New Skate Pain - Seeking Advice

[aintitthelife98 28]

Hey everyone. I was hoping to get some advice on pain I've been having in my new skates. First some background.

Prior to this weekend, I had been skating in Nexus N7000 skates (Size 7.5 D) for about 18 months. I was getting some discomfort from them recently and never felt like I had a great heel lock so I decided to get new skates. I went to the Pure Hockey store nearby and they had one of the Bauer 3D Skate Labs so we gave that a whirl.  I tried it 2 times, once standing up straight and once with knee bend, and it came back both times saying I belonged in the Supreme Line, size 6.5 D. The only issue is that my left foot and right foot are different. My left foot was pretty much spot on or a bit smaller than 6.5 and exactly a D width. My right foot though is more like 6.75 and closer to a EE width. I wanted to get a better quality boot as I'm playing 3-4 times a week now so I had them bring out a 6.5 D Supreme S180. In store my left foot felt perfect and my right foot felt a little snug in the forefoot right behind the toe box but not painful. My toes were brushing the toe cap on the left and and little tighter on the right but felt fine when getting into a hockey stance. It seemed like a good fit so we went with it and baked them. I skated for the first time in them 24 hours later and it was not a pleasurable experience to say the least. On my left foot everything felt fine for the most part except I was getting some pain/pressure on my inside ankle area. On my right foot I was getting the same issue on my inside ankle area but also some discomfort in the area right before the toe box. I chalked it up to just needing to break them in as well as get use to the stiffer boot and got through it. I skated again last night and it seemed like the discomfort in my right foot only got worse with some of the same pressure/pain in my left foot around the inside ankle. I've also got what seems to be a blister right on the inside ankle of my right foot. 

This is my first time in a higher end boot so I'm trying to figure out if this is normal and will go away as I get more time in them or if there is a bigger issue that isn't going to solve itself. I am only an average skater so I also wonder if I went with too stiff a boot and would be better off in an S170. My other concern is that with the differences between my two feet, if I stay in a D I think my right foot may be in a skate that's too narrow but it's just fine for my left. If I go to a EE it will be the opposite with my right foot being probably just right but with my left foot being in a boot that's too wide. I'm not sure which is a better compromise. 

Apologies for the long winded post but was hoping to get some recommendations or advice on what to do here based on everyone's experience. Thanks in advance for the help!

[psulion22 402]

Did you cut the tabs off the footbed in the right skate (are there tabs on the S180?)?  That will give you some more room in the toe box, and likely make up for the difference between a 6.5 and 6.75 D.  You could try rebaking them with a really thick sock on the right foot to give you a little more room.  But that space where the molded toe cap meets the quarter doesn't stretch much.  So you aren't going to be able to get much room just through baking.  You can try to have them stretched at the shop.  As far as the ankle pain, try undoing the top eyelet and loosening the second.  It may give you a little mroe play.  The thing with the composite boots is that they give you good laterall stability without having to crank the laces down.  Try maybe loosening up how tight you're tying.  Blisters are typically caused by rubbing.  To get a better lock in the skate, make sure you're tapping the heel backon the floor as you tie the skates.  That will force your heel deeper into the heel lock.

[aintitthelife98 28]

Appreciate the response. I'm not aware of any tabs to cut but I can take a look later. I ended up skating the second half of my game last night not using the top eyelet which seemed to help a little but didn't completely solve the problem.  I also figured that I needed to play around with how I tie them compared to how I tied my previous skates. Thanks again. 

[psulion22 402]

The Bauer footbed below the top level skates typically has tabs along the toes that you can cut out for extra space.

[aintitthelife98 28]

Interesting, the foot beds that came with them definitely didn't have those tabs on them. 

[Vet88 674]

Inside ankle bone is the area that is sore? If so get the boot punched there, that should solve the problem of pain and the blister / pressure point you are getting. Get some lipstick, put it on your ankle bone, foot in the boot and get the lipstick to transfer to the boot liner. This will show the center point for the punch. And as suggested previously, get the right boot stretched in the forefoot area behind the toe box and that will solve the pain issue you have there. Any decent LHS should be able to do the punch and stretch.

7.5 Nexus to a 6.5 Supreme, that's a big difference.

[aintitthelife98 28]

1 hour ago, Vet88 said:

7.5 Nexus to a 6.5 Supreme, that's a big difference.

I thought so as well. The shop said that Nexus run small and the amount my toes were brushing the toe caps was similar between the two. It still seems confusing to me. 

I have an ability to return the skates even though they've been baked, sharpened and skated on. I'm debating going back and checking out maybe Ribcor 68k or 70ks or other options rather than trying to salvage a fit that might not be right on these. I'm still debating it though. 

[PaulieWalnuts 5]

Nexus runs small?  I was always under the impression the Nexus had the most volume of all 3 Bauer lines.  

[aintitthelife98 28]

22 minutes ago, PaulieWalnuts said:

Nexus runs small?  I was always under the impression the Nexus had the most volume of all 3 Bauer lines.  

I think from a size numbering prospective is what they meant, not a volume perspective. I'm not sure though. 

[goalieman39 37]

1 hour ago, aintitthelife98 said:

I thought so as well. The shop said that Nexus run small and the amount my toes were brushing the toe caps was similar between the two. It still seems confusing to me. 

I have an ability to return the skates even though they've been baked, sharpened and skated on. I'm debating going back and checking out maybe Ribcor 68k or 70ks or other options rather than trying to salvage a fit that might not be right on these. I'm still debating it though. 

That pain is only going to get worse.  I'd go back and try a 7 EE in a supreme and a RibCore

[Vet88 674]

I disagree, it the pain is in a fixable area then a punch or stretch will address it. And why would he go up 1/2 a size if, by what he has said above, a 6.5 fits him for length?

Nexus is the largest volume skate and length wise is the same sizing as the other Bauer lines. Whoever told you that should be shot. 

His thoughts of trying a Rbk are worth considering, they have more room on the toe cap than supremes. 

[aintitthelife98 28]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I went and tried on some other skates this evening (primarily RibCor line skates). The RibCor skates felt much better but I couldn't find anything that felt perfect. It's hard to say what a bake will do. From what I can tell my issue with the S180 is a combination of the stiffness of the boot and the width on my right foot. I'm thinking the jump from the N7000 boot to the S180 boot is probably way more than I'm ready for. I unfortunately ran out of time but I will probably go try a S170 E width if I can find one. I'm also trying to figure out if the RibCor 66k is a better progression from the N7000 or if I should go up to the 68 or 70. 

[darkhors 88]

The RIbcore boot is going to be softer than the Supreme. It's supposed to be similar to a Mako in that aspect and when you bake them, they form more easily to your foot. The nexus is a wide "all over" skate, where the supreme is wide (but not as wide as the nexus) in the forefoot, then slims down through the arch, then opens back up in the heel. Also, a D width in Nexus, is basically a EE width in the Supreme and Vapor lines. So that could also be playing a big part.

[goalieman39 37]

On 1/17/2018 at 10:50 AM, aintitthelife98 said:

My right foot though is more like 6.75 and closer to a EE width.

I was going off of this.  

[aintitthelife98 28]

As a quick update, I went last night to try on more skates. By far the one that felt the best on my foot was the RibCor so I went with a set of 68K. They were baked last night and got even more comfortable. The real test will be tomorrow morning when I take them out on the ice. Thanks for the advice and help everyone. 

[skiboyny 4]

I too have the right foot a bit wider than my left. I am in the 68k. From the onset the left skate felt terrific. The right a bit more pressure on the side. They seem to get better and better with use. Almost to the point of non issue after about 10 hours. Stick with them.

[psulion22 402]

20 hours ago, darkhors said:

. Also, a D width in Nexus, is basically a EE width in the Supreme and Vapor lines. So that could also be playing a big part.

Aren't the last of the Nexus and Supreme the same, both being wider than the Vapor?  I wear EE in Supreme and there's no way I'd fit into a EE Vapor in the toe box in the same size.

[darkhors 88]

I believe the toe box in the Vapors is slightly smaller than the Supreme, but not by much (in comparable widths), but I know the Nexus's are definitely bigger than both the Supreme and the Vapors as I'm an 8D in supreme's and Vapors and the regular 8D in a Nexus is HUGE for me. Size wise, I wear an 8D for both Vapors and Supreme's, but the supreme is a little too shallow for me and I tend to get lace bite from the Supreme's. I haven't tried the new Supreme's just yet though.

[Vet88 674]

9 hours ago, aintitthelife98 said:

As a quick update, I went last night to try on more skates. By far the one that felt the best on my foot was the RibCor so I went with a set of 68K. They were baked last night and got even more comfortable. The real test will be tomorrow morning when I take them out on the ice. Thanks for the advice and help everyone. 

Good choice. Whether you realise it or not you have chosen a retail skate that fits your 1st priority the best, if you can fit your heel into a Ribcor then there is no way you should be skating in Supremes.

[aintitthelife98 28]

I think the fit of the new Ribcors released last summer is a decent bit different than previous versions.  The heel lock on both didn’t feel vastly different to me. What did was how it felt around my ankles as well as the rest of the foot heading towards the toe box. Either way I hope it translates to comfort and effectiveness on the ice. 

[aintitthelife98 28]

As a quick update since I’m sure everyone is on the edge of their seat, the 68Ks felt great on the ice. Seemed to have the perfect balance of stiffness and flexibility for me. I felt no discomfort in any of the spots where the supremes were killing me  The heel lock and wrap around the rest of my foot felt spot on. 

Now I just need to decide if I put TUUK edge holders on them with step steel or just get step for the SB 4.0 holder.  

[goalieman39 37]

Edge holders wear out, keep the SB 4.0 on it