Skate keeps loosening

[a-cut-above]

After about 4-5 miles, my Bont Semi Race loosens. I've tried waxing the laces, double tying the knot, and double layers of eZeefit. The right usually more than the left. I'm skating in Duluth and I don't want to stop to retie. It's annoying enough during skating at home. Any advice?

[chuckboucher]

Take a look at this site: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm

There are lot of methods there.

For my inline speed skates, I use a combination of standard criss-cross over and under lacing, similar to:



Starting from the holes closest to the toe:

Row 1: skip (always, because my feet get cramped easily)
Rows 2, 3, 4: over to under
Rows 5, 6, 7: under to over
Row 8: over to under

Row 8 is the important one. If you use waxed laces, it locks the laces in place. I also use a double wrap bow, which will keep any lace type tight and WILL NOT come loose (I have even used this type of bow on those leather laces that boat shoes have). Good video/photo tutorial here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Worlds-Best-Shoe-Knot/)

[bjvircks]

Are the laces actually loosening or are the soft tissues of your feet compressing and giving up volume as body fluid is squeezed out?

One year during ski season I had a lot of trouble with edema (fluid buildup in my feet an lower legs) and I had to keep cranking down on my buckles every morning all morning until all the puffyness was squished away. (I like my ski boot rock solid on my foot to maximize control)

Another thing going on could be stretching of several things at the same time ... the laces, the whole upper of the boot and the upper right at the eyelets.

My wife races the Semi-Race 3 point and she uses a two lace system in order to separately control the lower portion and upper portion.

[shesk8]

It may be the boot is too big to begin with, if you're just not feeling it ever getting snug enough. Wax laces generally stay put. The back lacing, described above, will certainly help. You can also re-wax the laces and get them much more sticky than how they come from the manufacturers, using an iron on cardboard, with low heat and (I use ptex ski) wax.

Hockey lace hooks work great to pull the excess out of laces as you lace up.

[a-cut-above]

One foot is slightly smaller then the other and I wear two socks and an eZeefit. I start out snug but after 4-5 miles, my heel starts to slip. When I stop to tighten, I am able to get the "snugness" back. I will try the tips above: different lacing pattern, the "fancy" double knot, and rewaxing the laces with an iron. If the different lacing pattern doesn't work, I'll try two laces/boot.
I guess the ultimate solution will be custom skates to deal with my two different sized feet. Hopefully the (less expensive) suggestions from you all will work.

[sk84luv]

When you tighten your laces, do not pull up away from the tongue. Pull down against it as you work your way to the top.

[shesk8]

Q: do you wear 2 socks and an ezeefit in both boots? If your feet are off by a size, then yes, suggest whenever you upgrade skates to move to custom, or even the Bont semi-custom option to get each foot fitting proportionally the same.

[a-cut-above]

I wear two socks and an eZeefit on my right foot. The problem is a loose heel and ankle. The left foot, slightly larger, is fine. I had been getting blisters in the space/hollow between the heel bone and ankle on the inside. In the Bont Semi Race there is a bulge in the padding that is supposed to fill the space around my Achilles' tendon. It works if the heel/ankle area fills the space. I tried heating it then squeezing it tighter with a woodworking clamp but it only worked a little. I guess some form of custom/semi-custom is in my future.....maybe something more comfortable for marathons than the Semi Races.
I appreciate the feedback and advice re: lacing, knots, etc.

[whiskey02]

Are you talking about the first 4-5 miles or EVERY 4 - 5 miles? I lace up and skate maybe 1.5-2 miles and stop to take the slack out and I'm good for the remainder. I think everyone has to re tie after initially lacing up.

[ese002]

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Are you talking about the first 4-5 miles or EVERY 4 - 5 miles? I lace up and skate maybe 1.5-2 miles and stop to take the slack out and I'm good for the remainder. I think everyone has to re tie after initially lacing up.

I don't. Experience has taught me that, if done with care, the first tie is almost always best. Re-tying after my feet have warmed up usually results in over-tightening or under-tightening as I struggle to fix the first error.

But then, I wear customs with one thin sock and no ez-fits. I'm not trying to compensate for boots that are too big.

[whiskey02]

Never had customs but I've always had to re tie the four pairs of boots I've owned. Do your feet feel "better" after a couple of mile of skating? I'm guessing that maybe the boot maker adjusts for the foot shrinkage (I was in the pool!) that quickly occurs; kind of a "too tight" for a few minutes then perfect fit once your feet shrink down a tiny bit?
I don't waste much time any longer trying to get perfection when I put my skates on because I know within a mile or two I will feel like I'm having terrible day; not in full control of my edges. Then I pull over to a bench and take that slack out, careful not too over tighten and when I take off again I feel like my skates are part of my body, I'm not "wearing" them, they are part of my feet!

[ursle]

Personally, I find the overlace never loosens, and is hard to loosen when taking the skates off, vs, the underlace, which loosens and is easy to take off, I find the over lace is so good I use round laces, roller skates but I want my heel to stay put also.
IMHO, the op might look at hard orthotics, snug the foot down and everything will stay in place, vs, things compressing or sliding around.
If the skates are stretching as they warm up, well, that’s what it sounds like is happening.

[ese002]

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Never had customs but I've always had to re tie the four pairs of boots I've owned. Do your feet feel "better" after a couple of mile of skating? I'm guessing that maybe the boot maker adjusts for the foot shrinkage (I was in the pool!) that quickly occurs; kind of a "too tight" for a few minutes then perfect fit once your feet shrink down a tiny bit?

I don't think feet shrink at all during skating. From the moment we start, our feet start to swell. But the foot is always very slightly shifting,recentering to equalize the pressure being placed on it. In the early phase, this repositioning dominates and it feels like there is more available space but actually it is just the tightest points are looser. The spare volume is actually less. Further, the boundaries of a swelled foot are softer than a cold foot. Attempting to tighten the laces and bring in the extra slack will likely squeeze soft tissue that isn't done expanding. it will not be happy later.

[Mort]

Originally Posted by ese002

I don't think feet shrink at all during skating. From the moment we start, our feet start to swell. But the foot is always very slightly shifting,recentering to equalize the pressure being placed on it. In the early phase, this repositioning dominates and it feels like there is more available space but actually it is just the tightest points are looser. The spare volume is actually less. Further, the boundaries of a swelled foot are softer than a cold foot. Attempting to tighten the laces and bring in the extra slack will likely squeeze soft tissue that isn't done expanding. it will not be happy later.

Skin has fluid in it, and to an extent so do joints. The compression of a snugly laced skates begins to displace the fluid out from the pressure.

Take a woman's hair tie and put it on your wrist for 10 minuites, you'll see.

Also as the boots warm up because of your feet, the materials also loosen a tad.

Most people re-tie their skates after a few minuites to fix the slack from foot and boot changing in volume, it's quite common, even more so if a skater really wants a snug fit.