UKH

Before the weekend I received a pair of shoes I'd sent off for a resole. Sole was thin and toe box squishy but no holes, thought it best to send off. After a couple of climbs on Saturday I noticed the rubber has gone through where sole meets toe. Is this unreal expectation from me in getting resoled or should I phone them to raise the issue?

In reply to dilatory:

Did they just replace the soles or part of the toe rand as well? I'd expect a good resoler to recognise when the toe rand needs replacing, even if you've only asked for the sole. I'd get in touch with them.

In reply to drysori:

Just the sole it appears. I didn't think to specify as expected it to be done if required. That is for your reply, just wanted to make sure I wasn't being an arse.

In reply to dilatory:

I would say phone them for sure - or phone me if it was me (Llanberis Resoles).

Did you ask for the rands to be done? On my order forms I have "Yes, No, If Necessary" tick boxes for the rand question, if someone ticks NO and I can do the resole without them then I will, if they tick NO and I think they need it I'll ring them to check - as I will if if they tick YES and I don't think they need it.

If they tick IF NECESSARY then its a question of what I feel is appropriate, which normally is obvious but sometimes is very hard to tell. If there are no actual holes, and no obvious thin spots then I wont do the rand reapir- but there can be cases where the rubber was thin and wears through quickly but there were no outward signs - I suspect that's what has happened with yours.

In general I only do rands if they are really necessary as a rand repair will always change the shape of a shoe more than just a resole - catching your shoes early and not doing rands is the way to keep the shoes fit and feel.

In a case like yours I would simply redo the resole, only charging the extra part that the rand repair would have cost first time around. I'd expect other resolers to do the same.

Torquil - Llanberis Resoles

In reply to torquil:

No Stealth C4 anymore? Is there a Vibram equivalent? I'm reluctant to use a different rubber as I'm very used to the "creep" of stealth.

In reply to torquil:

Hi Torquil,

The shoes have been sent back for correction (wasn't yourself). Order form stated that toe rands were included so left it at that, I was keen to get them sorted before I knackered the toe but didn't think I'd mention it on the form. Rubber was very thin and squishy to the touch but mistakes can be made.

In future I'd probably use you (since being local and able to drop them off at V12 will be dead handy) as I've heard lots of good things, but these were only comfy shoes anyway.

In reply to dilatory:

Good to know it wasn't me! Thin and squishy to the touch does sound like a bit of a giveaway that they needed doing - tbh the stiffer the toe box the easier it is to get caught out by a hidden thin rand but with a soft toe box you should be able to feel if there's a problem.

If you catch them early enough so they don't need the rand and drop them off at v12 then I'm cheaper than Cheshire anyway!

In reply to galpinos:

-No Stealth C4 anymore?

Sorry no, i'm not dealing with 5.10 at all at the moment.

C4 is a fair bit stiffer than any Vibram rubber when new - it does soften up pretty quickly though and end up similar to XS Edge which starts softer but doesn't change as much. I'd say C4 is the least grippy of any of them but the most hard wearing. XS Grip2 is the most grippy but quickest wearing. XS Edge is somewhere in between.