Are skate boots better than shoes?

[mcrdba]

Is there anything about skate boots in general that make them inherently superior to a quality shoe? I watched the How It's Made video on skates and was surprised to see it's just a simple boot.

[rufusprime99]

In a word, yes. Though some do well with a dress shoe, or a tennis shoe.

What you don't see is that the sole of a skate boot is pretty stiff. And this is good for skating. A GOOD boot, particularly a true speed boot is built to take the stress and strain of skating hard.

The kings of the stiff sole, are fiberglass or carbon fiber soled boots, like the Bont. These boot soles are so stiff, that they can be used with a nylon plate, and actually make the plate stiffer. A nylon plate on a regular leather, or plastic soled boot can actually flex, despite the relatively stiff skate boot sole. This is why a metal plate is considered a step up from nylon, no flex, and of course a light metal plate is a step up from a heavier metal plate.

[mcrdba]

Is it the relative stiffness of the sole that makes a dress shoe work well as a skate (ignoring comfort)?

[rufusprime99]

Originally Posted by mcrdba

Is it the relative stiffness of the sole that makes a dress shoe work well as a skate (ignoring comfort)?

You pretty much could not, or would not want, to walk in a skate boot. That is how stiff they are. Folks who use a dress shoe are skating a style of skating that is not as taxing on the shoe. A dress shoe would not likely make a good speed boot. But for a less stressful kind of skating, it can, and does work.

[wired]

Originally Posted by mcrdba

Is it the relative stiffness of the sole that makes a dress shoe work well as a skate (ignoring comfort)?

A stiff sole is only one part of what makes a skate boot. Most non-athletic footwear isn't designed for lateral forces. They are designed for the compression of walking. As a side note, apparently some athletic footwear has an issue in the lateral force department: Zion Williamson's injury from rare shoe failure puts spotlight on Nike. The forces can be significant.

Skate boots are designed with counters to keep the lateral forces in check. These stiff pieces strengthen the sides so they don't move over the edge of the sole over time. The more modern fiberglass and carbon fiber footbeds of better boots form a fairly complete cup around your foot. Boots constructed like this stay stable in size for years since the foot isn't pushing against a stretchable material like leather.

In short, if you want novelty or to make a fashion statement then using a non-skate specific shoe/boot is fine. OTOH if you want performance get a shoe designed for the sport. That is pretty much true across athletic endeavors.

.

[Joey]

Originally Posted by mcrdba

Is there anything about skate boots in general that make them inherently superior to a quality shoe?

I am voting with the "YES" crowd here. Although I have experience skating in sneakers and hiking style boots on quads (sneakers) and inline skates (hiking boots) and my feet did just fine even over distances of 20 miles and rink time up to 3 hours.

Now that I am regularly skating marathons or skate sessions up to 50km (even 50 miles on rare occasions) I have a much better appreciation for fine boots designed for skating.

IMO (and with MY feet)...up to 15 mile sessions you may be happy with almost anything. Over 15 miles, get a skate boot.

Cheers.

[BigFoot]

I vote for skate boots for all the reasons listed above, e.g., rigid sole, counter supports, purpose-built for lateral strain, and tougher material. And I would say give you better control.

I have skated in tennis shoes, work boots, running shoes, and flip-flops. On most of these I had inserted a rigid piece of sheet aluminum between the shoe and the plate to stiffen things up. That gave me better power transfer to the wheels and more responsive steering when I leaned on them. But they all lacked any lateral support and would allow my feet to move slightly from side-to-side. I had to adjust my form/style for these shortcomings. And for the most part they died pretty fast, either by blowing out seams or wearing holes in the tops and sides. Still, they were fun to skate in and, of course, they looked bitchin’.

There was a guy in this form named Armadillo who claimed to have a lot of success with mounting soccer shoes on his skates. Soccer shoes are light weight (his main goal, I think), built to withstand lateral forces, and relatively inexpensive. But he once lamented that they wore out much faster than skate boots.

[rufusprime99]

Originally Posted by BigFoot

There was a guy in this form named Armadillo who claimed to have a lot of success with mounting soccer shoes on his skates. Soccer shoes are light weight (his main goal, I think), built to withstand lateral forces, and relatively inexpensive. But he once lamented that they wore out much faster than skate boots.

I had thought to mention soccer cleats too. A bit tougher, but I seem to recall instances of them only lasting a year or two. I think they are still a bit lacking in lateral support and strength. I have no experience with them, just what I read.

[quantoo]

most skate boots are heavier than the comparative soccer boot.
most skate boots last 20+ times longer.
a good quality leather skate boot is also much more expensive.
i use soccer boots at around $49 a pair but they only last 2-3 years maximum.
if money was no object i would fork out $400ish for leather altamuras .
10 times the price for 20 times the value.
there are some hard core skaters out there that skate 3+ times a week and that's their main hobby.
for the hard cores it would really be a waste of time and money using soccer boots.
and theres the resale value.some used oberhammers ,altas etc fetch $200.
a used soccer boot is worthless.
soccer boots just look low class.
dirt bikin is my main hobby and i can buy 4 tyres of my choice for the price of a pair of skateboots.

[rufusprime99]

Originally Posted by quantoo

most skate boots are heavier than the comparative soccer boot.
most skate boots last 20+ times longer.
a good quality leather skate boot is also much more expensive.
i use soccer boots at around $49 a pair but they only last 2-3 years maximum.
if money was no object i would fork out $400ish for leather altamuras .
10 times the price for 20 times the value.
there are some hard core skaters out there that skate 3+ times a week and that's their main hobby.
for the hard cores it would really be a waste of time and money using soccer boots.
and theres the resale value.some used oberhammers ,altas etc fetch $200.
a used soccer boot is worthless.
soccer boots just look low class.
dirt bikin is my main hobby and i can buy 4 tyres of my choice for the price of a pair of skateboots.

Yeah.... Finals babeeee

[fierocious1]

I built some soccer cleat skates years ago. The did not have the grip or stiffness needed on your feet to have as much control over the plates. The stiffer the boot the better response to input the plate gets and goes where you point it. However fit and comfort is harder to get as the boot stiffness is increased. Stiff boots must fit well, inline skaters mold them to their feet for best fit. In my testing of the soccer shoe, made my skates handle sloppy. Had to go down on cushion hardness to get response back but in the end, I ditched the shoes. IMO they work for some peple, not so much for others.

[quantoo]

Originally Posted by rufusprime99

Yeah.... Finals babeeee

keep an eye out americans for a rider named dean ferris in the 450 class,
hes riding aaron plessingers yamaha.

thats what it all about!
bump hokey pokey
bump hokey pokey
thats what its all about!

[zebra1922]

I think it's all about the best tools that are designed for the job. Tennis shoes are best for playing tennis, football cleats for football etc. They can both do a decent job as skates, but a skate boot is designed specifically for skating so on average will do a better job (for all the reasons given by other contributors to this thread).

[fierocious1]

Originally Posted by zebra1922

I think it's all about the best tools that are designed for the job. Tennis shoes are best for playing tennis, football cleats for football etc. They can both do a decent job as skates, but a skate boot is designed specifically for skating so on average will do a better job (for all the reasons given by other contributors to this thread).

I totally agree. Sloppy fit promotes errors in some forms of skating, in other forms loose fit doesn't hurt.

[rwsz]

a good fitting quality boot is better imo,,,,,,,,,,I think it has better support and also arch support to a degree, probably better stitching and materials and will last longer then a shoe or sneaker

[ursle]

There's just something about the way leather fits the foot and transfers energy through a good sole that makes leather skate boots perfect.

Skate boots have no arch support, they require orthotics.

[zebra1922]

Originally Posted by ursle

....
Skate boots have no arch support, they require orthotics.

This is very true, I’m working my way through my orthotic collection to correct a very over pronate gait.

[ursle]

Originally Posted by zebra1922

This is very true, I’m working my way through my orthotic collection to correct a very over pronate gait.

IMHO, orthotics take a flat surface (the boot bottom) and take up the space between your feet and the flat surface, especially the arch, better balance.

For a pronation problem, shimming (canting) under the boot on top of the plate from side to side, running the shims front to back, would make sense, on skis I shim (cant) under the bindings on top of the ski to center the kneecap over my big toe, I'm pronated so I put the high side of the shim (cant) under the outside of my foot and with different sized cants I can place my knee in the exact correct position.
So if you're pronated, a shim(cant) between the boot and plate would allow you to put the knee where it may relieve a pronation problem.

[Mort]

Arches dont need support. At least not in the way most people believe.

An insole should be just soft enough to have a bit of give in the way it compresses, and the way it would allow the foot to lengthen slightly when you apply downforce.

That big lump they tend to make in shoes and market as arch support will cause more foot fatigue than it helps. It restricts blood flow when it pushes up into the underside of the foot to "support" your arch.

As for orthotics, one may need some if they have malformed feet, and/or boots that dont fit right.

Pronation or supanation should probably be corrected by training your feet and posture, and malformations of your feet, if any, fixed by orthopedic inserts.

Less padding in the boots is better. Well whatever you need to stay comfortable, but a minimalistic approach here will work wonders and strengthen your feet. Your feedback from the skating surface will be better as well. Also be aware that thicker insoles will take your feet up and out of the counters that would be in a nice skate boot.

I used to have a couple good links to a ballerina blog about foot posture and what to do with it, bit sadly it's not around anymore.

[ursle]

Before anyone is misinformed...
The Human foot was not designed to be in a flat hard shoe.
It's designed to be barefoot in sand, 100% support.
Custom orthotics are thin and hard, not soft, theres no padding, they're not thick, they don't take up room, they fill the empty space.
They aren't arch support, they are molded to the arches, they take up the space between the flat sole of the boot and the curved arch of the foot.
They hold the heel in place and cradle each toe, they stop foot movement, friction...so the foot stays cooler, the person has better blood flow and balance.

Guessing Sampson just got another haircut and is now a ballerina