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.