Alkali CA7 bunion smashers. Any tips ?

[mdidia 0]

I have had the Alkali CA7 skates for a couple seasons now, and they have been broken in pretty well. I had them pro baked and punched out a couple of times for fitment issues, but lately I am getting some bad bunion smashing/rubbing and I'm not sure what I can do to get some comfort. I'm not sure if there's anything left they can punch out as it seems like the issue is coming from where the toe cap meets the rest of the boot at the seam there.

Has anyone else had experience with these skates and fitment, and/or had a similar issue and resolved it with any other skate ?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[Vet88 673]

My CA9's have the same problem. I'm in my skates every day for 2 hours+ and it's a real hassle. To get around the problem I protect the area, layer of cotton wool then a strip of impact gel over the top and then tape this to my foot using medical tape. Cotton wool on it's own isn't good enough, it gets wet, compresses and then offers no protection.

I don't know of any fix that you could apply to the boot short of rebuilding it from the chassis up. If Alkali had put more protection around this seam (eg used something like impact gel behind the liner) then we wouldn't be having this discussion.

You may also get issues with the top / sides of your toes, especially the little one. I use a 5mm thick closed cell neoprene strip with a tiny hole cut in it that fits over the blister. I tape this to the top of my little toe and it offers good protection. This could also work for your bunions.

[mdidia 0]

Damn, that sounds like a real hassle and is disappointing to learn. I really like the skates, I moved from a hi-lo bauer situation to these and I have loved em until this hellride bunion pain started recently.

[Vet88 673]

I know what you mean. I tolerate it because they are still the best made skate I have ever used. But every time I stick my feet in them, my feet look like they belong in an intensive ward with the amount of cotton wool and tape on them. And it's not just us recreational users who have these problems, a guy I know who skates for a Mission pro team reports fellow pro skaters using Alkali boots are having similar issues.

[voxyledbetter 9]

Damn, that sounds like a real hassle and is disappointing to learn. I really like the skates, I moved from a hi-lo bauer situation to these and I have loved em until this hellride bunion pain started recently.

Did you have the same issue in the Bauers? I skated in a pair of Bauer vapor 10 converted for roller and developed an issue with a bunion on one foot. I moved to a pair of missions T8's which I haven't any issues with bunion but have started a lace bite issue. I was curious about getting a pair of ca7's but now I might stay away in fear of the bunion pain coming back.

[mdidia 0]

Did you have the same issue in the Bauers? I skated in a pair of Bauer vapor 10 converted for roller and developed an issue with a bunion on one foot. I moved to a pair of missions T8's which I haven't any issues with bunion but have started a lace bite issue. I was curious about getting a pair of ca7's but now I might stay away in fear of the bunion pain coming back.

I didn't have the issue with the Bauer's but I feel like the Alkali skates do feel way better overall, bunion smash aside. I think I might try and get some sort of moleskin pads and try and form em in there on that seam to help alleviate the bunion pressure. I think it's just hit or miss, I didn't have the bunion issue for the first few months with the Alkali's and they felt great. Maybe the miniscule amount of padding that was there finally broke down and started attacking my bunions, I dunno. I can't really advise to stay away from the skates because they are pretty great, but damn I wish there was a sure-fire solution for the bunion issue

[Vet88 673]

I had some RX60's but didn't stay in them very long because I hated the toe box. I've wondered if something like heel pads might work but haven't bothered to try them yet. My boots get quite wet from sweat and finding something that will stay in place for a decent amount of time is the question.

I moved to a pair of missions T8's which I haven't any issues with bunion but have started a lace bite issue.

Lace bite can be fixed, either something like bunga pads or make your own. I use an impact gel pad sewn into a leather pouch which has slits in it for the laces to feed thru. Took me 30 minutes to put together and it's lasted me 10 months and is still going strong.

[voxyledbetter 9]

Lace bite can be fixed, either something like bunga pads or make your own. I use an impact gel pad sewn into a leather pouch which has slits in it for the laces to feed thru. Took me 30 minutes to put together and it's lasted me 10 months and is still going strong.

Thanks for the advice. I ordered a bunga pad, waiting for it to come in. Currently using that sponge like medical tape to wrap up a piece of a gel insole on the affected spot.

Back to the op, I went to a podiatrist about the bunion issue. They gave me something similar to the lace bite pad, but it was a sleeve that went on your foot with a gel pad at the ball of your foot. It made my old skates more bearable but ultimately I needed to get skates that had a more width in the toe box.

[mdidia 0]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered a bunga pad, waiting for it to come in. Currently using that sponge like medical tape to wrap up a piece of a gel insole on the affected spot.

Back to the op, I went to a podiatrist about the bunion issue. They gave me something similar to the lace bite pad, but it was a sleeve that went on your foot with a gel pad at the ball of your foot. It made my old skates more bearable but ultimately I needed to get skates that had a more width in the toe box.

Any chance you have a picture of that bunion sleeve ?

[voxyledbetter 9]

Any chance you have a picture of that bunion sleeve ?

Yeah, give me a little bit of time, I still keep it in my gear bag. I have game this am for tournament and depending how that tourney goes possibly more. So I'll try to get a pic up on here later today.

[voxyledbetter 9]

Excuse the nasty foot! but this is what the sleeve looks like. I believe its made by Silipos.

[mdidia 0]

Excuse the nasty foot! but this is what the sleeve looks like. I believe its made by Silipos.

That actually looks freakin awesome, I'm going to buy one today. Quick question - it looks like they make a half sleeve that still offers the bunion pad but does extend back to cover the heel...it basically stops at the arches. Would you recommend the one pictured, or do you have any complaints that getting the shorter one might be a better choice ?

[voxyledbetter 9]

That actually looks freakin awesome, I'm going to buy one today. Quick question - it looks like they make a half sleeve that still offers the bunion pad but does extend back to cover the heel...it basically stops at the arches. Would you recommend the one pictured, or do you have any complaints that getting the shorter one might be a better choice ?

I think this one was intended to be shorter, but the sleeve is long enough that it would just bunch up with my sock unless I stretched it back like that. They didn't offer different sizes when I got it.