For those of you talented in cobbling, any suggestions for repairing these? I just got them off Ebay for under $10 and they arrived with one sole detached and the other half-way detached. The seller was great - refunded my entire Paypal payment, including shipping, as soon as I contacted her

EDIT: I was told by the seller not to bother shipping them back, which is why I'm asking this question in the first place. Probably should've pointed that out from the start, huh?

Any suggestions on something to re-attach these so that they stay on? If not, I was thinking of getting some flat rubber from some source (I could use help regarding where I can find this, if it comes to it) and turn them into a cool pair of house shoes

Thanks in advance!







DD

I've tried tire glue, Barge cement and Shoe Goo. Shoe Goo worked best. Clean and sand both surfaces and don't skimp on the adhesive.

^ I'm headed off for Home Depot today (gotta get a replacement multi-speed Dremel ); think I can find Shoe Goo there?

DD

Shoe Goo more likely at a Wally World, dollar store, or Sports Authority.

Thank you - looks like I'll be making two stops, then.

Results later in the week.

DD

DD,
Which ever adhesive you choose (Shoe Goo would be my recommendations from my running days) be sure you have some small pieces of wood or another flat, strong material to put inside the shoe so you can put some C-Clamps on the shoe and heel. This is to make sure the entire sole bonds with the shoe, without any bulges that will telegraph to you feet. Hope the repairs work, the seller was a stand up eBayer.

Bill

Some sort of form inside would be helpful, like some of those cedar shoe trees if you happen to have them.Something to give the shoe form and rigidity while you glue and clamp them. In lieu of clamps, D.D., try stuffing the shoes very tight with paper towels and wrapping with tape, sole to shoe.

I thought it would be cool to take a pair of newer shoes and transfer the sole over to use a modern SPD or road cleat on those older shoes. I had a sweet pair of Guerciotti branded Detto's a few months ago that fit like gloves but smelled like a cess pool but they were free!

over the counter Barge has removed the volatile solvents ..
the Industrial stuff probably sticks better on the Nylon stiffener

Barge type stuff is like contact cement, apply to both sides,
leave, a bit of cure time, then you get a good bond .
banging a mallet on the sole, against the cast iron shoe last
like an anvil inside the shoe.

I concur with the above posters, try to support the inside of the shoe while the glue dries. I really like the shoe tree idea, it will help keep the shape of the shoe. Reminds me of the good old days re-building climbing shoes, and Birkenstocks ;-)

Cheers,
Chris

I'd take it to a real cobbler myself. We have one of those here in Chicago that I took a nose-broke Brooks saddle and he glued in a piece of leather under it and made it whole again. I gave it to a friend who has been riding it for the past 6 months with no problems. I'm sort of a clyde so I didn't trust it under my heavy behind. Guy charged me $15 to do the repair. I bet a guy like that -with the right glues, could make those old shoes like new again for $20-30. They have the right glues, the right lasts to put inside of them for clamping, and the experience to know exactly how to do and which specific materials to use in every different case so it stays together.

I concur, even the podunk town I live in still has one shoe repair shop, and I have had many cycling shoes repaired and reworked as well as having Cinelli saddle covers re-died there.

Unfortunately With today's throwaway consumer products there is not much call for a good cobbler anymore, and I really do not see any young guys looking to break into this field. Like a good barber, and a bartender that knows martini's should not have anything to do with an apple, I will support these entities while they are around.

All the cobblers around here are from "the old country" -it doesn't matter WHICH old country but it is always SOME old country. It's usually somewhere in Eastern-Europe, the Middle-East, or someplace in Asia. Most of them speak very little English and are often hard to understand.

"No worry! I fix!"

That's all you need to know. Those guys know their stuff, and the shoes/boots come back better than when they were new.

Anyone born in this country never was trained in fixing much of anything -least of all shoes. Just throw them away and buy new.

Thanks to all for the suggestions so far. I picked up the Shoe Goo from Ace Hardware along with my new Dremel (only noticing too late it was a dual-speed and not completely variable, but will still work for me for now). Just got done mounting the soles by filling them with paper towels and taping them sole to sole while they set.

I'll do a test fit tomorrow and walk around my living room - hopefully the soles will hold

Oh, and a BTW: I tried a shoe-repair shop years ago with my mesh/leather Sidis. I won't go into the whole sorry affair, but even if my small town had a shoe-repair shop (it doesn't) I wouldn't take that route again. Oh, no - no way!

You don't want to know...

DD

+1

I know both a tailor and a upholstery guy that are exactly the same; the tailor always says to me, "Don't vorry... I make good look."

They both do outstanding work and take pride in what they're doing, no matter how large or small the job is.

I used 'new' Barge on a pair of Sidi MTB shoes; the heels were separating.. Apply to both sides, wait 15 minutes, then press together.
C clamps and wood to both inside and out will ensure a tight bond. The OP's shoes might need to be both glued and stitched together.

The owner of our local Hardware Store turned me on to an adhesive trademarked as PLI BOND. It's a fexible adhesive that requires a very thin application. For fabrics and such you have to prime the surface with a pre-coat then come back 24 hours later and do the bonding. Really tough stuff. But if it were I, I'd go see a shoe repair as others have mentioned.

Don't leave us hanging, Henry! Did you in fact try it? If so, did it work?

DD

Dremel has a true variable-speed tool now? I think it's time to upgrade!

Yup - the Model 100 is either on or off. Model 200 (which I inadvertently bought today) has a low and high speed. Model 300 has about six variable speeds, but mine is not making a distinction between the speeds anymore, which was why I was in the market for a new one.

In order to ensure accuracy, I have to start any drilling with low speed. One job I'm currently trying to get done will require drilling into black anodized chainrings - in that case, I need low speed through every step of the process.

DD

Sounds like the repair is done, but fyi an old inner tube (cut the valve out so it's just a 'hose') makes a great wrap/clamp for this type of thing, in lieu of tape. I always keep a supply of them hanging in the shop. They're also great for irregular wood laminations, tying a couple boards onto a car rack, etc.

Anyone use Liquid Nails? Haha.

+1

DD,
I recommend marine epoxy, and I've used Loctite Marine Epoxy on cycling shoes. Of the pair shown below, my right went first, followed by my left. The right went six months ago or so. I used marine epoxy with no problems --- the base has been on tight since then, possibly tighter than it was before. The left delaminated about a week ago, and I epoxied it. Regular shoe glues are meant for flexible soles, but I want the base to be as stiff as possible. I read all of the labels of small batch epoxies in Home Despot and found the Loctite to have the highest tensile strength.

This is the shoe in the clamp. I took it out, and it's hard as an effin' rock.

Marine epoxy is a real bastard. Don't get it on any other part of the shoe because it won't come off when it dries. I went over the white bits with a sharpie.

I generally agree with supporting small business operators, and use a local cobbler when I need one, but I like to do my own tinkering as well. Cobblers have a lot of specialized equipment, and when it's absolutely necessary, it's a must to patronize their shops. But it's not always necessary.
Could a pro cobbler do a better job that D. Dude did on his shoes? Probably. But I'll wager he did a perfectly serviceable job and they'll work just fine.

I eagerly await the results, and am curious whether the Goop sticks to the nylon sole well. The choice of which glue to use is the critical question here, I think.

I've never actually tried doing the restomod as my wife told me to get rid of the shoes ASAP because they smelled so bad. Luckily people on eBay really liked them as they sold quite easily. I love the simplier look of older cycling shoes over the space age stuff nowadays. I may still try it as old cycling shoes are readily available on eBay and pretty cheap because how many people still ride with these shoes toe clip pedals and cleats? Sorry for ignorance if their still popular.