New skate nerves!

[josydavinia]

I finally ordered a new pair of skates - Riedell Strides!

These will be stiffer than my current pair (Graf 500s) but they should fit a tonne better... Any advice on how to break in skates? I've been wearing my Grafs for about 8 months now but they're getting way too painful to cope with as they're too tight.

[WednesdayMarch]

I finally ordered a new pair of skates - Riedell Strides!

These will be stiffer than my current pair (Graf 500s) but they should fit a tonne better... Any advice on how to break in skates? I've been wearing my Grafs for about 8 months now but they're getting way too painful to cope with as they're too tight.

If the top edges hit your ankles in a different place to those of your old boots, be prepared to bleed!  Hopefully you won't have too much pain.

[nikkionknives]

I think I ghost-wrote this post! I’m in the same position, except I’ve switched from painfully tight Graf 500s that I’ve worn for the last 8 months to Edea Chorus. I wore them for the first time to my lesson today, and although it was weird trying to adjust to a new boot and a new blade (Coronation Aces), it felt so much better than those vices.

I hope your breaking in period isn’t too painful! My Graf 500s felt really stiff when I first bought them but I found wearing them around the house with guards on helped.

[spinZZ]

I finally ordered a new pair of skates - Riedell Strides!

These will be stiffer than my current pair (Graf 500s) but they should fit a tonne better... Any advice on how to break in skates? I've been wearing my Grafs for about 8 months now but they're getting way too painful to cope with as they're too tight.

(a) Start slow.  Unfortunately, your current Grafs don't appear to be too serviceable.   But I typically get new skates while my old ones are still serviceable.  So I wear my old ones at the beginning of the session, and then switch to new ones towards the end.  On the first session with the new skates, I skate only 15 min; I then add 5 min to each subsequent session (15, 20, 25, 30 ... min) until they feel comfortable.

(b) The first 2 sessions, do only simple stroking forwards and backwards.  On subsequent sessions, add cross-overs, then turns, and finally more fancy stuff.

(c) The Strides have 4 rows of hooks.  For the first 2 sessions, use only the bottom 3 rows.  This will reduce the amount the tops of the new boots cut into your legs.