We've recently been contacted by customers who have purchased a skate chassis to install on their skates asking advice "How do I fit a plate to my Boot?". There's good and bad information on the internet and thought this would offer skaters wanting to build their own set-up some of the pitfalls, what to avoid, how to align the chassis and most importantly, what to expect when you've drilled the boot.

So, the photo above is one example of BAD alignment. The plates will be fitted in a V-shape, making an uncomfortable and tiring skate experience. Thankfully, the customer didn't drill the holes for this skate but instead, listened to the advice we offered and installed the chassis in line with the boot. 

So, our advice and recommendation to all skaters wanting to fit their own chassis is the following...

After you’ve successfully removed the ice chassis from the skate, you’ll need to align the skate chassis to the boot. There are a number of methods to complete this. the easiest tried and tested method is to look for the centre mark of the skate - this can be found on the boot moulding - a line marked from the toe to the heel and identify the centre line. this is naturally where the ice blade is mounted and the skate chassis should replicate this central alignment (see image below).

Measure the length of the soleplate from toe to heel to decide what size plate you need to purchase. Brites Plates are available in the following sizes:-

9.25" (coming soon)
9 7/8" - 10 colours / 252 colour combinations
10.5" - 10 colours / 252 colour combinations
11" - 10 colours / 252 colour combinations
11.5" (coming soon)

Depending on the boot, the alignment may vary from skate to skate, different sizes, models and even left/right boots may differ slightly due to manufacturing processes. Please be aware the distance between A and b is not the same and the skate chassis will overlap the bridge of the boot to achieve perfect alignment.

The most important consideration is the alignment of the skate chassis to ensure it runs true from toe to heel, along the central line thereby balancing the pivot point.

On some occasions, the distance between the toe and heel may differ. This is to prevent opening existing ice skate chassis holes from becoming too large/unstable. Ensuring the boot is properly aligned, is unlikely to have any significant effect on your skating style and will always ensure the boots are properly matched to provide a positive skate experience.

If you are converting a pair of ice skates or roller blades, you will need a skate heel and fixing kit. If you are converting a pair of trainers, a fixing kit is all you need to build up a pair of skates, offering the strongest fixing available. We do not recommend bolts as they can pull through the boot/tear the sole.