Skate shoes are one factor in the cost of skating. Many people skate in their shoes until the outsoles come off or the grip tape starts eating through their socks. Usually, you can tell when to change your skate shoes.
Every two to six months, you should replace your skate shoes. Replace your skates every two months if you skate more than three times per week. Replace your skate shoes every four to six months if you skate once or twice a week. You should patch or replace your skate shoes if they have holes in the outsole and toe area.
Exactly how quickly skate shoes wear out depends on your skating technique, how gritty your grip tape is, and how frequently you skate. Replace your shoes every 5 to 6 months, even if you primarily skate transition and hardly ever flip tricks. Injuries can occur when skate shoes lose their ability to support your feet, even when wear is not readily apparent.
12 Signs You Need To Replace Your Skate Shoes
Even when they should buy new shoes, seasoned skateboarders typically put it off as long as they can. Even though you bought the exact same pair, new shoes frequently stink. Skate shoes occasionally work best when they are nearly gone.
Here are 12 indicators that it’s time to get new skate shoes.
1. The Sole Flaps
A flapping shoe sole is one of the most unpleasant things, especially on your push foot. In addition to being annoying, it can also be harmful. Your shoe becomes unstable if the sole is flapping, and fixing it only provides a temporary solution. It will soon begin flapping once more. It’s time to think about ditching your shoes at this point.
2. Ripped Stitches
This is the first indication that your shoes require immediate repair. Skate shoes that have ripped stitches will be useless. We’ve tested Nikes that tore within an hour or at the very least had loose stitches. Apply Shoe Goo as soon as you can if this occurs!
It truly depends on the type of shoe as not every skate shoe wears the same. Some shoes have no stitching at all at the toe area, which is typically a hint that it’s a good shoe.
3. Too Much Wiggle Room
It may indicate that the entire shoe is stretched from the inside if your feet can move freely inside it. However, you run the risk of rolling your ankles if you tighten the laces. Although new socks are always preferable, thicker socks could work temporarily.
4. You’re Using Duct Tape
If you have to choose between ending your session or continuing to skate for a few more hours, duct tape is a terrific temporary cure. Duct tape is not a miracle cure. Kickflips will be easier to perform and won’t stick for very long.
You might try using suede patches, Rip Care, and Shoe Goo to repair the holes you’re trying to cover. These things work best when combined.
5. You Patched Your Shoes With Cardboard
The cheap repair for skateboarders on a short budget, but it won’t last very long and leaves you with the uncomfortable sensation of cardboard in your shoes. Sure, it will shield your front foot from some scrapes, but eventually your grip tape will eat through the cardboard. You might try replacing the cardboard once again in the hopes that it would stay in place, but you need to be realistic because your shoes are broken.
6. Your Sole Lost Its Grip
Even when there aren’t any ollie holes, you may still lose yourself when you push your board or carve a bowl. There isn’t a single solution for the issue of skate shoes losing their grip. To stay on your board, you need grip, yet pushing and braking can soon wear out the soles.
Instead of braking with your push foot, practice power sliding. You won’t have to worry about flat places if your skateboard wheels are of good quality, and power slides are very cool.
7. Abrasions on Your Foot
I had a terrific session on a steamy July day. Near my kickflip area, there was a slight tingling feeling, but I disregarded it until I stopped skating. I stopped skating and took off my sneakers. Instead of a red and a white pair of socks, I could have thought I was wearing two white ones.
Anyway, you get the gist of what happened. Because my foot took so long to heal, I should have merely fixed the holes. Nasty.
8. Your Socks Have Holes
If it’s not already too late, you should repair your shoes if you have holes in your socks, which is related to the prior sign. Before you need to apply a bandage to your foot, repair the holes with suede, Rip Care, and Shoe Goo.
9. More Goo Than Shoe
There comes a time when fixing your skate shoes is impossible. You should seriously think about getting a new pair of shoes when shoe glue and suede patches are holding your shoe’s entire front together. You can fix your shoes a few times, but eventually you have to say goodbye and throw them go.
10. Impacts Are Starting Hurt More
Only skating bowls and micro ramps/verts may prevent some skaters from finding ollie or kickflip holes. Even when wear is not immediately apparent, a shoe’s structural integrity can only be maintained for so long. I had to learn the hard way that your shoe eventually stops cushioning hits for you.
Replace your skateboard shoes at least each and every 5 to 6 months to avoid heel bruising or even long-term foot damage. Skate shoes can’t hold your weight or impacts indefinitely, just like running shoes can’t.
11. Holes in Your Shoe Sole
Braking, pressing, and shifting your feet on grip tape will result in holes being made on the bottom of your shoe sole. According to the shoe’s quality and the tricks you use the most, sole holes may occur earlier than ollie holes.
This problem will obviously arise more frequently for skaters who merely cruise and hop curbs than for those who tre-flip all day. There isn’t a fix for this. Although you would imagine that changing the insoles would be effective, you will most likely need to discard them after a day.
12. Your Shoes Smell Like Wet Dog
There is just one appropriate solution for people with sweaty, odorous feet: take your shoes outside. Your shoes may occasionally smell so awful that it simply gets to be too much. Before your mother decides it’s time to toss them away, make an effort to eliminate the odor.
When To Buy New Skate Shoes
Your shoes may not exhibit symptoms of wear, yet eventually they stop supporting you. Every six months, you should get new skate shoes, even if they don’t have any holes for ollies, kickflips, or heelflips.
They eventually stop providing the essential arch support. To add support, you may also swap out the insoles. For instance, one of the most affordable and effective brands of insoles is Dr. Scholl’s. The insoles can be changed if you just skate bowls, verts, or small ramps.
Getting The Most Out Of Your Skate Shoes
You can extend the life of your skate shoes in a variety of ways, and doing so is rather simple. The lifespan of your skate shoes is significantly influenced by a few different variables.
- Which brand of grip tape
- Your skating technique
- Power slides as opposed to foot-based braking
Obviously, grip tape is the most frequent cause of skate shoes wearing out. Every time you ollie or flip your board, the abrasive grip tape eats away a small portion of the suede. The durability of your shoes is influenced by the suede’s quality.
Different grip tapes have different levels of roughness. Jessup is more kinder to suede than Mob grip tape is. Before using your new deck to skate, think about sanding down the grip tape. Use the grip tape that was left over after covering the fresh skateboard deck.
The flick and ollie portions of your deck can also be simply sanded. As a result, your board will remain stable while you push and ride and will be less damaging to the trick regions.
Sacrificing Board Feel For Durability
You can get the most long-lasting skate shoes on the market, but you must weigh board feel against durability. Many cupsole skate shoes are more supportive and last longer, but they have less board feel.
While not always a problem, technical skaters typically benefit more from vulcanized shoes. Because of the outer sole’s flexibility and thinness, they provide better board feel. In comparison to lightweight shoes that wear rapidly, skate shoes that feel like bricks make it tougher to perform a tre-flip.
It’s up to you to choose what suits your skating style.
How Long Does It Take To Break in Skate Shoes?
I realize that buying new shoes is a pain. When you receive new shoes, you frequently have to break them in again since you are so accustomed to your old, worn-out shoes. Your shoes feel strange to you, and you can’t quite catch your tre-flips like you used to.
Your new skate shoes need to break in for anywhere from two hours to a day. Depending on the shoe’s brand and style. Because they are more substantial than vulcanized shoes, cupsoles require more time to break in. Cupsoles feel stiffer than vulcanized shoes but are more durable and last longer.
Just take your time; your board’s feel will return as usual.
