Help me break in my Bauers
March 5, 2011 10:41 AM Subscribe
How can I break in new hockey skates more quickly?
A few weeks ago I picked up a new pair of Bauers. They were "heat-molded" at the store--they baked them for a few minutes, then I laced the hot-to-the-touch skates up tight and sat for 15 minutes as instructed. The salesperson assured me that the days of painful break-in periods were over (this is my first new pair of skates in probably 30 years).
Welp, not quite. I have about 90 minutes of ice time on them now, and it feels like I'm wearing a pair of bear traps on my feet. The pain is all focused on my ankles--maybe I have extra-bony ankles? I'm wearing just one pair of medium-weight socks. I also carefully rebaked them at home; didn't help.
Can I wrap my ankles with tape, or will that affect the final fit? Are these skates normally so stiff for a certain amount of time? They are not the most expensive pair, but they weren't cheap, either--about $200 at full retail.
Anyone have any tricks on how to speed things along, or at least make them wearable while they loosen up a little more?
A few weeks ago I picked up a new pair of Bauers. They were "heat-molded" at the store--they baked them for a few minutes, then I laced the hot-to-the-touch skates up tight and sat for 15 minutes as instructed. The salesperson assured me that the days of painful break-in periods were over (this is my first new pair of skates in probably 30 years).
Welp, not quite. I have about 90 minutes of ice time on them now, and it feels like I'm wearing a pair of bear traps on my feet. The pain is all focused on my ankles--maybe I have extra-bony ankles? I'm wearing just one pair of medium-weight socks. I also carefully rebaked them at home; didn't help.
Can I wrap my ankles with tape, or will that affect the final fit? Are these skates normally so stiff for a certain amount of time? They are not the most expensive pair, but they weren't cheap, either--about $200 at full retail.
Anyone have any tricks on how to speed things along, or at least make them wearable while they loosen up a little more?
Best answer: Which pair did you get? The vapors have a very narrow fit. Do a quick search for 'Bauer Bumps' and you can see that they are notorious for being tight in certain spots, however stiff skates are good, thats what you want! The only thing that makes expensive skates different from the cheaper ones is the stiffness of the boot.
Assuming you got a good fit, your toes should just touch the front. It's possible that you didn't get a good fit, so don't rule out exchanging them if it doesn't go away. The Bauer supremes are wider than the vapors, and if you move to a different brand, ccms are wider, and eastons probably the widest.
That said, you can bake the skates up to around 3 times, depending on the skate. 90 minutes is nowhere near long enough to properly break in a skate though. You want to give it at least a week or two of constant use. You can also wear them indoors with skate guards on to give it more time.
After that point, you can feel where the hot spots are and even put a piece of sponge or foam over them to give you some extra room in the baking process. You can also try taking out the insoles that come with the skates and try something like superfeet. Also, thick socks are not the best idea, as they can cause blistering. Go with thin socks or even try barefoot.
Failing that, you might just need to strengthen up your ankles! Once you get the fit right, it's also important to stick with that brand for your next skate, as you'll probably have less trouble. Good luck, and keep at it!
posted by LongDrive at 6:31 PM on March 5, 2011
Assuming you got a good fit, your toes should just touch the front. It's possible that you didn't get a good fit, so don't rule out exchanging them if it doesn't go away. The Bauer supremes are wider than the vapors, and if you move to a different brand, ccms are wider, and eastons probably the widest.
That said, you can bake the skates up to around 3 times, depending on the skate. 90 minutes is nowhere near long enough to properly break in a skate though. You want to give it at least a week or two of constant use. You can also wear them indoors with skate guards on to give it more time.
After that point, you can feel where the hot spots are and even put a piece of sponge or foam over them to give you some extra room in the baking process. You can also try taking out the insoles that come with the skates and try something like superfeet. Also, thick socks are not the best idea, as they can cause blistering. Go with thin socks or even try barefoot.
Failing that, you might just need to strengthen up your ankles! Once you get the fit right, it's also important to stick with that brand for your next skate, as you'll probably have less trouble. Good luck, and keep at it!
posted by LongDrive at 6:31 PM on March 5, 2011
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posted by ghharr at 11:19 AM on March 5, 2011