New Skates for Continued Ankle/Lace Bite Issues

[wedgylx 8]

Hello all,

          I've been having off/on lace bite issues over the last ~8 years or so. I got new skates and was replacing Vapors - I got myself a new pair of Vapors and thats when my lacebite issues started. I'm sure they were not the "right" boot for me.

         Only a few seasons later I went to the Bauer store and was fitted/scanned for Supremes - the salesperson was sure that the new volume and better tongue on the ones I bought would help. Nope, didn't help at all. I've been using lace extenders which saved me, but I think i'm at the point now where my boot is breaking down a bit and causing the lace bite on my right boot to come back

          I'm considering abandoning Bauer entirely to try somethign else. I've seen a lot of folks say that the CCM Jetspeed have a far deeper boot - so I'm going to try those on. Are there any other specifically higher volume skates for people with thick ankles?

          I have pretty small feet for my size (I'm wearing a 6.5D Supreme right now), but I have thick ankles. I get the bite right where my ankle meets my foot - at one point it was the size of a large grape or cherry on both ankles. Its since gone down, but the right side is super enflamed and I can tell its coming back. Its very tender when I skate.

         Any and all advice is welcomed! I can do the pencil test - but my concern is just its so hard to tell how a skate is going to affect my ankle based on a quick fit. When I bought the Supremes, I thought they felt better but they ended up being just the same. I don't want to drop $500-$600 only to have the same issues come back

Edited July 7, 2022 by wedgylx

[puckpilot 312]

First, try on every brand of skate you can get your foot into. Don't think just because Bauer worked for you before, it will work for you now. Skates are constantly evolving and so fit will change. For some the change may be insignificant. For others it can make all the difference in the world.  Also, when trying on a skate, try leaving them on for around 10-15 minutes and walk around the store. That'll give the foams and stuff to warm up, shape to your foot, and will give you a more accurate feel for the skate. 

Second, how tight do you tie your laces? Over-tightening your laces can cause lacebite, too, regardless of if the boot is right for you or not. 

In terms of solutions. Why not just continue using the eyelet extenders? Another choice would be Option B skate straps.

http://www.chooseoptionb.com/

For me, I'm a 160lb dude with size 4.5 skates. I use skate straps on the bottom part of the skate and I use eyelet extenders on the crook of the ankle. And overall, I have my skates fairly loose, so there's little to no pressure on top of my foot.  For me that's solved all issues in regard to lacebite. 

[BenBreeg 493]

I feel for you.  I never had lacebite in my life, but two weeks ago, for whatever reason I tied them a little tighter in the area you described.  I could feel it but ignored it for half an hour but the bruising of my tendons I guess already happened.  Now I am just skating with them even looser than before, but I can see how this can become chronic.

[Vet88 674]

Either in conjunction with the extenders or on their own, try panther teeth. You will need 2, tie tight before the teeth, loose thru the lace bite section and then as tight as you like above it.

https://pantherteeth.com/

Or do as I have done for the last 4 years or so, lace up till just below the lace bite section. For me this is 5 eyelets down.

 

[wedgylx 8]

17 hours ago, puckpilot said:

First, try on every brand of skate you can get your foot into. Don't think just because Bauer worked for you before, it will work for you now. Skates are constantly evolving and so fit will change. For some the change may be insignificant. For others it can make all the difference in the world.  Also, when trying on a skate, try leaving them on for around 10-15 minutes and walk around the store. That'll give the foams and stuff to warm up, shape to your foot, and will give you a more accurate feel for the skate. 

Second, how tight do you tie your laces? Over-tightening your laces can cause lacebite, too, regardless of if the boot is right for you or not. 

In terms of solutions. Why not just continue using the eyelet extenders? Another choice would be Option B skate straps.

http://www.chooseoptionb.com/

For me, I'm a 160lb dude with size 4.5 skates. I use skate straps on the bottom part of the skate and I use eyelet extenders on the crook of the ankle. And overall, I have my skates fairly loose, so there's little to no pressure on top of my foot.  For me that's solved all issues in regard to lacebite. 

So, I'm not AGAINST continuing to using lace bite extenders at all - my thought is just that if I'm going to drop the money on new skates anyways - finding one thats a "deeper" fit can only help. Right now my right ankle is killing me even with the extenders. 

 

I'm trying to leave them looser, I'm trying to really pull the area around the toes and bottom end of the skate tight and leave the top open more - but then I almost feel it gives me too much room to move around and increases the pressure on that spot when I skate. 

 

I'm 230lb and using a 6.5 Supreme right now. I tried on a pair of Graf Size 8 last night - felt definitely deeper and i passed the "pencil test" with those. I'm going to try on a pair of CCM's Jetspeed soon to see if thats even better or not. Just trying to get a feel for what I should be looking for. Another aside - I'm a 6.5 Bauer like I mentioned but I bet the 7.5 Graf fit me perfectly. I'm a 9.5 shoe

[wedgylx 8]

11 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

I feel for you.  I never had lacebite in my life, but two weeks ago, for whatever reason I tied them a little tighter in the area you described.  I could feel it but ignored it for half an hour but the bruising of my tendons I guess already happened.  Now I am just skating with them even looser than before, but I can see how this can become chronic.

As a temp solution - pipe insulation is great. I'd buy 1/2 inch foam insulation and cut into blocks, then cut the center out. Place the hole of that over your tendon in the spot that hurts for a couple weeks until the inflammation dies down. You can stop it from getting worse that way, and then hopefully go back to no foam after it dies down

[wedgylx 8]

10 hours ago, Vet88 said:

Either in conjunction with the extenders or on their own, try panther teeth. You will need 2, tie tight before the teeth, loose thru the lace bite section and then as tight as you like above it.

https://pantherteeth.com/

Or do as I have done for the last 4 years or so, lace up till just below the lace bite section. For me this is 5 eyelets down.

 

now that is new to me - Im checking these out now. I tried alternative lacing patterns and dropping eyelets but just didn't feel confident in my skates if that makes sense.

[krisdrum 233]

I had lacebite issues for years, as I have high arches/high volume between my heel and top of foot where ankle meets.

The True TF retail skates have been the best for me that I have tried, including Graf, CCM, Bauer.  They are sized a bit bigger to begin with (rule of thumb for most people has been dropping a 1/2 size from CCM/Bauer) and are incredibly moldable, which should help accommodate the added volume it sounds like you have. 

On a side note - I've found Graf to be only slightly shorter than a CCM/Bauer boot.  I had almost identical fit in a Graf 5 and CCM 4.5.  Going 1 full size up from your current Bauers into Grafs is likely too much. 

[wedgylx 8]

32 minutes ago, krisdrum said:

I had lacebite issues for years, as I have high arches/high volume between my heel and top of foot where ankle meets.

The True TF retail skates have been the best for me that I have tried, including Graf, CCM, Bauer.  They are sized a bit bigger to begin with (rule of thumb for most people has been dropping a 1/2 size from CCM/Bauer) and are incredibly moldable, which should help accommodate the added volume it sounds like you have. 

On a side note - I've found Graf to be only slightly shorter than a CCM/Bauer boot.  I had almost identical fit in a Graf 5 and CCM 4.5.  Going 1 full size up from your current Bauers into Grafs is likely too much. 

Thanks man thats some great info

[Cavs019 708]

I was a lifetime Vapor D wearer and had many of the same issues. Switching to a Jetspeed D FT490/FT2 solved nearly all of my lacebite and high instep problems while adding better heel lock.

I think the closest fit in the current offerings is the tapered cut. 

[beedee 227]

3 hours ago, Cavs019 said:

I was a lifetime Vapor D wearer and had many of the same issues. Switching to a Jetspeed D FT490/FT2 solved nearly all of my lacebite and high instep problems while adding better heel lock.

I think the closest fit in the current offerings is the tapered cut. 

Similar boat here, but ended up back in Vapors due to the narrower toe box of the JetSpeed FT485. I immediately noticed that the boot was deeper than my previous Vapor x500's. I really wanted the CCM to work for me, but I ended up in Vapor 3x, Fit 2. That said, I need to shit or get off the pot and pick up a pair of TF9's before they dry up.

[wedgylx 8]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:36 PM, beedee said:

Similar boat here, but ended up back in Vapors due to the narrower toe box of the JetSpeed FT485. I immediately noticed that the boot was deeper than my previous Vapor x500's. I really wanted the CCM to work for me, but I ended up in Vapor 3x, Fit 2. That said, I need to shit or get off the pot and pick up a pair of TF9's before they dry up.

I'm seeing a lot of folks say that the tf7 and tf9 are a toss up. I'm thinking of trying the 7's out

[Miller55 333]

I would try true and CCM. I was in Supremes before going to true. I didn't pass the pencil test but with the thick bobby Clarke custom tongues I never had lace bite, but the best skates I wore were Nexus 1000, just to give an idea on the depth I need. And true have been great for me, no depth issues

[wedgylx 8]

hockey monkey in my area has CCMs and both True TF7 and TF9 in my size. I'll be heading there Saturday to grab something new! Exciting

[beedee 227]

3 hours ago, wedgylx said:

hockey monkey in my area has CCMs and both True TF7 and TF9 in my size. I'll be heading there Saturday to grab something new! Exciting

Nice! Keep us posted! I tried on TF7's awhile back at HM (around January) but since I didnt ask to have them baked, I didnt get the full experience. Which CCMs are you going to check out?

[wedgylx 8]

On 7/13/2022 at 6:57 PM, beedee said:

Nice! Keep us posted! I tried on TF7's awhile back at HM (around January) but since I didnt ask to have them baked, I didnt get the full experience. Which CCMs are you going to check out?

I've read some good stuff on here about the jetspeeds. The Jetspeed stick is actually my favorite twig, gotta match! 

 

Growing up I loved the tacks but doesnt look like theres much stock left.

[noupf 42]

7 hours ago, wedgylx said:

I've read some good stuff on here about the jetspeeds. The Jetspeed stick is actually my favorite twig, gotta match! 

 

Growing up I loved the tacks but doesnt look like theres much stock left.

Some early YouTube reviews of the new CCM Super Tacks AS-V line of skates are saying they have a ton of volume ( even more so than last years ) in them and area even more formable with baking.  Also read they are pre-baked around a generic foot mold before leaving the factory so that you get a good idea right out of the box if they may work for you or not..  Add the 90 Day Satisfaction guarantee or you get your money back if you don't like them.  I plan on trying some new CCM's after my hernia surgery next week and will be treating my self to new pair once I'm cleared to play again.  Cant beat the 90 day trial period.

Edited July 15, 2022 by noupf

[wedgylx 8]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:46 PM, noupf said:

Some early YouTube reviews of the new CCM Super Tacks AS-V line of skates are saying they have a ton of volume ( even more so than last years ) in them and area even more formable with baking.  Also read they are pre-baked around a generic foot mold before leaving the factory so that you get a good idea right out of the box if they may work for you or not..  Add the 90 Day Satisfaction guarantee or you get your money back if you don't like them.  I plan on trying some new CCM's after my hernia surgery next week and will be treating my self to new pair once I'm cleared to play again.  Cant beat the 90 day trial period.

So they didn't have any Tacks in my size in stock (and none of the new line of course).

I tried on the True TF7 and TF9, I also tried the new Bauer Supreme in the higher volume fit (i forget the number), and I tried on a pair of Ribcore and a pair of JetSpeed by CCM. Of all the skates, the True line definitely put the least strain on the spot in my ankle where I'm getting bite - even before baking

 

I'm SO happy I did this much research! If I hadn't read up on them, I would have definitely gotten too large of a skate. I've been wearing Bauer Supreme 6.5 Regular - I had them bring out a 6 and a 6.5 for me in True. I think the 6.5 Bauer are actually small by industry standards on my feet - so I started with a 6.5 True. I would have thought they were too small - it was squishing my foot laterally and my toes were all touching the cap. Couldn't even get into the 6. After baking the 6.5 feel PERFECT for me. I skate Wed and Thu this week and will report back

 

I think i'm going to try my first game without lace extenders and see if I still feel I need them. I haven't played with the arch support pads or with the tongue yet - I'll do so tomorrow so I'm set up for success Wed in my game. 

 

FYI - local hockey monkey was COMPLETELY useless for help/sizing etc. It was like three 16 year old kids who knew next to nothing about skates, fitting, or baking. It was definitely disappointing - they had no knowledge or recommendations for me in any way. They didn't even know how to bake them properly. I asked if they use the packaging tape around the ankles and nobody knew what I'm taking about - "oh there's a roll of that on top of the True oven for some reason actually" - yeah you're supposed to use it!!! I ended up doing the entire baking process myself basically, and then they forgot about me. About 30 minutes after I got them on, I took them off myself and brought them to checkout. They said they would sharpen them for me - but nobody had any idea what profiling meant lol. So I think they just tossed my brand new skates onto the sharpening machine and gave them back to me haha. 

[Left Wing King 50]

On 7/18/2022 at 4:23 PM, wedgylx said:

FYI - local hockey monkey was COMPLETELY useless for help/sizing etc. It was like three 16 year old kids who knew next to nothing about skates, fitting, or baking. It was definitely disappointing - they had no knowledge or recommendations for me in any way. They didn't even know how to bake them properly. I asked if they use the packaging tape around the ankles and nobody knew what I'm taking about - "oh there's a roll of that on top of the True oven for some reason actually" - yeah you're supposed to use it!!! I ended up doing the entire baking process myself basically, and then they forgot about me. About 30 minutes after I got them on, I took them off myself and brought them to checkout. They said they would sharpen them for me - but nobody had any idea what profiling meant lol. So I think they just tossed my brand new skates onto the sharpening machine and gave them back to me haha. 

Fucking hell they sound cack, best to swerve them!

[krisdrum 233]

On 7/18/2022 at 11:23 AM, wedgylx said:

So they didn't have any Tacks in my size in stock (and none of the new line of course).

I tried on the True TF7 and TF9, I also tried the new Bauer Supreme in the higher volume fit (i forget the number), and I tried on a pair of Ribcore and a pair of JetSpeed by CCM. Of all the skates, the True line definitely put the least strain on the spot in my ankle where I'm getting bite - even before baking

 

I'm SO happy I did this much research! If I hadn't read up on them, I would have definitely gotten too large of a skate. I've been wearing Bauer Supreme 6.5 Regular - I had them bring out a 6 and a 6.5 for me in True. I think the 6.5 Bauer are actually small by industry standards on my feet - so I started with a 6.5 True. I would have thought they were too small - it was squishing my foot laterally and my toes were all touching the cap. Couldn't even get into the 6. After baking the 6.5 feel PERFECT for me. I skate Wed and Thu this week and will report back

 

I think i'm going to try my first game without lace extenders and see if I still feel I need them. I haven't played with the arch support pads or with the tongue yet - I'll do so tomorrow so I'm set up for success Wed in my game. 

 

FYI - local hockey monkey was COMPLETELY useless for help/sizing etc. It was like three 16 year old kids who knew next to nothing about skates, fitting, or baking. It was definitely disappointing - they had no knowledge or recommendations for me in any way. They didn't even know how to bake them properly. I asked if they use the packaging tape around the ankles and nobody knew what I'm taking about - "oh there's a roll of that on top of the True oven for some reason actually" - yeah you're supposed to use it!!! I ended up doing the entire baking process myself basically, and then they forgot about me. About 30 minutes after I got them on, I took them off myself and brought them to checkout. They said they would sharpen them for me - but nobody had any idea what profiling meant lol. So I think they just tossed my brand new skates onto the sharpening machine and gave them back to me haha. 

Interesting... so you think the 6.5 Supremes in hindsight are too short?  That seems odd considering your other data points, but...

Did you also bake/try on the True size 6?  or determined they were too small unbaked?  If unbaked only, you may want to keep your options open for the 30 day return and size down.  I would recommend you pay very close attention as you start to break the skates in over the first 5-10 hours of ice time.  Unless you've been seriously misfit in the Bauers, I'll be surprised if the 6.5 aren't too big by the time they break in.  But YMMV. 

As for the fit process, at least in my area, NO ONE does the wrap (big box or otherwise).  I talked to several shops and all told me I could request it, but they don't default to it.  Some ask that you bring your own wrap if you want it.  I even had one shop tell me they would charge me to wrap vs. not wrap after a bake.  Insane.  Unfortunately when all the other brands are the same and quick and easy, having a process that is more intensive and time consuming tends to get tossed to the side, devalued or ignored. 

Good luck with the skates this week.  Keep us posted. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by krisdrum

[wedgylx 8]

18 hours ago, Left Wing King said:

Fucking hell they sound cack, best to swerve them!

it sucks because I called around and they were the place with the most options in my size!

[wedgylx 8]

16 hours ago, krisdrum said:

Interesting... so you think the 6.5 Supremes in hindsight are too short?  That seems odd considering your other data points, but...

Did you also bake/try on the True size 6?  or determined they were too small unbaked?  If unbaked only, you may want to keep your options open for the 30 day return and size down.  I would recommend you pay very close attention as you start to break the skates in over the first 5-10 hours of ice time.  Unless you've been seriously misfit in the Bauers, I'll be surprised if the 6.5 aren't too big by the time they break in.  But YMMV. 

As for the fit process, at least in my area, NO ONE does the wrap (big box or otherwise).  I talked to several shops and all told me I could request it, but they don't default to it.  Some ask that you bring your own wrap if you want it.  I even had one shop tell me they would charge me to wrap vs. not wrap after a bake.  Insane.  Unfortunately when all the other brands are the same and quick and easy, having a process that is more intensive and time consuming tends to get tossed to the side, devalued or ignored. 

Good luck with the skates this week.  Keep us posted. 

So the back-story on my bauers - the bauers I had used all through high school were a 7.5 and I loved them. When I went in to replace them, they 3D scanned me and told me I was using skates too large for me and put me in the 6.5

So much is preference, but I think FOR ME I probably should have cut the difference and went with a 7

But there's still the possibility (which I fear) that you are right and I sized too high. I guess we will see as I skate with them - I actually have a game tonight and one tomorrow 

My other thought/hope was that by staying at the 6.5 maybe the entire boot gives me more volume, including on my hot spot on the ankle

[beedee 227]

3 hours ago, wedgylx said:

So the back-story on my bauers - the bauers I had used all through high school were a 7.5 and I loved them. When I went in to replace them, they 3D scanned me and told me I was using skates too large for me and put me in the 6.5

So much is preference, but I think FOR ME I probably should have cut the difference and went with a 7

But there's still the possibility (which I fear) that you are right and I sized too high. I guess we will see as I skate with them - I actually have a game tonight and one tomorrow 

My other thought/hope was that by staying at the 6.5 maybe the entire boot gives me more volume, including on my hot spot on the ankle

During my new skate quest a few months ago, I tried on a 7, Fit 2, Supreme 3s and a 7, Fit 2, Vapor 3x and the Supreme's were definitely shorter in the toe box area, my toes were crammed against the cap, v.s. barely feathering the cap in the Vapor 3x.

[wedgylx 8]

17 minutes ago, beedee said:

During my new skate quest a few months ago, I tried on a 7, Fit 2, Supreme 3s and a 7, Fit 2, Vapor 3x and the Supreme's were definitely shorter in the toe box area, my toes were crammed against the cap, v.s. barely feathering the cap in the Vapor 3x.

maybe that explains it - the ones I'm replacing now are Supreme's. 

[lacebitenerd 0]

Bummer to hear about your lace bite. I skated with lace bite for over a year. It's so annoying.

 

I eventually fixed it and documented everything I tried that helped in this lace bite post. It took over a year of experimentation. I hope it helps you.

 

The single biggest improvement came when I started icing consistently after games in the locker room and at home. Give it a shot. It's simple but effective.