Best way to emergency patch shoe before resole?

I am in the fortunate position of having about a month off to climb but the unfortunate position of having two small holes opening up on the toe of my best sport shoes.

They are actually above the big toe a little bit but you can see the stitching on the shoe on the worse of the two shoes. The hole is a little smaller than the size of a pea on that shoe.

Can anyone recommend a temporary patch to keep it front getting worse before I send em in for a resole?

I tried climbing tape but it came off within a couple hundred feet. Maybe it has to be euro tape..

Use Freesole. It's possible for the hole to be beyond repair, depending on the extent of the hole. Why don't you send them to the resoler now, before they are too bad to resole?

You already let them go way too long. You should have resoled them long before you ever had a hole. There is basically nothing you can do at this point that will really help. Get another pair of shoes for your month off and send those in, or just be resigned that you'll really trash them over the next month and be prepared to pay for full rand or new shoes.

Heh, honestly I had no idea they were even close to needing a resole. I don't climb on these shoes thaat much, but then one day, bam! I noticed the holes.

The curious thing is the holes are located on the upper part of the shoe. (I don't stand on that part)

I'll take a pic after work tomorrow

Thanks for asking this question Simon. I've been wondering the same thing. I have a pair of Evolv Shaman's that I've only climbed in 4 times that developed the same type of issue. The edge is perfectly fine, the soles are fine, but there's a tiny bit of stichting showing on the most forward part of the toe box. They're essentially brand new shoes that shouldn't need a resole! Apparently, if you smear in them more than a few times, the rubber turns to shit. I wont be using them any more and wanted to sell them on here, but wanted to patch them up first.

ColinW wrote: I wont be using them any more and wanted to sell them on here, but wanted to patch them up first.

Unless you're going to get them properly repaired, it might be best to sell them as is so the would-be buyers can see exactly what they're getting. A cover-up might get you an unhappy buyer asking for their money back.

Anyway, back on topic. I have heard (haven't tried) that a bicycle patch can help. Buy the kit ($3 or less) that has the round, tapered patches and use as directed.

Duct tape! Throw some bailing wire on there too!

There is a kit available from stealth ?
Stealth Paint.. A do it yourself tin of very fine sticky rubber bits - think powder -

That you mix with a bit of Barge cement included , but I think there is another, better choice?

Anyway the kit is around 20$ and will do many repairs of holes or one or two splits. . .

Ymmv,

my slippers got that top of the toe hole from sloppy foot work; dragging
Or trailing the toe against the wall.

Buy new shoes, man. When're you going to get that month again? Go in well shod. Doesn't sound like those shoes'll last a full month of climbing anyway, patch or no patch.

Simon W wrote:Heh, honestly I had no idea they were even close to needing a resole. I don't climb on these shoes thaat much, but then one day, bam! I noticed the holes. The curious thing is the holes are located on the upper part of the shoe. (I don't stand on that part) I'll take a pic after work tomorrow

You are probably draggin your feet. So stop that. Or lots of crack climbing but you said sport shoes so doubtful.

Rock and Resole in Boulder can most likely do a resole and new toe caps. It will be around $50 + shipping. I just got my Muria VS resoled and it was a two week turn around (local drop off).

If you can avoid waiting too long for the resole it is pretty cheap, $34 at R&R.

They also have good photos on the site of when to resole.

Nothing like getting brand new $170 shoes for $34!

In your case I would buy new shoes though.

ColinW wrote:Thanks for asking this question Simon. I've been wondering the same thing. I have a pair of Evolv Shaman's that I've only climbed in 4 times that developed the same type of issue. The edge is perfectly fine, the soles are fine, but there's a tiny bit of stichting showing on the most forward part of the toe box. They're essentially brand new shoes that shouldn't need a resole! Apparently, if you smear in them more than a few times, the rubber turns to shit. I wont be using them any more and wanted to sell them on here, but wanted to patch them up first.

My shoes in question are also Evolve Shamans.

If this is a design flaw with the shoe it's too bad because they are the only aggressive shoes that don't hurt my feet (by pressing on my big toe.)

Pics incoming

Shoes are definitely not used and abused. I climb in them maybe 30% of the time and all my other shoes last much longer until resole. The holes just opened up in the last week or so

It looks like you are dragging your toes? I'd get em resoled

There is no sole remaining on those shoes. But new ones or get them resoled immediately! If you climb another month in those you completely scrap them.

rocknice2 wrote:There is no sole remaining on those shoes. But new ones or get them resoled immediately! If you climb another month in those you completely scrap them.

They do look pretty far past needing a resole. Agree that if he keeps climbing on them he will just have to throw them away.

That is not a shoe defect though. You were climbing on the rand on that right shoe a long time ago. You may not be dragging your toes really that much but just straight up climbing on the rand will ruin a shoe.

The probably can be fixed still though. So there is that.

Don't be cheap just fuuuuuukinnnggg buy new ones,,, I mean seriously...

Walter Galli wrote:Don't be cheap just fuuuuuukinnnggg buy new ones,,, I mean seriously...

Hey Walter, jamaican me crazy bruh! Not all of us have sugar mommas!

In any event, against the advice of my financial advisers, I decided to buy another pair of these shoes, AND have these resoled. All of my hardest sends are in these shoes, so I'm doubling down.

Generally speaking I don't drag my toes. Have I done so on a hard balancy crux? Yes. But it's not something I do regularly when I climb. Not sure how I could have climbed on the rand, but I guess it doesn't take much to wear through that part of the shoe

Here's how to save some cash and do this your self without commercial interests involved.

Stuff the shoes with socks very tight.

heat up the old soles over the stove burner and pull them off.

Purchase some new full length (half soles tend to delaminate) 5.10 soles (cut them just barely larger than the old soles you rip off by tracing the old soles and then going an eight of an inch further out around the cut out.

put on barge cement glue on the shoes and soles after cleaning everything with alchohol.

let it dry 20 mins on the shoes and the new soles.

take a vice grip or pliers and pick up the heel end of the new sole and grab the shoe and simultaneously heat over 2 burners circling both so the glue doesn't burn (stay about 6 inches above the burners depending on how hot you get them - if you are seeing smoke you are too close). Let it heat until the glue barely starts to tan (usually around 20 seconds).

after heating immediately hammer hard together to get out air bubbles and seal glue over every inch making sure that the eighth of an inch hangs evenly around the edge of the bottom of the shoe.

Box tape (duct tape makes too much mess) everything together super tight up pull the last piece up and over where you edge on the shoe.

Let dry under your car tires overnight with most of the force where you edge. Wait another day after taking it out from under tires.

Mix barge cement and black shoe goo together to patch holes in rand (may have to do repatch hole a few times each climbing season if you are a toe dragger).

Grind the sole even with the rand using a grinding wheel (preferably) or a belt sander (tends to tear into the rand) while looking at a photo of the shoes when new or to your personal preference. Find tune your job with sanding by hand.

If you have some unglued areas along the edge (you may have not put enough glue on along the edges) glue those again by repeating the process above.

If you are really hard up for cash grab some old snow tires and cut and grind them to size. Then all you will pay for is $8 for the glue which should be enough for a 2nd resole. Grand total $4.

Simon W wrote:Not sure how I could have climbed on the rand, but I guess it doesn't take much to wear through that part of the shoe

Are you sure you understand all the parts of the shoe? Here is a good resource.

rockandresole.com/no-toe-caps/

The climbing rubber is so far gone on your shoes that you can't help but have been climbing on the rand, probably for a while.

Wear em on opposite feet. I did that with my first pair and while uncomfortable it totally worked.

johnnymuir wrote:Wear em on opposite feet. I did that with my first pair and while uncomfortable it totally worked.

COME ON!