Ti vs. Carbon Fiber - Page 7 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-09-2005, 07:56 AM

Tom Sherman <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>I wish my favorite pair of walking boots would last forever, so I would
>not need to shop for a new pair ever again. The same for my Sidi
>Dominator II shoes.

In the spirit of "reduce, reuse, recycle," I've decided that a good
cobbler is a good thing to find.

The 20yr old boots--maybe $150 new--just got back, reconditioned and
with new full soles and heels, for $65.

The favorite Birkenstocks--about $120 new--just back (actually from
Birkenstock's repair facility), reconditioned and with new footbeds
and soles, for $65.

A fraction of the price of their new equivalents, and they still seem
to be the same old shoes I've known and loved.

Perhaps there are equivalents for Sidi, et al--whether from the
factory or some third-party specialty shoe repair biz??

03-09-2005, 12:38 PM

Neil Brooks wrote:

> Tom Sherman <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>> I wish my favorite pair of walking boots would last forever, so I
>> would not need to shop for a new pair ever again. The same for my
>> Sidi Dominator II shoes.
>
> In the spirit of "reduce, reuse, recycle," I've decided that a good
> cobbler is a good thing to find.
>
> The 20yr old boots--maybe $150 new--just got back, reconditioned and
> with new full soles and heels, for $65.
>
> The favorite Birkenstocks--about $120 new--just back (actually from
> Birkenstock's repair facility), reconditioned and with new footbeds
> and soles, for $65.
>
> A fraction of the price of their new equivalents, and they still seem
> to be the same old shoes I've known and loved.
>
> Perhaps there are equivalents for Sidi, et al--whether from the
> factory or some third-party specialty shoe repair biz??

Absoutely. We put some new soles made of rock climbing rubber on the bottoms of
some road shoes once. This worked really well. In fact I recommend it. It's
sure as hell better than portaging over wet rocks in plasticky Sidi MTB shoes.
The problem is finding that good cobbler.

Climbing and outdoor magazines usually have ads for cobblers who specialize in
climbing shoes and mountaineering boots. This is one area where there will
probably always be a demand. These boots are very expensive and only need soles
replaced periodically. It's really no different resoling a bike shoe than a
rock climbing shoe -- peel or grind the old sole off, glue a new one on, and
trim it. These cobblers are likely to have the right materials on hand also,
compared to city cobblers who mostly work on fine dress shoes.

There used to be a guy in Utah who made custom bike shoes. I forget the name
though.

Matt O.

03-09-2005, 02:09 PM

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:38:49 -0500, <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
speaking of cobblers, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> concluded:

>
>There used to be a guy in Utah who made custom bike shoes. I forget the name
>though.

Rocket 7 is in Puyallup, WA. They send you a casting kit for fitting.
The CF footbeds look interesting.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
--
zk

03-09-2005, 04:30 PM

Zoot Katz wrote:

> Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:38:49 -0500, <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
> speaking of cobblers, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> concluded:

>> There used to be a guy in Utah who made custom bike shoes. I forget
>> the name though.

> Rocket 7 is in Puyallup, WA. They send you a casting kit for fitting.
> The CF footbeds look interesting.
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Looks great! I'm happy with my Sidis, but for those who aren't...

I wonder if they're leather, or syn-leather -- the best stuff there is, but the
most expensive.

Matt O.

03-09-2005, 09:57 PM

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 19:30:45 -0500, <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>>
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
>Looks great! I'm happy with my Sidis, but for those who aren't...
>
>I wonder if they're leather, or syn-leather -- the best stuff there is, but the
>most expensive.

The site claims "Lorica micro-fiber leather" and nylon mesh for most
models. Lorica appears to be the same synthetic material used in Sidi
shoes.

I had thin rubber soles and ultra low heel glued my old kangaroo
Addidas Eddy Merckx "Mexico City" shoes. They've become a good touring
shoe for platform pedals with toke lips.

I've another pair of kangaroo dress shoes that will not die. That
stuff's tough for something that will compost.
--
zk

03-09-2005, 10:48 PM

Neil Brooks wrote:

> Tom Sherman <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>
>>I wish my favorite pair of walking boots would last forever, so I would
>>not need to shop for a new pair ever again. The same for my Sidi
>>Dominator II shoes.
>
>
> In the spirit of "reduce, reuse, recycle," I've decided that a good
> cobbler is a good thing to find.
>
> The 20yr old boots--maybe $150 new--just got back, reconditioned and
> with new full soles and heels, for $65.
>
> The favorite Birkenstocks--about $120 new--just back (actually from
> Birkenstock's repair facility), reconditioned and with new footbeds
> and soles, for $65.
>
> A fraction of the price of their new equivalents, and they still seem
> to be the same old shoes I've known and loved.

The best part of having leather boots resoled is that there is no real
break-in required.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

03-09-2005, 10:52 PM

Matt O'Toole wrote:

> ...
> Absoutely. We put some new soles made of rock climbing rubber on the bottoms of
> some road shoes once. This worked really well. In fact I recommend it. It's
> sure as hell better than portaging over wet rocks in plasticky Sidi MTB shoes....

I regularly apply a coating of Shoe Goo to the bottom of Sidi shoes. It
makes staying upright during urban riding in rainy weather much easier
(I usually put my left foot down while stopped, where it ends up in the
area between the normal automotive wheel paths that can be quite
slippery from oil.)

--
Tom Sherman - Earth