New skates failed the pencil test. Painful lace burn.

[Cremebrulee]

Hi everyone

I recently purchased my first hockey skates from a skate store and they are not really a great fit (despite getting fitted).

The problem I have is that I have really high arches and the skates I bought aren’t very deep (Bauer Vapor). I was hoping that getting skates fitted would have avoided this.

Is there anything I can do to make skating less painful and not get lace burn? I mean my foot arches are probably like 1/4 inch above the eyelets.

Thanks

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[Yukon Joe]

So hey - I'm not an expert. Probably someone will come along with better advice than I can give. Hell I haven't even heard of the term "lace burn" (googling does suggest the term "lace bite"?)

Only two bits of advice or suggestion I might have are this:

1. You say you have high arches. Try insoles (aka Superfeet or the like). Many people swear by them.

2. Did you get your skates heat-molded? I transitioned to new skates a month or two ago. First couple times - they HURT! Getting them heat-molded made a world of difference.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Vapours are known for their narrow and slim volume fit, Bauer supremes and Nexus (if still made) are wider.
A bigger volume boot might have been better, but for now I’d try changing insoles.

 

[Richard]

Also, wear dress socks - eliminated my lace bite years ago.

 

[beedee]

Give us more details on the model, size and "Fit" of Vapor you bought. Bauer moved away from the "Vapor is for narrow feet" mantra a few years ago. Now you can get Vapors and Supremes in various "Fits". Allowing the "Vapor person" to use Supremes now or vice versa. However, it really doesn't translate that easy. A Vapor in the same size and Fit as a Supreme will still feel and fit differently.

Fit 1, being the most narrow/shallow,
Fit 2, being a bit wider/deeper
Fit 3, being the widest and deepest (closest to the discontinued Nexus line)

 

[MartinS82]

Best I can recommend is bending your leg so your skate is directly below you when you lace/tie them. Make sure your knee is above your toes, rather than outstretched in front of you. That sometimes helps with lace bite. I'd also recommend insoles with good support, but there may not be enough volume in the skate to accomodate the extra space the insoles will take up.

 

[Sky04]

Vapors are the absolute worst for high volume feet, get a new skate.

 

[BruinDust]

You could add some volume by switching out the bulkier stock Bauer tongues and replace them with the lower volume, simplier Nash brand tongue. Started wearing Nash tongues to replace some Bauer tongues a few years back and now I'll use Nash tongues in all my skates moving forward. I find you also get a better foot wrap using these.

Nash Hockey Skates Replacement Tongues

Nash Skate Tongues are replacement tongues for your hockey skates and deliver a strong performance against skate lacebite and general discomfort from factory tongues. We are your premium source for Nash hockey equipment and accessories in Vancouver and online.

hockeyvancouver.ca

 

[Meuracas]

Used to get lace bite years ago with a pair of old Grafs - a regular kitchen sponge under the tongue (of the skate ) fixed it

 

[Frank Drebin]

I had lace bite. There are small foam things that are available at craft stores for kids to hang on their doors - use this as a pad but cut a hole in the middle to relieve pressure on the tendon and evenly apply it to the surrounding area

 

[Filthy Dangles]

-Thinner socks if possible
-Tie the laces looser at the top near ankle/top of foot compared to bottom near toes. Skip a set of eyelets or two if necessary
-Shorter laces and don't wraparound the back if you do