London climbing shoe resoles #2

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climbingnoob 01 Dec 2019

So I got two identical shoes resoled and promised an update once I got them back and tested them. One pair at the westway, and one pair at vibram academy resoles in london. At first I was impressed with the vibram job, but when I tested both shoes when I got them both back, I was shocked by how bad the Vibram job was.

Westway shoes felt like normal climbing shoes and they did a pretty good job. The Vibram guys butchered my shoes. The sole is concave and like a football now - that kind of crazy curve on the bottom. Also, I've lost all trust in my feet when wearing the vibram resoled shoes. I'm really upset cos I climbed some hard routes in these shoes and they have some sentimental value. £40 down the drain. I literally can't even do v2's in these shoes - feet just slide off everything, and the shape of the shoe doesn't help. Another weird thing is that my toes feel further away from the front edge and I can't edge anymore. I don't feel the wall or trust my feet like I used to before with the shoes. Now I know some of you may be thinking that this is normal for resoled shoes, but it's not. I've had the same shoes resoled twice by Chida and they've come back with a good shape and I could climb fine in them. This time I try a new company, they come back a total mess!

so it's a -1 for Vibram academy for me and a +1 for Westway resoles.

Post edited at 09:26
 asteclaru 01 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

Who's 'Chida' and how good the resoles from Westway actually are (pretty good is how I would describe something not bad, but not especially good either).

I need my shoes resoled too. I was thinking of sending them to shoedoc in Greece as they seem to be the best in the biz, but if I can get as good a resole somewhere more locally, I would rather do that.

Llanberis Resoles are busy until mid-February and both Feet First and Cheshire Shoes seem hit and miss.

 bouldery bits 01 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

Chida can do it!

 asteclaru 01 Dec 2019
In reply to bouldery bits:

Thanks, but I have no idea who Chida is. Have you got any contact details, a website, anything?

climbingnoob 01 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

Chida took 4 months to resole my shoes last time. Not a guy to go to if you need shoes fast. Also, as he has gained in popularity his workmanship has reduced in quality, hence why I tried westway and vibram academy. I have a precious pair of verdes I need to resole. They are like 10 years old. Not sure who to send them to. Tempted by the greece guy. Is this the same guy that was mentioned in my thread before this? 

 asteclaru 01 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

I don't know who you were recommended in your previous thread, but his name is George and every thread I have found on resoles speaks highly of him. His business' page on Facebook is Papoytsi Express High Tech Services. You can find all his contact details there. Looks like a very professional outfit.

I just received his reply to my enquiry today.

Prices are €30/pair for resoles and €4/shoe for rand work (on one of my shoes the lining inside has come apart, so the shoe will have to be taken apart and a new midsole put in and then everything stitched back together). €5 for postage back if you want it through registered mail with tracking number.

Rubber choice is Vibram XS Edge or XS Grip II (both available in either 4 or 3.5 mm) or Unparallel RH  in 4.2 mm. I'm resoling a pair of UP Lace, so I'll either stick with the Unparallel rubber or go for one of the XS Edge variants from Vibram (I find the UP rubber a bit too stiff for an all-around shoe). Unfortunately it doesn't seem like he would be able to use 5.10 rubber on your shoes, but you can always ask.

Current turn around is 6 weeks.

All in all everything seems very reasonable, so I'll probably send mine to him.

climbingnoob 01 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

Yup in my previous thread I found this:

George Vlahandreas
fixarock@gmail.com

Shipping Address;
George Vlahandreas
High Tech Services
29 Thiseos St.
Maroysi 15124
Greece

Must be good. might be worth a punt on. I want to extend the life of my beloved verdes.

climbingnoob 01 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

btw, coincidentall been eyeing up a pair of unparrallel up lace shoes. How are they? Know any places that have them on sale at the moment? Why do the black friday sales never have anything I want in them!

climbingnoob 01 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

hi sorry mate, I forgot to reply to  your post. Out of 10, vibram is 1/10, westway is 6/10, chida is about 6/10 too. Chida is some guy who works at the castle climbing centre and resoles shoes in his spare time (when he's not working), so turnaround is very very slow. That said, he does a half decent job (or used to), but the last pair I had done were kind of butchered - they were okay, but nowhere near the first two times I had resoles done by him so hence why i'm looking for a new place. I don't you can post to him directly - he runs a drop off and collection service from the castle shop in london.

 asteclaru 01 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

Yep, that's the guy. I'll send mine to him as it sounds like he's one of the best in the business and I really want the resole to be top notch: I'd rather just buy a new pair than have a crappy resole.

If you're not in a hurry to get your Verdes done, I can let you know how I get on (we could even meet up at a wall so you can see it in person if you wanted to see the job first hand).

Regarding the UP Laces. I really like them, but then again, they're one of the few models that actually fit my feet, so I'm rather limited in choice. I had 5.10 Anasazis Pink before I got the Lace, and they are very similar in fit, except that the Lace is better in every way. They edge really well, but that does mean that their smearing ability is a bit lacking. So, given that they're my only shoes and I need them to be more of an all-arounder, I think I'll get them resoled with a somewhat softer rubber.

 LGraham 01 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

I posted my shoes to him via the castle shop and he posted them back. 

 Tom Last 02 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

+1 for George in Greece

 AlanLittle 02 Dec 2019
In reply to asteclaru:

If you're willing to send them to Greece you could also try these guys. https://www.kletterschuhreparatur.de/en/climbing-shoes.html

I've used them for years, more than satisfied with them. Just got my last pair of pre "cosmetic" "improvement" Miura Laces back from them yesterday - better than new.

climbingnoob 02 Dec 2019
In reply to LGraham:

how long did he take?

climbingnoob 02 Dec 2019
In reply to AlanLittle:

Hi Alan, I checked out their website and it doesn't say how much it costs. How much does it cost inc. rand?

Thanks!

 AlanLittle 02 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

Pricing page is here: https://www.kletterschuhreparatur.de/en/pricing.html

"Rubber edge" is their attempt to translate "rand" without realising it's actually the same word in English & German

 LGraham 02 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

5 weeks door-to-door, cost £36 for Vibram XS Grip, rands, and postage back. 

I’m not sure if that is a typical turnaround time, when I sent them every other resoler I could find good reviews of was either away (Llanberis, ‘George in Greece’) or quoting long turnarounds (FeetFirst, I think it was 12 weeks!) so he was probably pretty busy. 

 Å ljiva 03 Dec 2019
In reply to LGraham:

Westway do a good job. 

 Cyrees 03 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

Not to throw a spanner in the works of anyone's review, but I just got four pairs back from Vibram and am very happy with the quality, plus the speed. Definitely appreciated the reliability and professionalism, so perhaps worth giving them another look...

climbingnoob 07 Dec 2019
In reply to AlanLittle:

These guys are reasonably priced! £36 for the pair inc. rand, and they have an option of only resoling one shoe lol! I always only get holes in one, so think this is a good option! . How's the quality with their resoles?

Btw, I emailed George in Greece asking about resoles but have not heard back from him yet - starting to wondering this mythical resoler actually exists? Hmm.

climbingnoob 07 Dec 2019
In reply to Cyrees:

My friends have also had a good experience - maybe I was just unlucky lol?

Deadeye 07 Dec 2019
In reply to Tom Last:

> +1 for George in Greece


Make that +2 (or +9 if you count how many pairs he's done for me)

climbingnoob 07 Dec 2019
In reply to Deadeye:

has George always done a good job for you? I've got a very special pair of 8-10 year old verdes that are due for a resole soon. They have a LOT of sentimental value so only looking for the best after that bad vibram experience! Westway did an okay job, but not good enough to send my verdes to. 

Post edited at 22:16
Deadeye 07 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

Hi

I've tried feet first and cheshire as well.

I know what you mean about a "special" pair - I have some talismanic boots too - and I'd send them to George.

Tell him they're important to you and go for one of the thinner rubbers (maybe a 3.5); I think you'll be pleased.

What I would add is that resoled boots take a few sessions to wear in just as new ones do.

 Donotello 07 Dec 2019
In reply to Cyrees:

How do you send the shoes to Vibram? Cheers.

In reply to climbingnoob:

Another big plus for George, over many years I have had 10+ sets resoled with him and all have been perfect. 1 pair the stitching went on the when I got them back (not his fault) but he repaired it for free when I sen them in with the next lot.

And on top of that he is a really nice guy.

 Cyrees 08 Dec 2019
In reply to Donotello:

Live in London so just dropped them off in person!

climbingnoob 08 Dec 2019
In reply to Deadeye:

Hi again, just wondering, how do I arrange George to resole my shoes? I sent him two e-mails asking how it works and if there's a form to fill out and as of yet, i've not heard back from him. Bit wary of sending shoes out without even getting an e-mail back!

climbingnoob 08 Dec 2019
In reply to Donotello:

Not worth the agro! I met a mate at the climbing gym today and he had his first pair resoled by them and he had the same grievances as me - thick rand rubber and a funny non-flat sole. He told me he finds them weird to climb in due to the thick rand - basically you feel like you're futher away from the wall.

Post edited at 19:17
Deadeye 08 Dec 2019
In reply to climbingnoob:

> I sent him two e-mails asking how it works and if there's a form to fill out and as of yet, i've not heard back from him.

Easy, tiger.  You first asked specifically about George on Saturday evening and it's only Sunday now, so maybe give the guy a chance?

His website and phone numbers are here:

http://www.shoedoc.eu/contact.htm

He's a one man band, not Amazon.

 Donotello 09 Dec 2019
In reply to Cyrees:

Same thing someone said in the last thread when I asked. It Suprises me so many climbers seem to live in London, what a terrible place to live as a climber. (sorry)
 

No ones really mentioned a decent U.K. based postal re-soler, would love to know. 
 

Removed User 09 Dec 2019
In reply to Donotello:

>  No ones really mentioned a decent U.K. based postal re-soler, would love to know

Torquil at Llanberis Resoles has done a good job on some shoes of mine in the past:

https://www.llanberisresoles.com/

 galpinos 09 Dec 2019
In reply to Removed UserBwox:

> >  No ones really mentioned a decent U.K. based postal re-soler, would love to know

> Torquil at Llanberis Resoles has done a good job on some shoes of mine in the past:

...but not accepting resoles until mid-feb.....

 Cyrees 10 Dec 2019
In reply to Donotello:

No apologies needed. Completely agree, but unfortunately I work a job that only exists in London

climbingnoob 10 Dec 2019
In reply to galpinos:

Also llanberis doesn't do resoles on shoes that have been resoled elsewhere. Very strange rule - feel like i've been penalised for using Chida lol.

Post edited at 21:15
climbingnoob 09 Jan 2020
In reply to ecrinscollective:

Sent off an old pair of pinks to George. Let’s hope he can undo the mess caused by another resoler and restore the original shape! 😊

climbingnoob 24 Jan 2020
In reply to climbingnoob:

Shoes now done by George. Pics he sent me look good! Can’t wait to try them on! Hopefully done a better job than vibram academy! Personally would recommend avoiding VA for climbing shoes. 

 Jubjab 19 Feb 2020
In reply to climbingnoob:

another great guy is Shoe Doctor: https://shoedoctor.eu/en/us/ which is based in Slovenia. Resoled two pairs last November and the quality was great!

Postage is expensive so it's worth teaming up with others or send several pairs to get postage / pair down.

Post edited at 10:42
 Luke_92 19 Feb 2020
In reply to climbingnoob:

Just to add to the list, I'm also a fan of George in Greece. Made my Instincts maybe even better than new. Will certainly be using him next time. 

climbingnoob 23 Feb 2020
In reply to Luke_92:

After wearing my resoled shoes for a while I've got mixed feelings. Where George did a fantastic job overall, the shape of the shoe is not the same in two big ways. The heel was redone completely and ended up being less tight than originally, making heel hooks hard. Also, the shape of the shoe felt bigger after rebreaking them in, and I find myself popping off edges and not trusting my feet on the wall. This may be to do with the original shape being ruined during previous resolers and George not being able to undo their errors, but worth mentioning nonetheless.

After using these shoes through I will retire them once and for all. I think they've had 4 or 5 resoles now and are pas their sell by date!

+1 for George in Greece

Top class work, well worth the wait. 


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