Almost every short track skater eventually asks the same question in the changing room. Solid colour glove tips or carbon fibre glove tips? They cost different money, they look different on the hand, and the people who swear by each of them tend to swear loudly. This guide compares the two StayBent Quick Tips options we stock at LiveLica, explains what a tip actually does through a corner, and helps you decide which set belongs on your race gloves.
If you are completely new to tips, start with our complete guide to glove tips and cut resistant gloves, then come back here for the buying decision.
What a glove tip actually does through a corner
Short track is raced on a tight oval. To hold a deep lean without falling over, you place your inside hand lightly on the ice as you come through the turn. The hand is not there to hold you up. It is there as a balance reference and as a way to feel where your weight is.
The problem is friction. A bare glove finger has a soft, grippy surface. When it meets ice at racing speed it drags, and that drag pulls your shoulder and hips out of line while also scrubbing off speed. It also wears a hole through the fingertip of an expensive glove within a few sessions.
A glove tip is a hard, smooth cap glued to the fingertip. It skims rather than grabs. Your hand stays where you put it, your line stays clean, and the glove underneath survives the season.
A bare fingertip grabs the ice and pulls you off your line. A hard tip slides, so the hand becomes a reference point rather than a brake.
The two StayBent Quick Tips options at LiveLica
StayBent Quick Tips in solid colours
The solid colour Quick Tips are shaped individually for each finger and come in red, green, blue, black and white. They attach to your gloves with CA glue, which most people know as superglue. They are listed at 3,500 rupees a set.
The shaping matters more than skaters expect. A tip that is moulded for a finger sits flush against the glove, which means the glue joint is loaded evenly and the tip does not peel at one edge after a hard touch down. A generic flat cap glued onto a curved fingertip will always have a weak corner.
StayBent Quick Tips in carbon fibre
The carbon fibre Quick Tips use a carbon weave impregnated with a strong, durable resin. They are lighter than the solid tips and very strong for that weight, and they present a hard, low friction surface to the ice. They fit the same way, with CA glue, and are listed at 5,000 rupees.
Carbon is the choice for skaters who want the top option and who put a hand down often and hard. The weave and resin combination is what gives a stiff cap that does not flex and creep at the glue line.
The two Quick Tips sets do the same job. The difference is material, weight and how much colour choice you want.
How to choose between them
Both sets slide, both glue on the same way and both protect the glove. So the decision comes down to four honest questions.
- How often does your hand actually reach the ice? A skater doing full speed corners in every session loads the tips far more than someone still learning to lean. Heavy users get more from carbon.
- Do you care about matching your kit? Only the solid colour set gives you red, green, blue, black and white. If your club runs a colour, that is a real reason to choose it.
- What is the rest of your setup like? If you are still riding club blades and stock boots, put the extra 1,500 rupees into blade care or a better fitting glove first.
- How much do you dislike refitting tips? A stiffer, tougher cap tends to stay put and stay smooth longer, which means fewer glue sessions the night before a competition.
For most skaters in their first two or three seasons, the solid colour set is the sensible buy. For a racer competing regularly, the carbon set is a small upgrade that you will feel in the last laps of a 1000m, when your hand is going down on every corner and you want it to behave the same way every time.
Which fingers should carry tips?
You do not tip every finger. You tip the fingers that touch the ice, which for most skaters means the outer two or three fingers of the inside hand. Left handers and right handers do not matter here, because in short track everyone corners in the same direction and the left hand is the one that goes down.
Plenty of skaters tip both hands anyway. The reason is practical rather than technical. When you fall, or when you brace after a bump in the pack, the right hand hits the ice too, and a tipped finger slides instead of catching.
Tip the fingers that make contact through the turn. Adding one more than you need costs little and saves a fingertip in a fall.
Fitting Quick Tips so they stay on
Both sets attach with CA glue, and the fitting is where most skaters go wrong. Rushing it is how you end up with a tip on the ice and a bare finger in the corner.
- Clean first. Wipe the fingertip of the glove so there is no dust, sweat salt or fabric softener residue. A clean, slightly rough surface holds glue far better than a smooth, oily one.
- Use a thin layer. A thick bead of superglue looks reassuring and is actually weaker. Thin glue cures properly and grips across the whole contact area.
- Press and hold. Seat the tip square on the finger, press it home and hold it steady while the glue grabs.
- Cure fully before skating. Fit tips the night before, not in the car park. Glue that is still curing will peel on the first corner.
- Check the edges. Run a fingernail around the rim. If any part lifts, add a touch of glue there and hold it again.
Do the whole set in one sitting so the tips wear evenly, and keep a spare tip or two in your kit bag. Losing one at a competition is not a disaster if you can refit it that evening.
The gloves underneath matter as much as the tips
Tips only work if the glove holds its shape and the fingertip does not move around under the cap. A loose glove lets the tip rotate, which stresses the glue joint and gives you a vague feeling on the ice.
Most racers pair tips with StayBent Cut Resistant Gloves, which are built for short track and come in sizes XS to XL. They are also the gloves to wear when you sharpen blades, because a sharpening session puts your hands right next to a keen edge. If you want a simpler training glove, the LiveLica Skate Gloves cover everyday sessions.
When to replace a tip
Tips are consumables. The signs that one is finished are easy to read once you know them.
- A flat, scored face. A tip that has worn flat with deep scratches has stopped sliding cleanly and started grabbing.
- A lifting edge. Any rim you can catch a fingernail under will peel off on the ice, usually at the worst moment.
- A cracked cap. A crack changes how the tip loads and can cut the glove underneath.
- A change in feel. If your hand suddenly feels sticky through the turn, look at the tip before you blame your technique.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first is treating tips as a substitute for balance. A tip lets you refine a lean you already own. It will not hold you up if your weight is in the wrong place, and leaning on the hand is a habit that is very hard to unlearn later.
The second is fitting tips to a glove that is already worn through. Glue does not bond well to frayed fabric, and a tip that is holding a hole together will come away.
The third is mixing materials across one hand. If two fingers carry carbon and one carries a solid tip, they wear at different rates and feel slightly different on the ice, which is exactly the sort of small inconsistency you do not want in a corner.
Frequently asked questions
Are carbon fibre tips actually faster?
They give a hard, low friction surface and they are lighter and very strong, so they hold that surface well under heavy use. The honest answer is that the gain over a good solid tip is small, and it matters most to skaters who touch down often and race regularly.
Can I fit Quick Tips to any glove?
You can fit them to any glove with a sound, clean fingertip. They are shaped for fingers, so they sit best on a close fitting race glove rather than a loose training mitt.
How many tips do I need?
Count the fingers you actually put on the ice. Most skaters tip two or three fingers on the inside hand, and many tip the other hand as well for falls and bumps.
Do I need cut resistant gloves as well?
They are a sensible layer in a sport raced in close packs with sharp blades, and they are the gloves we recommend whenever you handle or sharpen a blade. Tips and cut resistance solve different problems, so most racers run both.
What glue should I use?
CA glue, also known as superglue. Clean the glove, use a thin layer, press the tip on and let it cure fully before you skate.
The short version
Solid colour Quick Tips at 3,500 rupees are the sensible everyday choice and the only option if you want to match a club colour. Carbon fibre Quick Tips at 5,000 rupees are the pick for racers who put a hand down on every corner and want the strongest, lightest cap available. Either way, fit them properly, tip the fingers that touch the ice, and replace them before they wear flat.
Browse the full StayBent short track accessories collection to see the tips, gloves and blade care kit together.
