G5 pad adjustments

[CraigS]

Hi all…latched onto new G5 pads a couple months ago…paired with a demo GT2 glove and blocker.  Awesome set all around, love the glove and blocker but struggling to get used to the new pads.  My history…I’m pretty much a grey beard, started playing when I was 47 and almost 51 now.  I’ve been in used Reebok, Brian’s Alite, Optik 1’s and Velocity V7.  As far as fit/feel the Alites were the best…should have kept them…oh well.  

With the G5’s, I tried them stock with the toe ties and boot straps but found, depending on how I go down I was landing quite high on the knee stack.  I am in the right size - 35’s.  I dropped the strap behind my knee down to the calf and it didn’t help and made me feel like the tops of the pads were always interfering with each other.  Next step was adding some length to the toe tie (thanks VOGoalie for the no sew idea!) and removed the boot strap. Definitely helped me land properly on the knee stack most of the time.  Strap behind the knee was ok in this configuration but tried dropping it to my calf attach point today and didn’t like it at all so have moved the strap back to the behind the knee position again.

so…is this amount of “playing around” and struggling normal with a new, stiff pad, or am I trying too hard to get the pads working for me?  I am really finding that the knee stacks interfere with each other when I am skating and the tops of the pad get caught up on each other in a normal stance.  Normal when getting used to a new pad?  I saw the older thread comparing the G4 with the GT2 and especially the comments by #Puckstopper who has had both…maybe I am more suited to the style of the GT2 pad?  Thinking of going to the Pro Lace ties, have always used them and liked them.

would appreciate any advice…

 

[CJ Boiss]

I went from a 35" G3 to a 36" G4. Took me ten or so skates before I figured out how to adjust the strapping in a way that felt comfortable.

With the G3s I strapped down to my calf, G4s I go behind the knee. Toe elastics and boot straps stayed the same tightness, and I run the boot strap behind my foot, through the Lundy loop; with my G3s, it kept my knee from falling off the top of the block, with my G4s it keeps my knee from falling off the bottom of the block. Calf wrap kept as loose as possible with both.

If you're familiar with Pro Lace ties, putting those on can't hurt if the stock toe elastics feel off.

I haven't noticed the knee blocks interfering with my skating, with either pad, but I did notice more contact between the tops of my thigh rises with the G4s (naturally, they're larger pads); that is just a "getting used to it" thing, provided the pad is sized correctly. If you don't want to adjust to it you can always go the drastic route of chopping the thigh rise down; personally, I'd just get a different kind of pad with less thigh rise.

[cuprajake]

I have g5 and i like you dont like the knee to calf,

 

what i do though is take the stock knee wing off, then get a piece of sticky back velcro - fold this ove on itself on to a piece of cord, i use paracord then i lace this tab into the pad, where the stock one goes, 

what this does is allow a tight knee, but no digging in from the knee wing, i then have the lower calf strap loose and just a toe tie, note i dont use the webbing clip strap on the knee.

ill try and get pics tonight

[CraigS]

Thanks! I’m going to put the boot strap back and try the Lundy loop today.  The Optiks I had for a short time felt very similar at the top and in the knee block so maybe just getting used to a stiffer pad?

[CraigS]

Tried the Lundy Loop today after a quick skate modification…RBZ 80’s don’t have a loop.  It is exactly what I needed! They played and felt great! All it took was a little Velcro, webbing material and super glue to make the skate ready for the loop!

Edited December 1, 2021 by CraigS

[CJ Boiss]

12 minutes ago, CraigS said:

Tried the Lundy Loop today after a quick skate modification…RBZ 80’s don’t have a loop.  It is exactly what I needed! They played and felt great! All it took was a little Velcro, webbing material and super glue to make the skate ready for the loop!

It's amazing what a single elastic strap behind the heel of the skate does, eh?

[CraigS]

It was perfect…thanks for the advice!

[ArdeFIN]

Topic matches with a bit of a different approach on my behalf. I'm used to play in R/GT pads 33+1,5" and now took a chance to buy G5 SR+ pads in 34+1,5".

The bigger size fits me perfectly and seems that I'm in nice middle space between 33 and 34 in Warrior sizing.

The question I have is that now as I have 5 icetimes of experience with the G5 and two in between with the GT for reference. I find that the G5 leg channel is way too open to what I prefer. This is evident when I try to skate in G5. The thigh rises sort of hang inwards and then touch each other gently but enough to interfere. Playing only the basic goalie there is not that much of a trouble and the feel while butterflying etc is pretty much the same compared to GT.

So the first option was to strap the calf strap through the opening on the flap to cinch it in. This turned things to the other direction that I was looking for, pads were interacting even more (splitting hairs but I could feel the difference). It actually seems to pull the inner calf flap in more than the outer which then leads to my knee pushing even more outwards.

Do I have anything else to try out with the G5 strapping or do I have to install the Professor straps in and see if they have the desired effect.

Second option would be to install some padding or pillow to the outer calf flap to push my legs toward the other sidewall of the legchannel.

Ah yes, I have elastic toe strap, not boot, no lundy, calf cinched just so that the calf flaps are edge to edge and the knee strap down to calf. Lifting the knee strap would definitely help a bit but that is not an option, I like my knees free.

[ArdeFIN]

One experiment more, yesterday I tried to cinch the calf strap as much as there was space at the "soft side" not knowledgeing that it is fully adjustable on both ends which I didn't check at all. But still it helped a lot with that maybe 20mm tighter setting. No significant rotation problems or bad feelings about things being tighter and skating around was a lot easier.

I'll just have to recheck the calf adjustments to be sure and maybe release some more space if there is some available.

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