL 2]

I swore I was a size 9d skate because I have a 10.5 shoe. I bought a pair of 9d U+ 12 and wore big socks and still got a little heel lift in the right, I tried on a pair of 8.5 crazy light retails tonight and it seems to fit, a little snug on the left foot but I'm thinking after baking them and breaking them I'm enough room will he made naturally for the perfect fit? I wonder how significant my skating will improve when actually wearing the perfect sized skate?

Go with the 8.5's. Once baked and broken in they will fit like a glove.

[wrangler 157]

^I (we) only take out Superfeet (if they have them in) and leave in the rest.

Have you seen bad things happen to Superfeet that were left in?

[AIREAYE 248]

I was told that the foams/whatever the footbed is made of will break down. I forgot to take out my own pair of Superfeet when I rebaked my skates and I haven't noticed any problems save for some of the yellow fabric peeling off (don't know if it was the heat, so take that for what it's worth).

[natbat 0]

I was told that the foams/whatever the footbed is made of will break down. I forgot to take out my own pair of Superfeet when I rebaked my skates and I haven't noticed any problems save for some of the yellow fabric peeling off (don't know if it was the heat, so take that for what it's worth).

I purchased my superfeet via the internet and was told not to leave them in the skate while baking. Was also told that the arch can collapse because it is made of plastic.

just as a added note....I see a lot of hockey stores now selling Archmolds. Archmolds is a heat moldable insole. http://www.archmolds.com/performance.html

[Deerok 3]

Go with the 8.5's. Once baked and broken in they will fit like a glove.

+1

I was coming from a pair of custom Bauer Vapor XXX (size 9 3/4) and a pair of Graf G35X (size 9.5) and ended up in a pair of 8 3/4 Crazy lights.

Considering I wear a size 12 athletic shoe and a size 11.5 dress shoe I was suprised at how much I was sizing down. They felt tight/snug before the bake. Once baked, the skate really accomodated to the bumps and curves of my feet and as James CL said, they do fit like a glove.

Be sure to get them baked right.

Thanks to all of those that offered advice and tips during my research and buying options.

[Doughnuts08 6]

My CCM Vectors which were never baked were a size 9C. After baking my new Grafs, i'm able to fit into an 8N and it fits perfect (had to punch the toe slightly), but my heels stay perfectly locked and the skate fits like a glove.