Description
Custom Fitting EDEA Skating Boots
EDEA Skates: Custom Skate “SHAPING” Service allowing for Boot Shaping and Stretching to provide that Custom Fit without the Custom Price.
EDEA Skates: fit a great majority of Skaters (because of the newly designed shoe lasts), right out of the box, but some Skaters have need of special accommodations to give that perfect fit. EDEA Skates ALL have a Thermoformable Carbon Fibre type material Structure which allows manipulation and “SHAPING” of the boot to give the perfect Custom fit without the Custom price.
EDEA Skates work very differently than most traditional leather Skates. In most traditional leather Skates, as the top of the boot is pressed forward, when the knees are bent to Skate, the ankle areas in the boot bulge-out and loose support and contact with the ankle (especially on the sides – laterally). This bulge allows the foot and ankle, inside the boot, to hang in free space and move around inside the Skate. In lacing traditional leather Skates, the tendency is to strangle the top of the boot around the leg to make the boot feel like it is holding-on and provide a sense of control. The second part of this lacing method is to leave the instep loose, so the boot can bend. Some Skaters even skip lacing holes to allow even more movement during the break-in period. Fighting the boot to bend can sometimes cause Tendinitis. In most traditional leather Skates, the Skater is standing on stacks of water soaked leather (which sometimes forms black mold) and cork that does not hold the screws very well. Finally, in most traditional leather Skates, as the leather bends an puckers many times, it is also breaking down and providing even less support. Traditional leather Skates are based on leather that needs to be “broken-in” and stretches to fit, and then the leather continues to stretch and break down until the skates do not have the needed strength to support the Skaters foot properly.
EDEA Skates are designed, engineered, and work very differently than traditional Leather boot. In EDEA Skates, the skater is not trying to bend the top part of the Skate forward. EDEA Skates are designed to fit the foot very well and provide incredible control of the Skate, (much like the Long Blade and Short Track Carbon Fibre type low cut speed boots), while providing great support and being very comfortable. The Skaters feet will feel in total control in a properly fitted and laced EDEA Skate. Proper LACING of EDEA Skates is vitally important and very different than lacing a traditional leather Skate.
EDEA Skates provide the proper lateral support on both sides of the Ankle, to protect the ankle, while ALL bending is done on the Tongue. This design allows both great plantar and dorsi flexion (front ankle bend and rear for pointing the toe) freedom. The amount of bending is adjusted against the amount of resistance needed in the lacing of the top two (2) hooks to support the knee and the landings of jumps. In EDEA Skates you cannot “OverBoot” the skater because the basic design of not trying to bend the top part of the Skate forward, because all of the bending is done on the Tongue. The stiffness of the Tongue and the lacing of the top two (2) hooks controls how stiff the Skate feels.
EDEA Skates are built on a Nylon FibreGlass based FootBed system and a shell or structure of Carbon Fibre type material, which is the SHAPE, STRUCTURE, and STRENGTH of the Skate. The thickness of the Carbon Fibre type material is what controls the Strength and Support of the Skate. The Carbon Fibre type material can be heated and the Shape of the boot can be changed (and re-Shaped) as needed to providing incredible flexibility for that CUSTOM ‘FIT’. The one thing we tell our customers, “we can adjust just about any part of the EDEA Skate, but we cannot make them longer”. So, please do not get them too short. We never suggest buying length to get width. The width can easily be worked from the standard “C” (ball of the foot) width to a very wide “EEE” or down to a narrow “AAAA”. The Skate is already a dual last boot, with the Heel being approximately a “B” width. We can shape for all kinds of other foot issues, but we cannot change the length. In EDEA Skates, the leather outer surfaces are beautiful Italian Leathers that are really there for looks, Not Structural Support. The ICE FLY outer covering (the part that looks like leather) is actually Composition Leather or a MicroFibre material, so the EDEA ICE FLY is a totally Vegan Skate.
EDEA Skates utilize Memory Foam padding, like the mattress on your bed. What others, in traditional leather Skates call “Heat Molding” is not needed with EDEA, as this (in other traditional leather skates) is done to warm the foam padding so it will form to the foot. The EDEA Memory Foam automatically forms to the foot after just a couple of minutes of putting the Skates on. This means a great custom fit every time you put EDEA Skates on.
If there are pressure points or something hurts, when wearing EDEA Skates, it will continue to pressure, until they are shaped to eliminate the pressure. The Carbon Fibre type material which is the shell or structure of the Skate, will not stretch or break-in like traditional leather Skates. But once EDEA Skates are “Shaped” they will stay in that new shape, so they will STAY comfortable and not pressure any more. When one thinks of Breaking In a traditional Leather Skate, usually a lot of pain, blisters, and time are associated with it, but with EDEA, you are simply teaching the Memory Foam what your foot is like and teaching the tongue to bend. With this new Technology a top level of EDEA Skate can be ready for top level performance within just 4 to 8 hours of Skating. Some high level Skaters have said that it takes only about an hour, most of which is spent getting the blades correctly positioned on the slots.
CUSTOM SHAPING EDEA Skate
When fitting EDEA Skates, the most important fitting criteria is that the Length must be correct, with the amount of space at the front that is individually desired. Some skaters like a tight fit, where the ends of the toes actually touch the inside front of the Skate, but with NO pressure. This can be done confidently, as long as the skates are laced properly, which will lock the heel of the foot into the Heel Pocket of the Skate (which is what provides the lateral ankle support) and will not allow the foot to slide around or forward (pressing on the toes). Some skaters like to have a little bit of room in the toes, while others do not want to have a clue where the front of the Skate is. These are all personal preferences. Note, that if there needs to be an exceptional amount of Widening of the Toe Box or the Ball of the Foot, it is very wise to have just a little Toe room, as the tip of the Toe Box will slightly tilt back with the extra width being Shaped.
Parents, it is not wise to purchase Skates with more than 10mm (1cm) of extra space in front of the tip of the toes. We understand the desire to have “Growth” room, but too much is “Too Much”. Purchasing too large a Skate will hinder the development of the Skater, by placing the tip of the Blade too far forward and thus the Rocker will be centered under the toes instead of the Ball of the Foot.
“Custom Shaping” an EDEA Skate is not a hard thing to do, but does require an understanding of what is trying to be accomplished and the best and easiest way to get the job done. The normal process is to place an older, high power Hair Dryer (not a heat gun, as it produces too much heat and not enough air velocity and can actually burn the Leather or outer surface of the Skate, or some of the newer Ceramic Hair Dryers, as they do not get hot enough) about 1″ to 2″ from the outside of the area to be affected. Prop the Hair Dryer and let it sit there for about 10 minutes (actual time depends on how hot the Hair Dryer is) so the Carbon Fibre type material becomes pliable and bendable at about 180 to 190 degrees. Re-Shape and modify the affected area. Allow the Skates to thoroughly COOL and for the Carbon Fibre type material to Re-Harden into the new shape. Once the Skates completely cool and you are ready to go. It might be suggested to use a thin pair of gloves when dealing with the very hot skate to prevent burning of the fingers, especially on the steel Hooks. DO NOT USE A BOOT OVEN, as this will soften the entire Skate structure and it can loose it’s Anatomically Shaped Design. Spot Shaping is a much more effective way to change and modify EDEA Skates. I hope this basic “Shaping” information helps. Please feel free to call the office and talk to our techs if you have questions on the “Shaping” of EDEA Skates. The Office can be reached at (765) 935-7477 or OrderDesk@SkatesUS.com. If you decide that you do not want to do the Re-Shaping of the Skates, they can always be sent to us with Tracings (with measurements) of your Feet and it is always helpful to send digital pictures E-Mailed and we will do the work for you. We stand ready to help in any way that may be needed and will expedite the work and get your EDEA Skates back to you rapidly.
The five (5) most important things to remember in the fitting and normal usage of EDEA Skates, are:
1. Proper Fit
2. Proper Lacing of the Skates from the outside to the inside (over the top).
3. Proper Lacing of the Skates on your feet, with the laces snug (but not too tight) around the toe and top of the foot area, TIGHT at the instep or the top 2 Eyelets and Bottom Hook to lock the foot and heel into the Skate, then adjusted as needed for proper resistance on the top 2 Hooks. Be sure to lock the knots when tying the Skates.
(If an EDEA Skate creases at the instep and ankle, they are most likely not being Laced properly.),
4. Loosening the laces ALL the WAY DOWN, so as to take any tension off of the shape of the Skate when unlacing and removing the Skates, and
5. Do Not leave the Skates in a Hot car or trunk, as it only takes about 190 degrees and pressure to change the “Shape” of the Skate.
Just an extra note on keeping your EDEA Skates looking GREAT: several top level Skaters using EDEA Skates, Skate competitions without Over the Boot Tights or Boot Covers. Their secret to keep the Skates looking like new is to tape the Skate completely for practice work-outs and then rip the tape off for competitions and re-tape the Skates right after the competitions. The use of a painters masking tape (green or blue, with low residue) creates an easy to remove (with no sticky residue) underlayment. once the painters tape covers the Skates, then you can apply White or Black Skate Tape or a comparable Plastic or Electrical tape. Don’t forget to put many extra layers of the Plastic Tape across the toe of you jump landing foot, as this is the area that normally gets cut up by the blade of the free leg on landings. You can still use the Over the Boot Tights for practice, but they do not really provide that much protection for the Skates.
EDEA is constantly working and striving to improve the Technology of the Skates making them Better for the Skater while keeping them VERY Comfortable. EDEA recently introduced the “AntiShock UNDERSOLE“, which is a very thin (1mm thin), light UnderSole (installed under the standard Skate InnerSole or custom orthotic) which is designed for injury prevention and absorbs more than 50% of the Shock Impact that skaters can experience especially on landings of jumps. Landing any jump (Single, Double, Triple, or Quad) is exerting 7 1/2 to 8 times your body weight on the Landing Foot. This shock is first felt as the Toe Pick strikes the Ice, then primarily as the Heel Strikes. This Shock is transmitted up through the Foot to the Ankle, Knee, Hips, Spine, and finally to the base of the Skull. The noticeable difference of using the EDEA “AntiShock UNDERSOLE” is the reduction of fatigue during jump workouts. Anything that can reduce this SHOCK, is vitally important and will reduce injuries. Please check out the video and information on our web site. EDEA “AntiShock UNDERSOLES” are NOT Included with EDEA Skate “SHAPING”, but are available as an optional accessory.
http://www.skatesus.com/learning_center/Anti_Shock_Under_Sole.php?frd=f
“Why EDEA Skates are so Special” is a very good technical white paper on the design and construction of EDEA Skates.
http://www.skatesus.com/extras/Why_Are_Edea_Skates_Special.php?frd=f
EDEA Skates utilize many new Material innovations to produce incredibly comfortable boots that are not only stong and supportive, but can be customized, and are also 25% to 45% lighter than other (Light) Skating Boots.
The EDEA Skates , must be purchased prior to any Custom Fitting work being done.
EDEA truly is the TOTAL ADVANTAGE !!!
Pricing is for Labor and Does NOT include Parts, Materials, or Shipping Costs.
