AG + RS + VE + ML

For the last few months toe cuts have been the latest craze. It seems that it’s every rollerbladers dream to fit into a size 3 skate, and while that vivid wet dream of having the skates off of barbie’s feet may be distant to some, others are getting closer to it by snapping the toes off of their skates. For lack of a better example (but probably the best example) we will be using the Valo AB.1 available here. This procedure can be done on all Valo models and come similarly done on ALL nimh skates. You can do this on any skate that has an over boot. Models that I can think of off the top of my head include some USD Grycon skates, Some of the older Cults, heck you might even be able to do it on some RB’s even though I don’t think there is a whole lot to deal with up there anyways…

How to: Valo Toe cut from AGGRESSIVEMALL on Vimeo.

What’s that you say? Toe cuts aren’t for you? Why not? everyone is doing them, so why shouldn’t you? Well you may not have to but if you want to here’s how you do it… or at least how I did it. Check more after the jump!

Ok so some of the benefits of toe cuts are as follows.

1. Fit a smaller skate. While this may work for some it will not work for all. I am a size 9 and there is no way I can go down two whole sizes. I have tired it and there is no way I am getting my foot into a 7. If you are on the edge of a shell size this procedure may help you get into the smaller shell size.

2. Fit the skate size you should fit. I am 9, My friend is a 9.5. I seem to fit most of the Valo’s in size 9 no problem, but he can’t. Since the liners have some neoprene in the front they WILL stretch. The toe cut allows him to fit the 9 skate with out any problems

3. Fit an aftermarket liner. Most aftermarket liners are a bit bigger and feature more padding than the stock liners half theses skates come with. If you toe cut the skates you will find that you can fit a wide assortment of liners into them without any troubles.

4. Why not? everyone else is doing it.

Ok here we go…

Tools you will need (that I used).

1. Sharpie pen. Any pen that will mark on the boot shell, heck you can use your moms lipstick

2. The standard allen wrenches that come with your skates. (to get the parts off)

3. Angle grinder. I use this because it’s fast. Some people may opt to use a hack saw, or a dremel.

4. Cut off wheel. I use a thin metal cut off wheel. Cuts through the plastic like it’s nothing.

5. Grinding wheel. I use a standard metal grinding wheel. You will need this to make everything look pretty when it’s all done.

Now that you have all your tools in order you are ready to start.

I have skipped the step where take the frames off. If you can’t already do that, STOP NOW AND GIVE UP. So start by taking off the grind inserts/midsouls. Just unscrew all those little bolts. put them in a little box or something so you don’t lose them.

Nice, you got them off…

You know those little baby allen wrenches that come with your skates? Well here is what they are for. Removing the buckles!

Ahhh, here we are. Okay unscrew those little screws one by one. You may have to end up holding the backsides of them with vice grips or a little open end wrench to stop them from spinning. This step can be a pain in the ass. In fact now that I recount, I hate it the most. Save the bolts in your little box deal along with the buckles.

Take out you liners. I shouldn’t need to post a picture of that either. Then get rough with the memory buckle. You should be able to spot where it is clipped in and just press it out with your two hands. If you can’t do it have your mom or sister help you, wimp.

Got the buckles out? Good… now start slipping the skin off the boot. You may have the bend the plastic part where the buckle mounts but it’s super easy.

Alright here is where you can feel free to get creative. Some people cut a lot out, others cut a little. I like to leave the shell intact where the laces are because this keeps the integrity in the skates. So what I am basically going to do is cut off the shiny part of the toe. GET YOUR F’N PEN OUT AND MARK IT WITH ME NOW!

There you have it. Lined up and ready to cut. Notice how I curved it back a little? This will allow slightly more relief on the ball of your foot along with the outside edge of your foot.

Time to get out your safety goggles! Wouldn’t want any flying debris to get in those eyes of yours.

While securing the boot with one hand, flip the grinder on, juggle it few times for good measure and begin cutting with the other. Just follow your line and you should be cool. Don’t worry about being too exact as we will come back and clean it all up with the grinding wheel later.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Once it’s cut through for the most part and hanging on by a thread or two, sift through your piles of plastic powder and pull it off. Beware of molten plastic! It’s going to look awful and all jagged. But we are going to fix that here in the next step.

Put your grinding wheel on and smooth away! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Once you finished with that, you can see that it looks pretty clean.

There you have it. Liner and soul plates back on for a mock up. I sincerely hope you know how to put them back together. You can see how much room you have now. At least 1/8″ in just removing the plastic. With an additional 1/2″ all the way up to the soul plate. If you wanted to put a bigger liner in them I think you could get away with it by cutting back further back on the sides and wouldn’t be a problem. Just be sure to remember your toe is exposed and you can now easily smash it. Oh and you can’t return them once you do this, so I hope you like them!

-Justin

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 7:58 pm and is filed under Valo skates, 2008, HOW 2. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.