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brachialis
May 31, 2012, 7:06 AM
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Registered: May 4, 2008
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'idiocy' maybe isn't the right word to describe the practice, but why do rock shoe cobblers replace the entire outsole of the shoe's forefoot when only the toe is worn?
For now I've given up on having shoes resoled. Two pairs of rock shoes I've now had returned with the outside & inside edges angled sharply inward. First, some years ago I mailed a pair of Scarpa Visions off to Rock & Resole and had them returned like this. Then recently, my beloved pair of Miuras got resoled (and basically ruined) at Cascade Cobbler and were returned with the same error.
Maybe neither cobbler was familiar with Vision or Miura shoes. But really, what rock shoe comes with inward angled edges? This has no conceivable performance advantage, except possibly in cracks... But to return to the original question, why was the whole half sole cut off and replaced? The outside and inside edges were still in good shape, and were dramatically better than what I have now. Of course I marked on the order form that I want new half soles. But the only other option is full soles... (for the person who does heel-toe crack climbing on a daily basis?)
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As a side note, I would highly discourage anyone from having Cascade Cobbler patch your toe rands, except for shoes with a rounded toe box. Because, that's exactly how my Miuras now are (rounded toe box...) My guess is that the shoes were inserted into some generic rock shoe last (5.10 Spire?) and then the work was done. In effect, the toe box was rounded and extended, and despite remaining asymmetrical, the shoe fits now more like a 39.5 Mythos than a 39 Miura. Yes, the work extended the life of the shoe in a way, but it's no longer the same shoe... What used to be my high performance shoes are now what I wear doing endurance circuits in the gym...
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sbaclimber
May 31, 2012, 8:04 AM
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brachialis wrote: But to return to the original question, why was the whole half sole cut off and replaced?
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brachialis
May 31, 2012, 8:35 AM
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Glued to the rand? It is glued to the rand, yes. But the rubber outsole is glued primarily to the midsole or leather (if the shoe has no midsole) The rand is part of the upper shoe, applied to maintain the original shape and to provide grip when directly using the upper in climbing, such as in toe hooking & crack climbing.
On the Vision or Miura, the entire rubber outsole meets the shoe's rands with glue. With a hot blade you can cut off the rubber directly beneath a shoe's toe.
Although I know a lot about climbing shoes and how they're made, I've never resoled a shoe myself. So I will read answers suggesting it's difficult or impossible, but you're going to have to provide some better reason.
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sbaclimber
May 31, 2012, 9:13 AM
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brachialis wrote: I've never resoled a shoe myself. ... but you're going to have to provide some better reason. 
Edit: if you honestly think your idea will work, go ahead and try it out. That's what I did with my "quarter-sole" idea.
If your shoes are getting trashed by commercial resolers anyway, then you don't really have anything to lose...
(This post was edited by sbaclimber on May 31, 2012, 9:22 AM)
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