Skates Expand After Being Baked?

[hockeygeartester 0]

Do skates expand after being baked? Particularly skates with a composite quarter package? I've heard that the ccm one piece boots do expand after being baked. Can anyone verify if this is true? If so should I go a half size down for ccm one piece boots?

 

[Cosmic 178]

I am not sure if the skates expand and/or the inner material/ liner packs out, but something happens during the break in, making skates accommodate more space. I have noticed this in my Eason Makos and have ended up going down a full size (from 10.5 to 10.0 to 9.5) in the past 3 years as a result of experiencing this phenomena. I can actually go down another .5, length wise, but then I will start to have width issues so I am just staying put for now. 

I am a size 12 in most sneakers, 12.5 in some (I am not sure what size my Asics Gel Kayanos are- either 12 or 12.5)

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

It's a thought that people don't seem to get - it happens in my store every day.

Heat expands, cold contracts.

You're heating up the boot under the assumption that your foot is bigger than the space in the space, and will push out the boot.

We have customers who think that it shrinks to your foot, and that if a skate is too big, that heating it up will pull it in closer to the foot.  The opposite happens - the boot is then laced up tighter and will crease somewhere to make it fit a smaller foot.

[hockeygeartester 0]

So when I try on unbaked skates, I should look for a tight fit? Also I don't understand how the boot expands length-wise. Wouldn't that mess up the alignment of the holder?

[mojo122 538]

If you're foot has stopped growing then I like having a tight fit, minimizing any negative space in the boot.  The boot doesn't really expand lengthwise, but the back of the skate will open up allowing you to get your heel further back into the skate, making it feel a bit longer. I've also found that after time and use materials compress and make the skate feel bigger than when it was new.  

You can make a small skate bigger, but can't make a big skate smaller.

[Kgbeast 195]

33 minutes ago, hockeygeartester said:

.... Also I don't understand how the boot expands length-wise. Wouldn't that mess up the alignment of the holder?

This can be a side effect of monocoque boot. The whole boot is pliable and the back of the boot can bulge outwards, especially if there is no stable outsole. I do not see why it can not mess up the alignment of the holder.

[hockeygeartester 0]

So for monocoque boots should I go an additional half size down to compensate for the heel expanding?

[Kgbeast 195]

6 minutes ago, hockeygeartester said:

So for monocoque boots should I go an additional half size down to compensate for the heel expanding?

...Mako, perhaps is a pretty bad example as that was an infancy of monocoque construction and in principle you can stretch them out until they fall apart. Perhaps today's skates have mods that keep them together a bit better (frame incerts, foxings, etc). If you buying a today's skate True or CCM or Verbero, follow their guide lines. With Makos, they were suggesting getting a half size smaller size than youd normally get. 

[hockeygeartester 0]

Do the ccm one piece skates (FT1 and Supertacks) tend to expand after being baked?