Resurrecting The SIDI Sole

Repair stuff for SIDI's. Left shoe sole has to be stripped, right is already cleaned.

What a great cycling shoe. SIDI's ROCK!~

They should for what they cost. I came across my SIDI's long ago on the discount table at Performance Bike in Oceanside. Some hi-end cyclists ordered them in and never picked them up or they didn't work out or fit him. Don't know. I do know that they really fit me well. Dominator Mega 47. These had the MTB Competition Soles (no screws to replace the soles like many of their carbon soles have). No one wore that size except me, so I haggled the price over a period of several months.

Fast forward to my worn sole nubs. I used these shoes for MTB rides and road cycling. I guess I could send them to SIDI somewhere for a real pro job but that would take several months and cost a whole lot. The soles were worn down so I glued on some die-cut pieces of leather. That would last for a few months. I used GOOP Glue and finally waterproof Contact Cement. This time I searched around for some composite sole material like what was on the SIDI's. Several local shoe shops had the material, but wouldn't sell it to me due to "shop use only". I researched the internet, but sheet material is difficult to ascertain unless you can see and feel it.

I hooked up with DOART Shoe Repair in Escondido on Saturday and picked up some material they had. Nice people there even gave me a little of the adhesive they use called SuperGlue 787. Ten dollars for a 12" x 8" x 1/8" piece. Enough to do a least 3 "resoles". I'll check this material out and see how it works.

SIDI resole job complete. Polished up with a coat of Kiwi Heel & Edge Polish

The sheet material was sort of rubber like with a rough side. I used my paper pattern to cut out the pieces. Right shoe I would use the 787 SuperGlue and on the left Contact Cement. The prep work took the longest. Cleaning off the existing leather add-ons was tough. I finally used a sharp knife and a file. After cleaning, I filed the contact area and wiped down every thing with alcohol.

SG-787 is bad stuff for special use on leather, rubber and more open pore material. I put it on the pieces and stuck them on the sole nubs. Once you touched the nubs, you had 1-second to move it and press it on. DONE.  Left shoe was much easier using Contact Cement. Apply to both parts, let dry for 30 minutes and press in place. You'll have more slide time with this.

After drying for a day, I cleaned them up a bit by polishing them off with KIWI Heel & Edge Polish. I tried the shoes out on the San Marcos Century. All was well.

-randorides