Sugar Plum Short Track Speedskating Boots

My latest project: the sugar plum synthetic snakeskin short track speedskating boots. Without straps or laces they each weighed 280 grams. Update: with laces and straps they each weigh in at 300 grams. The boots are probably about a size 5 or 6. Very stiff sole, not as stiff in the ankle as I wanted, but I am mostly happy with them. The tongue's are 65 durometer EVA foam. That is very hard but how the skater wanted them. One innovation, that I copied from the new Bont Patriot (a new entry level boot, specific for short track) are metal rings on both sides of the boot so that the straps can be easily replaced. Styling is mostly like SS Boots and Marchese, which are the short track boot maker leaders in the USA anyway. The lining is nylon covered neoprene with additional padding a soft EVA foam. Now I just need to find somebody that will pay me to make them boots. It would be nice to have a hobby that paid its own way!

Bike shoes

I recently finished Maddie's custom biking shoes. Here are some specs:

• three layers of 5.8 oz carbon over five layers of 6 oz fiberglass form the base
  
• West system epoxy
• PVC upper with carbon fiber look
• two velcro straps
• a tongue but no eyelets or laces, I am hoping that the straps will be enough
  
• 1.5 mm thick neoprene liner with nylon cover
• extra evalite padding around cuff
• each shoe weighs in at 247 grams with the SPD cleat attached

Maddie hasn't tested the shoes on a bike yet. Actually, she doesn't have a road or track bike, but she does spin classes at the YMCA a few times a week. Bike shoes, in my opinion, are easier to make than speed boots, or maybe I am just getting better at these projects. The photos look good but the carbon work is full of wrinkles that are mostly covered over. I think that I used too much vacuum and with the fiberglass layers the tendency to wrinkle was increased - another lesson learned.

Custom Short Track Boots for Maddie

Just finished this new pair of custom ST boots for Maddie. (A newly named jr. category 1 skater BTW.) They turned out as good as can be expected for someone who is just making it up as I go! I used a little bit of Simmons, SS, and Marchese in the design. Dark gray neoprene liner, several layers of carbon fiber + resin epoxy, aluminum, lots of pink glitter and two different materials for the upper outer portions. Velcro, nylon strapping, glues (contact cement and Sumo), some rectangular rings, thread, eyelets and other secret (forgotten) ingredients went into the mix. The sole is as hard as a rock (ie. overbuilt) and the ankle is stiff but not as stiff as Maddie's custom Simmons as seen in this blog's banner photo. The left boot weights in at 348 grams and the right at 360 grams. Not too bad but not as light as the Simmons which are about 60 grams lighter.

When will they see the ice? Not sure. Maddie really doesn't need new boots! This was just a hobby project that burned up a lot of spare hours. If I had to make speed boots for a living I would be a very hungry man. I did learn a lot and if I do it over again I can save time and make a better boot - of that I am sure.

I have to give credit to my wife, Tenley, who did all the sewing on this project, which I kept to an absolute minimum. It was all done on a home machine with regular weight threads, but almost all sewn portions are also held together with Sumo glue so not to worry, nothing is going to let loose anytime soon.

Custom Klingbeil vs. custom carbon fiber

A few more words on the subject of a custom carbon fiber figure skating boot. It is shown in this photo on the right. The left is Maddie's custom Klingbeil boot. Anyway, I tried to make it as traditional looking as possible with some degree of success. The lacing hooks were a bear to install since I was not willing to spend the $300 on the right equipment to set them. The ones I used are large. My supplier sells a smaller version which I purchased but I could not set them at all. I used grommets as eyelets. I need them to help hold the whole boot together! There is almost no real leather in my boot. What you see is marine vinyl. The lining is neoprene with a nylon fabric. The tongue does have a layer of real leather. More on that in a future posting.

Carbon fiber custom figure skates

I have been busy with a custom boot making project this winter. My daughter, Maddie, is an accomplished short track speedskater, but before she ever took up the sport she was and still is a very accomplished figure skater. As a figure skater she has passed the senior freestyle test, all the gold level ice dances, and of course the senior moves in the field test. In figure skating speak she would be called a triple gold medalist. There is nothing equivalent to this testing system in speedskating. She has excellent equipment for figure skating and skates on custom Klingbeil boots. Klingbeil's are worn by many elite figure skaters including Olympic gold medalists such as Sarah Hughes. They are a leather product and a work of art, but why haven't figure skates evolved as much as speed and hockey boots have over the last 50 or even 100 years? It is hard to say. I don't really know why. If I had to guess I would say that figure skaters are not as bright as speedskaters. (That is a joke!) The Klingbeil boot is much heavier than a speed boot. My daughter's is 824 grams compared to 424 grams for the custom carbon fiber boot I made for her (both without blades attached). Even as a custom boot the Klingbeil doesn't fit as tight as a custom speed boot. By custom, all it really means is that Klingbeil takes several measurements of the feet, molds the footbed with a bio foam and then manufacuture a wooden last for your feet and build a tradition figure skating boot from leather with a steel shank around that last. The Klingbeil workmanship and materials are superior - but the initial fit is so-so and still requires a breakin period. The most amazing thing is that they do this in New York City for about $600. Amazingly cheap compared to custom speed boots most of which are at $1000 and up.

So I put my hand to making her custom figure skating boots with a carbon fiber base and a neoprene liner and padding. The results can be seen in the photo. They are not too bad if I say so myself. They look good and performed well. She took them out on a crowded public session, skated, spun, and eventually completed several double jumps and a couple of double-double combination jumps. Her jumps were high and she said that the boots were very light on her feet. I was pleased although there were a few concerns. First, she wants her boots to be tight and tight they were. But is this what most figure skaters will want? I think she wants them tight because her custom speed boots are tight and she does a lot more speedskating than figure skating these days. She wants them so tight that the feet go numb, and she pulled so hard on the boot hooks that one of them pulled out! So I now plan to modify them to use velcro staps around the cuff so that she can get them really tight!