FAQ

The life expectancy of your climbing shoes depends on many factors: how badly the rubber is worn, what type of shoes they are, the quality of their previous resole, and the overall condition of the shoe. We have seen shoes that are too far gone to even get one resole and we’ve also seen shoes going strong after half a dozen. Take care of your shoes and send them to the Rubber Room for the best resoles on the planet!

Pack your shoes in an old shoe box, or similar. Priority mail Tyvek bags are free and tough.

Please don’t use packing peanuts.

Before mailing, we ask that you please fill out our repair request form so that we know what’s coming.

This often asked question has no good answer, but keeping your shoes aired out will help. Dryer sheets work well. A gentle wash with a toothbrush inside the shoe can remove dirt. Rock shoes do not belong in the washing machine, they come clean but they tend to shrink and become stiff. Foot powder doesn’t seem to fix the problem. Talcum powder is very slippery, not a good thing to have all over your climbing shoes. Baking soda doesn’t seem to be much better. Incense cedar works well. When we get really toxic shoes, we spray them with Lysol, it can help kill the bacteria that causes the smell.

All the rubber we use is factory spec, high performance sticky rubber. For your resole we can use Vibram XS EDGE, Vibram XS Grip 2, 5.10 Stealth Onyx, 5.10 Stealth HF (High Friction). The choice is yours.

We also can resole your La Sportiva “NO EDGE Technology” shoes.

Vibram XS EDGE: This rubber compound is exceptionally resistant to deformation on razor sharp edges and it will not creep when smearing.

Vibram XS Grip2: The XS-Grip 2 is a rubber compound with superior grip, perfect for overhanging climbing routes.

5.10 Stealth ONYXX: ONYXX has a hardness-to-friction ratio that cannot be beat for precision edging and exceptional durability.

5.10 Stealth HF: With the advancement of boulder and sport climbing, Stealth HF has helped unlock the steepest of climbs by conforming to even the smallest edges and crystals, allowing athletes to pull with their feet.

Approach shoe soles: We hand groove 5.10 Stealth rubber into a Diamond patterned sole.

Climbing shoes wear out. Rock and plastic climbing holds are very abrasive. Chances are your shoes are not defective, it is very rare that we see defective shoes resulting in premature wear. You pay a price in durability to get the great sticky rubber the shoe companies have developed.

If you can climb in it we can resole it. As climbing shoe design advances so must the techniques required to resole them. We keep pace with the times and look forward to preserving your favorite shoes.

If you want the best return for your dollar you’ve got to send your shoes to us before you wear through the rand. This will insure that with a new sole your shoe will perform well and that you can have several resoles per shoe.

Just the tips of my shoes are worn out, can you fix the rand and not replace the sole?

Sorry, rand rubber wraps around the shoe, the sole is then glued and pressed on over the rand. In order to properly repair the rand we need to resole your shoe. Also, unless you are just an atrocious toe dragger, your sole will be worn out at the tip where your rand has worn out. Excessive rand damage can render your shoes unrepairable.  Prompt rand repair is very important to extend the life of your shoes.

That said, on the road, quick fixes, can include the use of a bicycle tube patch or a dab of Freesole or Aquaseal.

The construction of a climbing shoe is such that the rand is applied to the body of the shoe. The rand is prepped for glue and the sole is applied to the underside of the rand. To repair the rand we need to remove the sole, repair the rand and then resole the shoe.

Learn more about the anatomy of a shoe here.

It is not always obvious if the rands need repair. Evaluate your shoes and if you have any soft or thin areas, wrinkles, splits, cuts, tears or holes in the rands, they will need repair.

Even with many years of experience sometimes our cobblers can’t immediately determine if a rand needs repair until the sole is removed and they get deeper into the shoe. If you are unsure, it is best to let the cobblers evaluate your shoes and decide what is best for your shoes. Rand rubber is quite thin, so if your rands are more than half way worn out, it is time to repair them. You can be assured that we don’t do unnecessary rand repairs.