Vibram soles on boots...

[ddohnggo]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

i just received my ccp oxfords with new vibram rubber on the bottom. i also asked the cobbler to put taps on the heels of my ccp boots with rubber soles. i would recommend the vibram if you're worried about excessive wear on the soles and don't want to replace them in the future.

[Fuuma]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

I don't add rubber soles on my shoes so I have to use taps but my boots eventually get the thin rubber sole treatment, in fact my pair of grey ccps just got back from the cobbler.

[andrewislasorad]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...



Well I got a recommendation to this little old shop just out of town thats been there over 100 years..

I took all my boots in there, basically decided to replace all the heels with long life heels because of my excessive premature wearing on all my heels.

I was given a choice for either a 50/50 leather/ rubber 'made in italy' Vibram heel, or a full long life rubber. The cobbler told me that the 50/50's were for aesthetic reasons, but he thought the full rubber heels would last me a little bit longer. I decided to get all my Cloaks done in the 50/50, and my C.Diem, Ann Dem [crappy cheap heels], Undercover, Marsells, etc. done in the full rubber. Best part was he is charging me $15 a pair, which includes labor and the best heel replacements he sells.

What do you guys think about this? Did I make the right choice? He was very nice and told me he would spend all of next Thursday working on it, so I can call and change up the order if I like. Any tips or suggestions would be very helpful.

[DHC]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

Don't know what model of shoe/boot you are having the full rubbers adhered to..but I'm sure that you made the right choice.

[xeefus]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

I'm just about to go to a cobbler and get some protection for my new Cloak boots... I'm thinking of getting some kinda black thin Vibram thing, like on these:

I hope it turns out well... it's rather expensive here though. (30e something) Hoping it will prevent me from slipping and protect the sole.

These are glued to the shoe or something right? Don't want them to be stuck forever...
I'm just a little nervous, sorry.

[Faust]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

30euro is pretty expensive! Although if you were to take EUR to USD as 1 to 1, then it's Ok. I don't think cobblers exactly follow the exchange rate and global economy, you know. I would pay in the vicinity of 25USD to have it done here, and that's only because I have a cheap and excellent cobbler by my work. Somewhere in Chelsea of SoHo, you'd probably easily pay 40.

[xeefus]

Re: Vibram soles on boots...

[quote user="Faust"]30euro is pretty expensive! Although if you were to take EUR to USD as 1 to 1, then it's Ok. I don't think cobblers exactly follow the exchange rate and global economy, you know. I would pay in the vicinity of 25USD to have it done here, and that's only because I have a cheap and excellent cobbler by my work. Somewhere in Chelsea of SoHo, you'd probably easily pay 40.
[/quote]

I guess.. but since VAT is like 25%, say 30% total, it would still be cheaper to do it for 30$ US. I'm not complaining about the price though, but compared to the price you seem to pay it is a little expensive.

Getting them on tuesday next week, he was a really nice guy and explained the things I was worried about. I hope it all turns out well!

[daou0782]

i'm no expert but when i took my shoes to the cobbler he mentioned something about installing the rubber protectors could affect the stitching (especially if the shoe has experienced some degree of wear already. since they have to sand the sole, if there is already too much wear, sanding risks affecting the stitching to the upper. this of course depends on the shoe's construction. but it certainly is, i think, something to consult with one's cobbler before deciding to apply rubber protectors.

[Lois Grüveltner]

I vibram all of my shoes and boots and I can only recommend it, if you want them to last an eternity! - But the same goes with leather care - but that's a different thread...

I pay between $20-$90 -depending on soles material, type, size etc..

[Null12]

These are glued to the shoe or something right? Don't want them to be stuck forever...
I'm just a little nervous, sorry.

Yes, they are removable. If you feel they are pretty worn after a while or getting close to the original sole, you can bring them back to your shop and apply a new Vibram sole. (But be practical and let the cobbler some vibram left to work with though ).

Edit: Also for people on the fence (and lurkers) about adding protective soles on their footwear... If you have to think about it when you get the shoes in - do it. Chances are you spent quite the penny on them and they are awesome, so treat them as such. If you are low on funds just put them in the closet and take them to your local shop when you have funds to protect them, I think it's a no-brainer investment. It's wearable art brawhs~

I also wonder how long the wait time at cobblers would be if Vibram started producing small batches of inverse shark teeth (you know what I mean) soles for tricky rickys. Hah~

[stagename]

I had an extensive discussion with my cobbler about this regarding new pairs of Guidi. I opted only for heel taps both for aesthetic reasons (shoes are red, boots are white), and because replacing a leather sole cost about the same as as vibram-ing them (about 35$). She said she would dye the "new" leather sole with the same color as the shoes so there wouldn't be a difference.

I'll update when I'll get this work done (ok, long wait time...) but honestly, I don't see why I have been vibram-ing my previous pairs. Of course this would be different if the sole can't be replaced (e.g., Geos) but if you can replace the sole, I don't see why you wouldn't keep the original ...

[Dorje]

For me, also like that the Vibram sole has better traction and water resistance so I don't have to worry if it will snow or rain that day.

The last pair of boots I got have (had) leather heels and those are very slippery!

With black soles the Vibram addition is not noticeable although I could see with red or white they may be an issue.

[stagename]

Great points! She did mention that rain was going to be an issue, but since most of my clothes don't take rain very well, I stopped going out whenever it's raining. ;) Agreed on the slippery-ness, as well.