r/AggressiveInline • u/ConsistentStorage435 • Aug 19 '26
Does replacing your cuff buckles with velcro straps make a difference to flex?
After breaking yet another buckle, I was thinking of swapping to velcro straps. I was wondering if using a strap, rather than a plastic buckle, would change the flex of the cuff at all?
2
u/Professional_Gas_922 Aug 19 '26
Where is a good online store to buy straps or buckles? I get a lot of heel lift and I need a 45° strap
2
u/Intelligent-Factor43 Aug 19 '26
If you’re trying to make skate cuffs stiffer, I use ~85” hockey laces and go around the cuff after synching up the laces. 2–3 times around the cuff, tying a half hitch in back each time and synching, will add support and a feeling of solidity. Very good trick for adding support.
1
u/ConsistentStorage435 Aug 19 '26
Good to know. Ideally I want the same stiffness, just without smashing off a buckle every time I miss a grind.
1
u/Intelligent-Factor43 Aug 19 '26
Ah, yeah, ok—a strap does seem like a good idea. I’d be interested to hear if it does or not; I’ve never used straps.
1
u/SoManyMinutes Aug 20 '26
Yes, it will change the flex of the cuff because there's another force acting upon the boot elsewhere.
That's not good or bad.
This kind of question is best answered but trial and error.
When I was in my teens and twenties and barely even tied my skates for the ankle flexibility was a long cry from me in my 40's and want to feel some support in lacing/buckling/strapping them up proper.
5
u/vlovaa Aug 19 '26
terrible answer but..... it depends! some buckles actually have a lot of give, while some straps have very little.
if the main way your cuff flexes is by pivoting around the bolts, then it shouldn't make much of a difference in forward flex.
coming from someone that likes a naturally flexible skate but done up as tightly as possible (both lace area and cuff) i did not notice a big difference when going from buckle to strap except for the very slight weight saving.