For any bike shoe repair experts, has anyone here had success with re bonding road shoe soles, or Mtn bike shoes for that matter? Be sure to share methods, bot prep, cleaning and the clamping and tools, as well as the glue products used, and every step of the process. I have a few ideas on adhesive to do the job. So far I only did one simple road shoe fix, it was at the toe box area of a pair woth only minor separation. I cleaned/dried area and used the Henkel aka Loctite shoe repair product from Home Depot. This was the easiest repair and had a nice end result. I still have to do the major repair gluing back a sole on a 2009 Diadora Road shoe. IN any case I wanted to start a new thread that attracts expert bike shoe repair folks that had good results so they can share their methods, and what they used to get the job done.
I'll get into other brands of glue later if I have positive results.

JB Weld for stiff soles, Weldwood for flexible soles. Cleaning the surfaces thoroughly was always the hard part. As far as clamping together, I think I've just used Velcro straps or retired inner tubes to wrap the pieces together.

I use straight epoxy (JB Weld is one brand) and I have a ton of clamps so I put on a bunch of them. I have used rubber cement (e.g. Weldwood, Shoe Goo) and repairs never lasted very long so I use epoxy on any shoe flexible or stiff.

Wow, I didn't know this, I just buy new shoes, could be saving some money here.

Have had mixed success with New Balance walkers gluing the soles back on, either partial (20% or so) or nearly
fully detached, with such as shoe goo. Cleaning can be hard unless you completely detach the sole. Main
problem for me is adequate clamping pressure over the full area of glue contact. When my 15+ yr old Lake
shoes started delaminating recently I decided to try the shoe repair shop. Cost $18 for both shoes. Look
good but these are now back up shoes as I switched to sandals year around after discovering adequate
socks keep the feet warm down to mid 30s F and they are comfy.

From looking at youtube videos of shoe repair, I gather they use a variant contact cement and have special
tools for the clamping and of course always completely remove the sole for cleaning and abrasive prep.

I have done one sole build-up with 3M 5200, gluing 1/4" shoe sole rubber onto the lugged pattern of of an MTB shoe to build out the sole around an SPD cleat shimmed out 1/4". (After learning from a PT that my right leg came from the factory 1/2" short.) 5200 isn't for everyone. Expensive. Very hard to clean except with epoxy/lacquer thinner and the like. Comes in grease dun cartridges and cures from the moisture in the air after opening. Both humidity and temperature affect working and curing times. Cure is slow. Days. Weeks to full strength.

So why use it? Prepped correctly and done right, the bond is permanent and very strong. Water (and most other liquids) don't bother it at all. Fills gaps. Doesn't shrink. We used to use it to glue down decks on ocean going sailboats. Never heard of a failure. (If you undid all the bolts and picked up the boat by the deck, either you would lift the boat successtully or the fiberglass would fail by delamination. There would still be fiberglass securely bonded to the 3M on both sides. (I've had to remove fittings bonded on with the stuff. Not fun. And always fiberglass repair to be done after.)

If you buy a tube of the stuff, line up all your repairs before you open it. You have maybe three days to use it. (Day three, you will probably have to cut the tube in half to get uncured glue.)

I used Tubasi rim glue the last time I did such.

I had some 80’s era Nike’s that came apart. Since they are a stiff cycling shoe, not walking, I managed to bolt them together with 3 little bolts. It worked out fine. I don’t feel the heads while pedaling.

I tried barge cement earlier and it failed immediately.

The best bet really is to just get new shoes.

I had good results using regular Gorilla Glue on a low-end pair of Giro touring shoe soles that starting coming off after many years. About 1/3 of the soles were coming off, I cleaned the crevice out as well as I could. This glue uses a bit of water to activate it, and it foams up a little, expanding and filling voids nicely. It is very tenacious and sticky, waterproof and slightly flexible, and dries to a stiff foamy bond. I'd use disposable gloves and wipes for the excess, along with a prearranged clamping system, like a weighted tube inside the shoe plus some external clamps and/or sandbags or the like. I can't remember just how I clamped mine.

The already mentioned glue, the Loctite shoe glue from Home Depot worked for a small surface where toe area separated on a road shoe. But for a major job, the FReesole aka Gear Aid Aquaseal SR is supposed to be GREAT. Has anyone tried it? I saw at least one bike distributor stocking it so it must work.
This needs the thorough shoe cobbling prep, but as for the glue itself, NO need for mixing. Use as is
Open to any new and good results.

[QUOTE=Litespeedlouie;22439883]I had good results using regular Gorilla Glue on a low-end pair of Giro touring shoe soles that starting coming off after many years. About 1/3 of the soles were coming off, I cleaned the crevice out as well as I could. This glue uses a bit of water to activate it, and it foams up a little, expanding and filling voids nicely. It is very tenacious and sticky, waterproof and slightly flexible, and dries to a stiff foamy bond. I'd use disposable gloves and wipes for the excess, along with a prearranged clamping system, like a weighted tube inside the shoe plus some external clamps and/or sandbags or the like. I can't remember just how I clamped mine.

SO Mr LiteSpeed, did you ride the shoes with some gusto, and is this a shoe ridden cleated in to really demand some good strong bond? Or ridden with toe clips and straps? I knew about the foaming action, which can cause some separation or lumps, but for many this might be ok? The bond is super critical and a challenge in bike shoes.

Tubasti, I remember that glue, was a weak bond for tubular tires in my expereince. I wouln't use that at all for any shoe repair. Check out the GEAR AID Aquaseal SR or even getting the Loctite Shoe repair @ Home Depot should be better than Shoo Goo

I have Quick Grips clamps, and bench vise. If you have these items, the glue, and can come up with a smart solution for footbed materials that can form a last , to clamp your sole repair tight, I'll be all ears, I'm still looking for good material to make some kind of boot last to slip inside shoe where I glue down the carboard insole of the upper, and then clamp good.
I do not think the tape down or using zip ties will do the best job for a tight bond.

You made me go look - I used the repaired shoes for about a year before deciding the other parts were well worn, and I should get new shoes anyway. These are now backups.

The repair is holding up fine, but now a new area is peeling up, which I shall use more Gorilla Glue on. The shoes were Giro Carbides, a low end MTB shoe. It looks like they used something akin to double stick tape to originally stick the molded cleated sole on. I use Shimano SPDs but the stress is not on the cleated sole - there's a cutout and the cleat seems to go into threads and a plate deeper into the shoe. I have as much gusto as a senior citizen commuter can muster.

I've used some Aquaseal products on other things (they have several products named Aquaseal), it seems to be a rubbery urethane similar to Shoe Goo, but I've not had good luck with Shoe Goo for similar things. Aquaseal might work; it seems pretty expensive. Whatever is used, I think cleaning out any dirt and debris will be the most important thing, plus the clamping. I'm trying to remember how I clamped, and I suspect I rolled up something firm into the shoe and wrapped everything with a tie-down strap, then weighted it down with a sandbag. No lumps developed, only some ooze out the sides which I scraped off easily.

After reviewing some answers it comes down to buying $5-20 worth of your selected glue and then
attempting to clean the sole which is IME very difficult absent complete removal of the sole and
then figuring out a clamping system. I have vises, ~20 C clamps and at least as many other
types of clamps and chunks of wood and have never been able to fully clamp the sole to the upper
without obvious gaps in the result and unsatisfactory repair, ie fails in less than a year. Depending
on your tool supply and time I suggest considering a shoe repair shop or at least thorough study
of shoe repair videos.

Has anyone tried to add glue to the underside of the sole in order to prolong the service life of the shoes? My idea was to redo this after the glue has worden down so that the actual sole of the shoe never wears down.
The soles of my shoes (Shimano RX8) are of the soft rubber (somewhat soft) type and the walking thread is rather minimal hence my worry that it wears down quickly.
Does anyone have experience what glue works for this?

How about shoe trees to help to maintain the shape of the uppers. Some of the wood ones are adjustable for width.

Or a shoe stretching device. ???

It would be hard to keep any glue like that from peeling off, there is a lot of stress on it since it is being pounded in every step.

I glued my Lake biking boots' thick soles back on using Dominion Sure Seal plastic surgery XSAP/4013. This adhesive/filler is marketed to auto body shops for the repair of various flexible materials such as bumper covers. It offers good working time and can be sanded and painted. Any automotive paint retailer will carry something like this. It is a two-part material available in various levels of flexibility. I have been using the semi-rigid formulation. I seldom use this material but I always have a kit on the shelf because it is reliable, easy to use and remains mixable for several years.

I've used E 6000 on hiking boots, tennis shoes, all sorts of repairs, with good results. Glued part of a sole on my wife's tennis shoes, that she uses daily on a treadmill, and it's holding up. Widely available too.

This the best I have ever found is BARGE.....no clamps necessary, none, just apply to both sides and let dry and stick them together with heavy pressure...I have found that Shoe Goo is good for "patching" holes.

Best, Ben

Sole build up, good thread for Mtn bike shoe repair. YOu can do that with a few products. I noticed how AQUASEAL has a range of products, maybe getting their SR formula and maybe another just for the sole lug repair to build up the rubber?I'd reach out to the company GEAR AID in WA state.

I brought mine to a cobbler and it didn't last long. The repair lasted a handful of rides before the whole thing pealed apart and had to toss it. You standard contact cement for shoes? I'll go with epoxy if I need to do it again and DIY.

3M Automotive weatherstrip adhesive.

it also works for bonding bar tape in place.

Back in the '70s I used to resole running shoes in the basement of a running store, using this stuff. It worked best if you could separate the two surfaces, brush them clean, removing and old glue or residue, apply an thin coat to both surfaces, let dry for a couple hours, then bond together with high pressure. A shoe last and hydraulic press were ideal but in a pinch a rubber headed mallet and any sort of form inside the shoe will work.