Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[nictan]

so my rick side zip boots have an annoying squeaking sound when i walk. mine are not the ones with the crepe sole, but the teethed zigzag sole.

i brought them to a cobbler, looking to get a resole to stop the squeaking, but he said its a problem with the internal construction? that the metal shaft inside is the cause of it?

ive read Ochre's issue with the tornadoes in the small questions thread but im still not entirely convinced its the same problem

the volume and squeakiness on mine differs on the surface im walking on. its significantly more prominent on polished floors like tiles etc. but almost inaudible (if any at all) on rougher and textured surfaces like tarmac.

im still of the belief that its to do with the teeth on the sole creating the sound. but my cobbler seems pretty persistent that he's right

any advice or experience to share?

edit: just to add, its on both sides.

[Shucks]

nothing to do with the teeth - sorry... have the same exact problem with a pair of rick combats, even after adding a new sole. so i think your cobbler is right - it is the internal construction. i will ask mine also next time i'm there.

[nictan]

damn it. was hoping to prove him wrong and remove that squeaking.
guess i'll just have to bear with it then.

and please do update back on what your cobbler says!

[inconduit]

are there heel taps for sneakers / rubber soles? bit of a dumb question, i know, but wondering if there's a solution out there. i wear my heels down fast and get them replaced but would prefer to avoid the wear if possible.

normal heel taps wouldn't work since they're installed with nails, and nails in a rubber heel would not be a great idea. glue would be the other option but i would imagine it wouldn't stick that long.

[blackfedora]

are there heel taps for sneakers / rubber soles? bit of a dumb question, i know, but wondering if there's a solution out there. i wear my heels down fast and get them replaced but would prefer to avoid the wear if possible.

normal heel taps wouldn't work since they're installed with nails, and nails in a rubber heel would not be a great idea. glue would be the other option but i would imagine it wouldn't stick that long.

Since you seem to know and may have brought stuff to Nick's custom shoes, I'll pass on some of what he's told me and what has been done on my rubber bottomed shoes in the past. I've brought pictures to him of sneakers with plastic heel taps apparently nailed on and he basically refused to do that to my shoes, citing leaking and heel stabbing concerns. There are two ways that we've compromised.

1) Start with a thick rubber sole addition and only replace the heel section when it wears down by removing just a sliver of the original. Also it's done at a fraction of the price of a full sole replacement.



2) Once when I was adding only a thin rubber sole to a shoe that had heel damage already, one of his workers incorporated a thin steel plate at the heel, under the added rubber sole. It's worked out fine so far. Nick called it unconventional but functional.

[xzacx]

Can anyone with a pair of A1923 trainers comment on how durable the soles are? Just got a pair and trying to decide if I should protect them. I'd rather not, but if they wear down super fast like Ricks do or something, I'd consider it.

[cjbreed]

i've heard they wear down quickly. should put a rubber sole on them

[lowrey]

the rubber seems pretty durable, more so than typical sneaker soles. I had barely scratched the back corner on mine before I lost them recently. I had them for about a year, but wore them mostly during the summer. that said, I did consider doing something to them early on to protect them, but didn't get around to it before my suitcase went missing, now I'm hunting for a new pair...

[eton97]

Definitely vibram them. I've got a pair and once that original sole goes, they are pretty much done in. Cant see hiw yiud replace them
A good cobbler can put in a white vibram that is unnoticeable and replaceable. I'm about to get mine redone for the third time.

[eleven crows]

Definitely slap a sole on them. If you're wearing them regularly you'll wear through those things in no time. It's a lot cheaper than getting a full repair.

[gavagai]

I put a thin vibram sole (white) and heel taps (to avoid that worn down corner look) - I think it is essential and a very low cost way of maintaining the trainers as the sole will wear down depending upon the way you walko of course...

I also wear mine almost everyday.

[xzacx]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

[beyondthemeans]

I got these Damir creepers, but the sole seems to wear out like crazy, it has worn down quite a lot on the heel and front of the toe. It's a black crepe sole. Is there anything I can do about this? Or at least prevent it from getting worn down further other than not wearing them? I assume it's a hassle getting a new sole since it's so thick and specific.

[8888oscar]

I got these Damir creepers, but the sole seems to wear out like crazy, it has worn down quite a lot on the heel and front of the toe. It's a black crepe sole. Is there anything I can do about this? Or at least prevent it from getting worn down further other than not wearing them? I assume it's a hassle getting a new sole since it's so thick and specific.

+1
Same

[beyondthemeans]

I just brought them to a cobbler who everybody recommended to me. He told me he will add some kind of taps, but made out of the same black crepe material, so you won't notice from the side. I hope I understood correctly what he is going to do and hope he wont fuck these up.

will post pictures when I get them back beginning next week.