Custom Speed Skating Shoes
The Groothuis speed skating shoes were conceived out of orthopedic
knowledge, passion for shoes and a love of skating. Our knowledge and
passion has been refined over the years into a high quality product.
Numerous World Championship and Olympic medals have been won on our
shoes, solid proof of their quality and performance. Some well known
champions currently skating on Groothuis shoes are: Jan Blokhuijsen,
Stefan Groothuis, Michel Mulder, Bart Swings, Margot Boer, Thijsje
Oenema and Bo van der Werff, multiple marathon winner Bob de Vries and
young talents like Robert Post! Besides these big names, many
recreational skaters also enjoy skating on Groothuis shoes.
In order to achieve a good pair of shoes, two appointments at Groothuis
are required. The first appointment consists of a guided tour, a foot
examination and a foot impression mould. Then during the second
appointment we check the shape of the produced foot impressions and
discuss your specific needs for the shoes. If having two appointments is
a problem, please contact us to arrange a solution. The whole procedure
is as follows:
Measurement
During the tour of the workshop you will be presented with all of the
different possibilities for shoe outcomes. This gives the best
impression of the method taken during the construction phase, should you
have any requests. After this you will be taken to the foot examination
area where any special features of the feet with be noted. As part of
this process, the pressure distribution across the sole and foot
mobility are investigated. Concluding the foot investigation a plaster
cast will be made of both feet that will later be used to create the
lasts around which your shoes will be constructed.
Fitting
Well molded and accurate lasts are essential to produce good fitting
skating shoes. Creating these personalized lasts is far more than just
creating an impression from plaster casts, it is a complex process that
requires further modeling and adjustments to the casts. Because of the
importance of near perfect lasts, we always produce a plastic test-shoe.
You will be asked to come in when the test shoe is completed so that the
shape of the last can be checked back again against your foot. Using
this process we can assure that you will always get the correct fit from
Groothuis shoes.
The Carbon Shell
The construction of the carbon shell is done using a method that we
ourselves have created specifically. With our method individual
requirements for the hardness, torque and height of the shoe can be
taken into account. Of course, the carbon shell is the most important
component in the construction of a speed skating shoe. By adding a
thermostatically deformable resin to the construction of the shoe, any
pressure points that arise in the final product can easily be resolved
in the future with a heat molding procedure.
The Design
At Groothuis, we have the opportunity to create totally customizable
designs to the upper of the skating shoes we build. The customer is then
able to specify a design for a skating shoe that is totally unique and
suits them. This design of the shoe upper can be decided at the second
meeting when the plastic test-shoe is fitted. We will endeavor to meet
your needs and desires through the upper design as much as possible. As
part of the visit we will present you with a range of what is possible
with the design as well as some photo record of what has been done
before to give you some inspiration. One of the unique possibilities,
apart from custom colors and cuts, is to embroider your name into the
upper of your shoe, this comes at additional cost. As we are constantly
trying to expand our range of customization options, one of the most
recent features to become available is custom advertising sticker. Talk
to us to find out what is possible.
The Shoe Inner and Arch Support
If the foot examination is deemed to have been successful at the time of
the fitting of the test shoe, we can then begin constructing the final
product. To start the construction process the first inner lining and
padding are applied around the last. After this the carbon shell, and
explained above, is manufactured and applied. At this stage your shoes
will be nearly finished and we will be applying all of the
customizations to design and fit that you have specified, so make sure
you give us all your information early. There is still some possibility
at late stages to adjust the height and fit if the shoe if necessary.
The Finish of you Skate Shoe
After the construction has been completed the shoes are now finished by
applying the custom design upper that you have specified. Small touches
such as carbon and leather polishing are the finishing touches.
Note
Our skating shoes are make with the higher quality lasts. This means
that we can use the same last to make more than one pair of shoes for
you later time if you so desire. The great advantage to this is if your
first pair of Groothuis shoes fit perfectly to your tastes, then you can
order a second pair with that same fit. This takes a lot of the guess
work out of re-ordering another pair of custom boots. Other advantages
to this system are that you can carry the same fit across all of your
skating disciplines, short-track, inline and long track. Even though we
keep the same lasts, if you feel that you do need a shape change, small
changes are not a problem.