I decided to have the tongue of my old boots reinforced at a local shoe repair shop, recommended by few skating friends. I left them there on Saturday, they were done by Monday, I picked them up on Tuesday morning.
I skated Wednesday. There is some difference I feel in stiffness, but not as much as I feel a difference in support, maybe it is somehow one and the same... The big difference is that I don't feel the laces cutting into my ankles anymore. So, I'm happy! Well almost...
I'm still feeling not aligned, I cannot go comfortably on the outside edges. I pronate on the right foot and when I bought new blades few years ago, after the blade was moved towards the inside as much as possible to still feel centered, shims were added to correct the angle. I think those need to be replaced, they looked worn out, thinner. But the left side is a mystery as I don't pronate on that foot. The blade is installed to the very edge of the inside part of the sole and I still don't feel centered. These are 10 years old boots (though I skated seriously just the last 3, 4 years). I'm aware that the right boot is collapsed towards inside because I pronate on that foot. Maybe something is wrong and was wrong from the beginning with the left boot, like the sole could be uneven. Or maybe the left boot got deformed in time too.
I don't want to spend more on these boots to have them professionally aligned. I've already spent $100 on the tongues and $50 on the new insole (that I didn't need but the old one got destroyed during the fitting process). So I decided to mess a little with the shims. I added shims on the left foot, that is my "normal foot" that I don't pronate on but I'm still unable to go on the outside edge.
I skated Friday. Well... hello 1.5 revolutions left twizzle! that I was never able to do... And hello comfortable left inside 3-turn! that I fell badly on, just few months ago. To be clear, all my skating is slow, like trying things... I don't feel I'm really skating. I don't add any power or speed, as I don't trust the alignment yet. I think I still have to work a little on the shims. I think under the left heel I added too much, and that is the only one I added that I caught into a screw, so now I have to completely remove that screw. And I'll add shims on the right boot too, the old ones look thinned out.
I'm a little concern if the screws are still holding, being that the holes are old, so I haven't jumped yet and as I said I haven't skated fast. I think I'll have to try to add some screws myself, or to go to a professional that can fill the holes maybe. But again, I'm done spending with them... Still, they have to do the job until I'll buy new boots, I was hoping to still be able to use these old boots for about a year...
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