lateral adjustment

[Susie Morunga]

Hi
Something that always puzzles me when I see it mentioned. What are skates that has lateral adjustment & how does it help a skater?

[IW Staff]

Lateral adjustment allows you to slide the frames from left to right where they mount to the boot. This can correct pronation or supination (rolling of ankles).

Here's a post I did a while back with regards to lateral adjusment.

Great question. The adjustment is there to cater to a skater's needs just depending on their skating style, stance and/or motion.

As for frame adjustments, in my opinion you should really only be making frame adjustments for one of two reasons:

1. The frame isn't properly centered under your foot so you have a tendency to pronate or supinate in this particular pair of skates. Move the entire frame (front and back bolts) over 1mm at time until the problem goes away.

2. No matter how hard you try, you cannot set your foot down on a straight line in the direction of travel. (In other words you're setting your foot down either pigeon-toed so the skate is pointing slightly across your center line, or turned out like a ballerina and your foot is pointed slightly diagonally off to the side of the trail somewhere. Have someone watch you from behind to see if either of these are a problem.

If so, you would adjust the frame at only one of the bolts to change the angle of the frame to compensate for your pigeon-toedness, or your ballerina feet, or to put them back into a straight alignment if you've gotten them off track during all this experimenting!

Even if you only adjust one frame bolt, be sure to re-tighten both, as moving the frame at one end often loosens the other. Reapply loc-tite if it's all been stripped away isn't a bad idea too, so vibration doesn't loosen your frame bolts while you're out skating (ouch).


Thanks for the post. Great question.

Thank you for skating.
Stan @ IW

[Susie Morunga]

Ok that makes sense & maybe it's an answer for my problem. I have the Alexis BOA 84mm skates which I love but I have noticed after about 45-60 mins I find my foot has somehow moved over so that my foot is not flat on the sole of the skate but has moved so the inside of my foot is on the sole & the outside has moved up to the outside of the skate like the constant push offs have gradually moved my foot to the extreme outside like as you say a rolled ankle. I find myself then conpensating by trying to stand with my ankles rolling the other way. Really uncomfortable & tiring. No amount of lace adjusting or padded sole seems to correct it.
Would a lateral adjusting skate be of help do you think?
Cheers Susie

[IW Staff]

Sounds as though if your foot is a bit sloppy in there, that there may simply bee too much room in there for your foot. Not completely uncommon and there is something that can be done there as well.

Below are EzeeFit Booties. These are used by a lot of speed skaters and by those needing to fill up any gaps within the boot. Also helps rid of any pressure spots and so forth if any. Comes in a couple different thicknesses. A thicker sock may do it as well, but the addition of a 3mm possible will fill up the extra space to help keep that foot more stationary. Tightening up the skate a ton can get uncomfortable and cut off circulation so you don't want to do that.

Too much room in the boot seems to be more of the issue from what I read. You possibly are having some pronation only as a result of your feet not being aligned well over the frames due to them floating around in there.

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/searchresults.html?search=products&searchtext=ezeefit

[Susie Morunga]

Sounds as though if your foot is a bit sloppy in there, that there may simply bee too much room in there for your foot. Not completely uncommon and there is something that can be done there as well.

Below are EzeeFit Booties. These are used by a lot of speed skaters and by those needing to fill up any gaps within the boot. Also helps rid of any pressure spots and so forth if any. Comes in a couple different thicknesses. A thicker sock may do it as well, but the addition of a 3mm possible will fill up the extra space to help keep that foot more stationary. Tightening up the skate a ton can get uncomfortable and cut off circulation so you don't want to do that.

Too much room in the boot seems to be more of the issue from what I read. You possibly are having some pronation only as a result of your feet not being aligned well over the frames due to them floating around in there.

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/searchresults.html?search=products&searchtext=ezeefit

I have long narrow feet with (I'm told) the longest toes imaginable which makes the skate really tight & unconfy after a time of skating with a 1/2 size smaller hence I went a 1/2 size bigger this time round although I have to say I did have the same prob then. I have put a sole in the skate to fill the space & that has helped but maybe the sock thingy would help more. Will let you know.