Skate fitting today

[overedge]

Now I need to figure out how to soften the tongues. They are so stiff that I can't bend. If anyone knows a way to do it, please tell me.

You might be able to soften them a bit by just bending them with your hands - gently - or by putting the boots on at home and bending and straightening your ankles.

 

[treesprite]

I have been by hand a little, when I have them on, but I think I will have to actually sit down with them and just work at it a while. I wish there was some magic trick I could do.

I was looking at my old boots today to confirm that the tongues on the new ones are definitely higher than the old ones, maybe by an inch. The rest of the boot is not higher, only the tongues. I wonder if they are really supposed to be that way.

 

[Susan1]

I just saw this thread and don't have any advice or anything, just wanted to share. Back in 1995, we went up to Cleveland (4 hours) to get new skates fitted. I ended up needing a 6 AAA with AAAAA heel (Riedell Silver Stars). And, amazingly, they had a pair exactly in that size that they had just made for a 12 year old girl. So I tried those on and they were perfect. I got "semi-customs" at no extra charge; a padded tongue and something else I can't even remember anymore what.

I had to wait a month and they got here just in time for the fall skating season. I had to have one of the guys tie them, they were so stiff. Anyway, I got out on the ice and they were too big. I asked the only guy we trusted to sharpen our blades to look at them. He said they "punched out the ankles", which is what most most people need done. Why they would punch out the ankles of such a narrow skate, though, I don't know. So I had to send them back.

Everybody at work knew how excited I was about my skates, and I was taking them to UPS at lunch time and one of the other secretaries said to pretend like they were going on vacation. ha ha They came back two weeks later "unpunched" and perfect.

 

[overedge]

I have been by hand a little, when I have them on, but I think I will have to actually sit down with them and just work at it a while. I wish there was some magic trick I could do.

I was looking at my old boots today to confirm that the tongues on the new ones are definitely higher than the old ones, maybe by an inch. The rest of the boot is not higher, only the tongues. I wonder if they are really supposed to be that way.

On the last pair of new boots I bought (Gams) the tongue was higher than it was on the old ones. I think it's just differences in style between different boots and different manufacturers. The top of the tongues irritated my shins for a while, but I just put Band-aids over the spots that the tongues were rubbing against, and it was fine.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Now I need to figure out how to soften the tongues. They are so stiff that I can't bend. If anyone knows a way to do it, please tell me.

Are you lacing the skates all the way up to the top? If you are, then don't do that. Lace them all but the top hook for now. This helps you bend during the break in period.

If the tongues are digging into your skin, you can use moleskin, bunga pad ankle sleeves, or even Band Aids to prevent this.

I was looking at my old boots today to confirm that the tongues on the new ones are definitely higher than the old ones, maybe by an inch. The rest of the boot is not higher, only the tongues. I wonder if they are really supposed to be that way.

It could be they're supposed to be that way. I've noticed a difference in tongue height from brand to brand, and within brands, from model to model.

 

[treesprite]

Thanks for the responses.

I didn't do the top hooks for the first few weeks. I have done jumps and spins since then, which I couldn't do with the skates not fully laced.

The tongues are kind of thick. My last pairs of skates have foam on the inside of the tongues, which tapers in thickness so the top of the tongue is not thick like the tongues on these new skates. They don't rub or cut or anything uncomfortable, but they are in the way. I have tried adjusting their positions (there are two tongue hooks for that purpose), but that has not helped.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

The tongues will soften over time. Bunga sleeves help a lot here.

Since you are in Jacksons, they offer different tongue stiffness styles; check the custom catalog for the style descriptions. Down the road, when the tongues disintegrate (and they will, esp if you are working on camels and sits), it's an option to consider.

 

[treesprite]

Since the boots are brand new, and have tongues that do not have foam, I can't see them disintegrating or degrading any time in the next several years. I'm not sending the boots back for new tongues that were not part of the original order. I have to assume that these are the tongues that come standard with Supremes.

 

[spinZZ]

Since the boots are brand new, and have tongues that do not have foam, I can't see them disintegrating or degrading any time in the next several years. I'm not sending the boots back for new tongues that were not part of the original order. I have to assume that these are the tongues that come standard with Supremes.

If the tongues are not lined with foam, what are they lined with?

 

[Jessisaokay55]

Since the boots are brand new, and have tongues that do not have foam, I can't see them disintegrating or degrading any time in the next several years. I'm not sending the boots back for new tongues that were not part of the original order. I have to assume that these are the tongues that come standard with Supremes.

I have stock Supremes, and the tongue has a layer of spongey foam covered by a layer of the same lining used inside the entire boot. It’s not all that thick but you can see it on the sides of the tongue. If yours doesn’t have this then I would assume you have a different tongue than what the stock boots have.

 

[spinZZ]

I have stock Supremes, and the tongue has a layer of spongey foam covered by a layer of the same lining used inside the entire boot. It’s not all that thick but you can see it on the sides of the tongue. If yours doesn’t have this then I would assume you have a different tongue than what the stock boots have.

Are your Supremes the 5000 series synthetic lightweight ones, or the previous leather ones?

 

[Jessisaokay55]

Are your Supremes the 5000 series synthetic lightweight ones, or the previous leather ones?

The synthetic. I just got them about 3 weeks ago so they are the newer versions.

 

[Deleted member 53443]

I have been by hand a little, when I have them on, but I think I will have to actually sit down with them and just work at it a while. I wish there was some magic trick I could do.

I was looking at my old boots today to confirm that the tongues on the new ones are definitely higher than the old ones, maybe by an inch. The rest of the boot is not higher, only the tongues. I wonder if they are really supposed to be that way.

I HATE having my ankles locked in too high, hate hate hate. I used to have two open pair of lace holes unused in my hockey skates, but then when I got my figure skates I had too much respect and didn't dare to do that. I recently watched a video where this ice dancer Oleg (he has tons of instructional videos) showed that he doesn't use the two top hooks so I tried that, and oh my was it like a magic bullet. My tongue is also high but that really helped.

 

[treesprite]

The boot saga continues. Actually, I went yesterday to deal with some issues, and am hoping that is the end of it.

There are flat metal strips behind the lace hooks, which is supposed to be sufficiently padded over to not poke through to ravage people's flesh. In my boots, the hard top edges of them are not padded over enough, so they dig into me, and one leg is still not completely healed. I got bunga gel sleeves a week ago, and those are working. Still, I worry that eventually the metal will go through the lining of my boots... I hope not.

The toe box in the one boot was too low, pressing down on my toes too much at times, so skate guy used a thing to raise it that doesn't exist at my rink's shop.

I still feel like there is not enough padding around the achilles. Since I am using the gel sleeves which can hold things in place under them, skate guy's assistant/wife gave me some pads to cut up and experiment with, to put under the gel sleeves on the sides of the achilles. I only had a few minutes on the ice to check it out, but it seems like it will probably help.

 

[Jessisaokay55]

The boot saga continues. Actually, I went yesterday to deal with some issues, and am hoping that is the end of it.

There are flat metal strips behind the lace hooks, which is supposed to be sufficiently padded over to not poke through to ravage people's flesh. In my boots, the hard top edges of them are not padded over enough, so they dig into me, and one leg is still not completely healed. I got bunga gel sleeves a week ago, and those are working. Still, I worry that eventually the metal will go through the lining of my boots... I hope not.

The toe box in the one boot was too low, pressing down on my toes too much at times, so skate guy used a thing to raise it that doesn't exist at my rink's shop.

I still feel like there is not enough padding around the achilles. Since I am using the gel sleeves which can hold things in place under them, skate guy's assistant/wife gave me some pads to cut up and experiment with, to put under the gel sleeves on the sides of the achilles. I only had a few minutes on the ice to check it out, but it seems like it will probably help.

I have the stock supremes and am having the same issues with the lace hooks and Achilles padding. There is zero padding between the metal hook strips and lining, and all the Achilles padding is almost completely compressed. My tongue padding is also virtually gone. I’ve had these just over 2 months and while I skate about 10 hours a week, I don’t jump nearly enough for this kind of wear to be happening. Weren’t yours custom and sent back for extra padding?

I’m currently using strategically placed cut up gel sleeves and it’s working, but it takes several tries to get everything correctly placed each session. I’ll use these until they’re broken but I think I’m done with Jackson next time.

 

[treesprite]

The skate guy had requested extra padding, but the maker did not put it in.

The stock boots are made in a factory in China, and the customs are made in Canada, usually by Raj (this year's Olympic skate tech). I checked a stock boot at skate guy shop, and couldn't feel the metal at all. I think it is the wearing of the boots compressing what little bit of material is over it, but it doesn't take much wear.

I am also starting to wonder if I should get these boots next time. I would have to have a solid guarantee that these problems wouldn't come up again. Also, these boots soften too much while being skated in, and are not as supportive as my old Elite Plus leather boots were, even though they have the 85 firmness rating (I need the stiff boots because of my messed up right ankle/foot; I wish I had had the sense to ask about getting the right boot made stiffer than the left boot, because I am kind of hindering the left to accommodate the right).

 

[Jessisaokay55]

The skate guy had requested extra padding, but the maker did not put it in.

The stock boots are made in a factory in China, and the customs are made in Canada, usually by Raj (this year's Olympic skate tech). I checked a stock boot at skate guy shop, and couldn't feel the metal at all. I think it is the wearing of the boots compressing what little bit of material is over it, but it doesn't take much wear.

I am also starting to wonder if I should get these boots next time. I would have to have a solid guarantee that these problems wouldn't come up again. Also, these boots soften too much while being skated in, and are not as supportive as my old Elite Plus leather boots were, even though they have the 85 firmness rating (I need the stiff boots because of my messed up right ankle/foot; I wish I had had the sense to ask about getting the right boot made stiffer than the left boot, because I am kind of hindering the left to accommodate the right).

Mine were ordered in the 95 stiffness (several ankle injuries over the years, Jackson recommended I go for the stiffest offered). They do not feel any stiffer than some of the older elite models we have in the pro shop I work at, but that is just going by hand feel. I do know that mine broke in faster than I broke in my previous Premieres, but they were a leather model with a less than ideal fit so who knows.

This synthetic material scuffs very easily and the top layer in places has scraped off in what feels like thin layers of latex. I’ve taped them and it’s fine, but I’m just not a fan of how much these need to be babied compared to several leather boots I’ve used.

 

[spinZZ]

There is zero padding between the metal hook strips and lining, and ...

There are flat metal strips behind the lace hooks, which is supposed to be sufficiently padded over to not poke through to ravage people's flesh. ...

Curious about this issue with the lace hooks. The sides of the tongue do not wrap around enough to provide some padding between the back of the lace hooks and your shin?

 

[Jessisaokay55]

Curious about this issue with the lace hooks. The sides of the tongue do not wrap around enough to provide some padding between the back of the lace hooks and your shin?

The tongue does wrap, but I can still feel it when in a deep knee bend. There’s a visible indent on my tongue where the hard part presses. My gel pads aren’t that thick but make all the difference.

 

[treesprite]

The tongue does wrap, but I can still feel it when in a deep knee bend. There’s a visible indent on my tongue where the hard part presses. My gel pads aren’t that thick but make all the difference.

Exactly the same here. The problem is, skating is all about the bending. Every bend is a dig in the leg from that metal piece.

I have found that the bunga gel sleeves are preventing the problem now that my leg has healed.