So, I was hating on my rink's rental skates the other day when I suddenly realized that I can do something about it. Now I own one of the cheapest women's skates the pro shop sells. Yay! But now that I have them, I haven't the faintest clue what to actually do with them. I'd like them to last as long as I can safely and effectively get away with wearing them. I'm a beginner and skate 7-10 hours a week. I think the dude who sold them to me said to sharpen them once a month. I know not to walk on concrete and such without a blade guard. But I don't quite know what a blade guard is. I've heard about hard guard and soakers. Are there also soft guards? And can I leave them in a hot car during the day when I go to work after public skate (they have heat molding, but how hot is too hot)? Can I just jump on the ice with them or do I have to wear them in first at home? Anything else I should know about not basically throwing $250 down the drain?
How to not destroy my skates
- Thread starter wobblepro
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- Apr 9, 2018
A blade guard is a hard guard. Different terminology depending on where you've picked it up from but they're essentially the same.
Eh well the same goes for soft guards. They're soakers.
Depending on what model of skates you have, different brands have different methods of break-in. Edeas and Harlicks have very specific methods of breaking in if I'm not wrong.
Since you've gotten the cheapest model of skates, they're definitely not for jumping in. They won't have the support you'll need as an adult.
As far as basic skate care goes, please dry off your skates after use! Like you gotta wipe them down really dry before putting them in your bag and leaving the rink. Then when you get home, you'll have to open the bag and let it air. If you live in a humid climate, you may need to take precautionary measures to make sure the blades don't rust.
Can't answer stuff about the car but this is all I know!
EDIT: I just realized you meant jump on the ice as get in the ice HAHAHAHAH oh well but it still stands tho
Eh well the same goes for soft guards. They're soakers.
Depending on what model of skates you have, different brands have different methods of break-in. Edeas and Harlicks have very specific methods of breaking in if I'm not wrong.
Since you've gotten the cheapest model of skates, they're definitely not for jumping in. They won't have the support you'll need as an adult.
As far as basic skate care goes, please dry off your skates after use! Like you gotta wipe them down really dry before putting them in your bag and leaving the rink. Then when you get home, you'll have to open the bag and let it air. If you live in a humid climate, you may need to take precautionary measures to make sure the blades don't rust.
Can't answer stuff about the car but this is all I know!
EDIT: I just realized you meant jump on the ice as get in the ice HAHAHAHAH oh well but it still stands tho
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Okay, first of all what brand and model skate did you buy because that will help.
Either way there are pretty standard all around advice for how to take care of your skates:
There are hard guards and soakers (soft) you need to wear the hard guards when you are walking on your blades in the rink and when you get off the ice and before you get on. When you finally get to a bench to take your skates off, take a towel and wipe your blades carefully to remove the snow/water and also wipe the soles of your boots. Then place soakers on them to "soak" up the remaining moisture.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SKATES IN A HOT CAR WHILE YOU GO TO WORK! You will destroy and quickly warp and rot out your boots and the blades will also get rust.
When you get your skates home take them out of your skate bag and loosen the laces and pull the tongues forward so that your boots can breathe.
If you have lower end boots and they are about 250$ they probably aren't very stiff so you should be able to wear them and do some knee bends off ice to get comfy in them and then go right on the ice, they will break in over time.
Good luck!
I have to bring my skates with me to work often as I either skate right before work and/or right after. I use a the Transport backpack for them for this reason. They are easy to haul into to work everyday, plus if I skate in the morning, the open mesh pockets for the skates help to make sure they dry out without spreading all my skating gear out at work 
I also have to bring my daughter's skates with me a few times a week too, so I'm a regular pack mule with two skate backpacks, my purse, and my lunch box lol.
Definitely don't leave them in the car when the sun is out. I can't wait for winter to get here already so I can actually leave them in the car again.
I also have to bring my daughter's skates with me a few times a week too, so I'm a regular pack mule with two skate backpacks, my purse, and my lunch box lol.Definitely don't leave them in the car when the sun is out. I can't wait for winter to get here already so I can actually leave them in the car again.
Lol... I believe that is how I destroyed my first pair of skates.
These are Riedell Diamonds for women.
Will do, thanks for the info! I live in a pretty humid area, so any thoughts on preventing rust beyond what you've mentioned?
Lolol yeeeah... I won't be attempting any jumps for a bit. I've been skating six weeks heh.
They're Riedell Diamonds for women.
This is super helpful, thanks!
LOL will do! Speaking from painful experience perhaps?
Sweet, I'm excited to try them out!
Do you mean the Transpack backpack? If so, I like it! Looks less weird than some of the L shaped bags I've seen. So... special bag sounds like a good idea for me, since I skate and then sometimes pull a 12-14 hour day.I have to bring my skates with me to work often as I either skate right before work and/or right after. I use a the Transport backpack for them for this reason. They are easy to haul into to work everyday, plus if I skate in the morning, the open mesh pockets for the skates help to make sure they dry out without spreading all my skating gear out at work
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Oh no! I'm glad I thought to ask and folks are like DON'T DO THAT!
The hot car thing is a big no-no. I don't know why it's not mentioned more in the packaging etc. Look at the websites... it's often not mentioned at all as part of the regular care of skates. It's so weird to me because I've seen a number of people destroy their skates that way.
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- Apr 9, 2018
Ah okay I don't remember there being a specific break-in method for Riedells so you're good to go! Just strap em on and get on the ice and it'll break in naturally on its own! Some people, including me, like to leave the top hook unlaced for the first few hours of wear so that I can get a bit more knee bend while breaking in.
Okay humidity is a serious serious bitch to deal with where I live since its 70-80% humid all year round. I left my skates in soakers for a week as per usual and I came back to find like 80% of the hollow of the blade covered in rust spots. *groans*
The best method for me was to take the soakers off the blade and place the skate blade side up in a dry and sunny place when I get home for a day before putting the soakers back on. That way the blade is completely and utterly dry.
When I know I'm not going to skate for a while (ie an ankle injury) I'd cover the blade that touches the ice with vaseline and keep them in soakers. WD-40 works too. This is basically an air proof barrier that prevents rust from building. Where I live, the rust builds fast and I will never forget that heartbreaking moment when my rinkmate found that his new and expensive blades were practically unusable because of the rust that ate it in the 2 months he didn't skate.
You'll need to experiment with your skates! You may not have to do what I'm doing. Other skaters in my rink just leave their skates in soakers for like an entire week before they use it again and their blades are fine so it really depends on your climate, the humidity in your home, and the type of blades you have.
It's entirely normal to have a few rust spots on the hollow (that groove on the part that touches the ice) of your blades and they'll get grinded off everytime you skate. If you don't mind it and skate every week, then it's alright!
But if you find that the entire length of the hollow is covered in rust spots in between skating sessions OR if key areas like the screws start to rust, it's time to activate the WD-40 Vaseline method after every skating session. Throw in silica gel packets and charcoal dehumidier in your skate bag as well. Wiping your blade with mineral oil helps too. Just be sure to wipe all oils/protectant before taking to the ice!
It honestly sounds a bit excessive but skates are literally the only pieces of equipment you need to skate and so expensive! So maintaining it and preventing something that is entirely preventable is not that big of a deal!
The rust can also get grinded off during sharpening too! So it's not entirely the end of the world if it comes to it aha but not all rusty blades can be saved.
I just got a Transpack backpack and it is a life/shoulder saver.
That's a great suggestion. Actually, I may not have a choice anyway; laces are a bit short for my feet, it seems... that, or I'm not lacing tightly enough. (Probably both).
We have 55-85% humidity here. Any chance that getting 2 sets of soakers might help prevent rust? I'm thinking one pair to put on the skates after I dry them off and head to work, and the other pair once I arrive at work and give them another wipe down. I'm thinking if soakers end up getting, erm, soaked, it might help to have a dry pair? (I love how my "to buy" list keeps growing haha.)
That's about what I'm thinking. Sure, it sounds a bit excessive... until I consider that these are a $250 piece of equipment that could serve me well for quite a while if I respect them. Even my pointe shoes aren't this costly, and I had previously thought THEY were expensive, LOL! But yeah, if you want stuff to last, it makes sense that you might need to put a bit of effort into it, and so it doesn't seem all that excessive.
You didn't mention what blades you have. Did you buy the Riedell Diamonds as a stock kit with pre-mounted Eclipse Capri blades? If so, the blades are made of stainless steel, and do not require oil, WD-40, or other rust preventative. Blades and boots still need to be thoroughly dried, though, to minimize boot rot.
I use the two soaker method. At the rink, I dry off my boots and blades with a first set of wipers and put on a first pair of soakers. Depending on the dewpoint of the ambient air, it's common in my area for moisture to recondense on cold blades (and maybe boots). When I get home, I take off the first pair of soakers, dry off the boots and blades with a second set of wipers and put on a second pair of soakers.
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They're Riedell Diamonds for women.
LOL will do! Speaking from painful experience perhaps?
Sweet, I'm excited to try them out!
Riedell Diamonds shouldn't have an extensive break in period. You should be fine to do some off ice knee bends in them and get on the ice, they'll break in over time.
As far as the skates in the car, no not speaking from painful experience, but rather as a pro.
I'm glad you're excited! Have fun!
Whoops, sorry, thought "blades" was slang for "ice skates" and didn't realize you literally meant the blades. I'm using whatever the default is, with the blades already attached. They say "stainless steel" on them, so I assume they are indeed the Eclipse Capri blades.
Thanks everyone, this has been super helpful! So, I'm making myself a shopping list. I want that transpack backpack, or something like it. I have hard guards I guess, though the spring thingy makes them a bit hard to take on and off even when my feet aren't in the skate... oh well. I want to grab 2 sets of soakers and a couple towels to wipe the skates down with; pretty sure I have microfiber towels hiding somewhere in my apartment. Hmm... and maybe some kind of leather protectant. Apparently I don't need any product for the blades, since they're stainless steel. Is that it or am I forgetting/missing something?
Be sure to have spare laces in your kit bag.
Oooh, good one.
