Sources for large boots?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some large-ish combi- or skate boots. I have some
Alpina 48's which are too narrow, but seem acceptable in length. My
feet ache severly after only a few minutes.

I use Diadora size 50 cycling shoes, and US 15 Nike fits me well.

Any suggestions?

Joseph

PS: Off-topic: anyone know of a supplier of large and/or wide speed
skates that don't cost too much? Skating is only a filler for me for
the period between when it's fun to cycle, and when it is possible to
ski, so expensive custom skates isn't an option. Plus I'm terrible at
it!

You should contact your local Alpina dealer. From what I've heard from
my local rep, Alpina sells boots in a variety of widths. Another
alternative for wide footed people is Hartjes which is wider than
Salomon or Adidas in general.

Craig

wrote:
Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some large-ish combi- or skate boots. I have some
Alpina 48's which are too narrow, but seem acceptable in length. My
feet ache severly after only a few minutes.

I use Diadora size 50 cycling shoes, and US 15 Nike fits me well.

Any suggestions?

Joseph

PS: Off-topic: anyone know of a supplier of large and/or wide speed
skates that don't cost too much? Skating is only a filler for me for
the period between when it's fun to cycle, and when it is possible to
ski, so expensive custom skates isn't an option. Plus I'm terrible at
it!

Craig Storey wrote:

You should contact your local Alpina dealer. From what I've heard from
my local rep, Alpina sells boots in a variety of widths. Another
alternative for wide footed people is Hartjes which is wider than
Salomon or Adidas in general.

Hartjes definitely have a large forefoot, the 2003 models even more than
last year's. However, to my feet they are wrongly marked in lengths. I
fit a Salomon 11 US skate boot (UK 10.5/Euro 45-1/3), but the Hartjes
11-1/2 and 12 were short. Nordic Skater wasn't appreciative of this
(more a marketer). He's distributing them to other stores around the
country, so you can maybe try a pair before buying, but there does seem
to be a mark-up over NS's prices. Also, Reliable Racing Supply still
has some sizes left from last year.

Gene

Gene Goldenfeld wrote:
Craig Storey wrote:

You should contact your local Alpina dealer. From what I've heard from
my local rep, Alpina sells boots in a variety of widths. Another
alternative for wide footed people is Hartjes which is wider than
Salomon or Adidas in general.

Hartjes definitely have a large forefoot, the 2003 models even more than
last year's. However, to my feet they are wrongly marked in lengths. I
fit a Salomon 11 US skate boot (UK 10.5/Euro 45-1/3), but the Hartjes
11-1/2 and 12 were short. Nordic Skater wasn't appreciative of this
(more a marketer). He's distributing them to other stores around the
country, so you can maybe try a pair before buying, but there does seem
to be a mark-up over NS's prices. Also, Reliable Racing Supply still
has some sizes left from last year.

Gene

I'm in Norway, so unless any of these places sell online, I'm limited
to local shops, and they are limited to their local distributors.

There seems to be such a wide range with respect to sizes. I have shoes
from size 48 to 52 that all fit. I wonder why there isn't a move to
standardize on a system that uses actual length. My feet are 305mm long
and 115mm wide. For normal people it isn't a problem I guess. They try
on a 42 and if it is too small they try a 43, or another brand. It gets
complicated when you have to special order something that can take
weeks and has to be paid for whether it fits or not!

Joseph

Re the speed skates - there are some around that clip onto ski boots,
if you ever find any to fit. Here is a description:
http://www.nordicskater.com/blades.html

They seem to be made in Sweden, amongst other places, so you may be
able to track down a local supplier (or at least nearer than the USA
anyhow).

Alex

wrote:
PS: Off-topic: anyone know of a supplier of large and/or wide
speed skates that don't cost too much? Skating is only a filler
for me for the period between when it's fun to cycle, and when it
is possible to ski, so expensive custom skates isn't an option.

As Alex pointed out you could try long-distance skating. You can
do that with ordinary skiing boots. It is the best option to
substitute for skating skiing on ice. For more on the subject see
e.g. http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/info/timonice.html

All the best, Timo

--
Prof. Timo Salmi ftp & http://garbo.uwasa.fi/ archives 193.166.120.5
Department of Accounting and Business Finance ; University of Vaasa
http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/ ; FIN-65101, Finland
Digital photos collection at http://www.uwasa.fi/ktt/lasktoim/photo/

On Sat, 15 Oct 2005, Timo Salmi wrote:

wrote:
PS: Off-topic: anyone know of a supplier of large and/or wide
speed skates that don't cost too much? Skating is only a filler
for me for the period between when it's fun to cycle, and when it
is possible to ski, so expensive custom skates isn't an option.

As Alex pointed out you could try long-distance skating. You can
do that with ordinary skiing boots. It is the best option to
substitute for skating skiing on ice. For more on the subject see
e.g. http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/info/timonice.html


I agree with Timo. If you've already got comfortable boots
"nordic skates" are the way to go!
The big skate companies that I know of are Lundhags and Skyllermarks
in Sweden and Freeheels in Finland. I bought my Lundhags Sweskate blades from
nordicskater.com in Vermont.

I think Joseph said that he lived in Norway. There is a skating group
in the Oslo Skiforeningen:
http://www.skiforeningen.no/discus/m...s/419/419.html
http://www.skiforeningen.no/cgi/newsshow.cgi?id=1310"

I think some of the sports stores in Oslo sell "turskøyter".
See-
http://www.rollers.no/wordpress/tursk%C3%B8yter/

Otherwise you can probably mail-order them from Sweden.
eg:

http://www.skyllermarks.com/skridskor.htm
http://www.lundhags.se/asptest/artic...e_en.asp?ID=69

--

David Dermott , Wolfville Ridge, Nova Scotia, Canada
email:
my skating page: http://www.dermott.ca/ski/skating.html

Timo Salmi wrote:
wrote:
PS: Off-topic: anyone know of a supplier of large and/or wide
speed skates that don't cost too much? Skating is only a filler
for me for the period between when it's fun to cycle, and when it
is possible to ski, so expensive custom skates isn't an option.

As Alex pointed out you could try long-distance skating. You can
do that with ordinary skiing boots. It is the best option to
substitute for skating skiing on ice. For more on the subject see
e.g. http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/info/timonice.html

All the best, Timo

--
Prof. Timo Salmi ftp & http://garbo.uwasa.fi/ archives 193.166.120.5
Department of Accounting and Business Finance ; University of Vaasa
http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/ ; FIN-65101, Finland
Digital photos collection at http://www.uwasa.fi/ktt/lasktoim/photo/

I thought about getting some of those, but that would be a completely
different sort of activity. Like the difference between a mountain bike
and a track bike.

On the ice, for me it's all about speed. For what I'm looking for I
need regular speed skates with good clearance for crossover turns
around the 400m oval we have in town. I wonder if tour skates like
those would work in high speed turns. The weather where I am isn't
really suitable for long distance skating. By the time it's cold
enough, there's snow covering any frozen lakes which are all small
anyway. I live on an island sticking into the sea so it is seldom the
sea freezes. People who live further up a fjord like the folks in Oslo
get frozen sea conditions more frequently.

The real question is do I get conventional skates, or clap-skates.
(note of interest to English speakers who like words, the term
clap-skate does not I belive come from the sound being like a hand
clapping, but rather from the word klap which means "fold" or
"foldable" in the sense of some sort of device. Like a folding chair:
klapstol. I belive this is also the case in Dutch. I only mention this
because I see lots on the Internet explaining that the name comes from
the sound. Maybe so. Just my 2 cents)

Joseph

In article ,
Gene Goldenfeld wrote:

Craig Storey wrote:

You should contact your local Alpina dealer. From what I've heard from
my local rep, Alpina sells boots in a variety of widths. Another
alternative for wide footed people is Hartjes which is wider than
Salomon or Adidas in general.

Hartjes definitely have a large forefoot, the 2003 models even more than
last year's. However, to my feet they are wrongly marked in lengths. I
fit a Salomon 11 US skate boot (UK 10.5/Euro 45-1/3), but the Hartjes
11-1/2 and 12 were short.

That's odd. Hartjes boots have always had a wide forefoot, but
regarding length, it used to be the other way around -- Hartjes boots
tended to be slightly longer than Salomon boots that were nominally the
same size, at least in the size range that I use. I haven't compared
the two brands in the last few years, however.

Nordic Skater wasn't appreciative of this
(more a marketer). He's distributing them to other stores around the
country, so you can maybe try a pair before buying, but there does seem
to be a mark-up over NS's prices. Also, Reliable Racing Supply still
has some sizes left from last year.

Gene