Riding Boot Leather Repair?

[hppants]

I've had these Alpine Stars Touring Waterproof boots for a couple of years. They are closer to the end of their lifecycle than the beginning. But they remain waterproof and are very comfortable to ride in and even walk short distances off the bike. I'd like to keep them a while longer.

The top thin "leather" layer has cracked on each boot. The left side did it where the shifter his the top. The right is not as bad, but same basic idea in a different location. Has anybody tried to fix this and if so, what did you use?

 

[dcarver]

ask josh mountain. i hear he does fine boot repair!

 

[Teehaml]

The first thing I think of is maybe a shoe/boot repair shop could stitch a leather patch over it. Maybe match both sides.

 

[Twigg]

The first thing I think of is maybe a shoe/boot repair shop could stitch a leather patch over it. Maybe match both sides.

Be careful with stitching, if the boot has a Gore-Tex liner.

They do have some very good glues though.

 

[SLK50]

Use Shoe Goo to glue on a leather or rubber patch.

Easy. Permanent.

 

[jdewit]

Use Shoe Goo to glue on a leather or rubber patch.Easy. Permanent.

Or just smear some Shoe Goo over the cracked area.

 

[Teehaml]

The first thing I think of is maybe a shoe/boot repair shop could stitch a leather patch over it. Maybe match both sides.

Be careful with stitching, if the boot has a Gore-Tex liner.

They do have some very good glues though.

Duly noted here..

 

[rushes]

Use Shoe Goo to glue on a leather or rubber patch.Easy. Permanent.

That will fix it.

Been there done that.

Make sure the patch is well beyond the 'pressure' area and the boot is clean and dry and oil free.

 

[MadRussian]

Duct tape, black one...

 

[Bobduster225]

A good cobbler could glue on a patch and it would last. I had this done on a pair of Double H cowboy boots as I wanted a shifter patch on them. The glue he used and the way he smoothed the patch edges lasted for over 20 years .

 

[hppants]

Good information all around, thanks to all for your help. There is a reputable shoe repair place in town. I'll check them out.

Failing that, can anyone suggest a material to use as a rubber patch? The standard bicycle tube repair kit patch is a bit too small.

 

[bigjohnsd]

Red Wing boot company makes a Black Plastic Protectorate for the toes of work boots that is a "paint on" liquid, stands up to concrete, walking in tall grass etc.

Go to your local Red Wing store and ask about it.

You could paint it on over the distressed area and you will never know it was there, it will not compromise the inner goretex liner and sticks to anything, as long as it is clean.

I'd clean the area to be covered with rubbing alcohol before I applied the goo.

 

[FJRRYDER]

I use bicycle inner tubes for many projects; it's cheap, readily available, tough, flexible, takes glue well. I use it for grips as rubber bands to hold a wrapping foam tape in place, added a bit of a bump in the middle of the grips on my Nomad to provide a bit of extra diameter. I glued a thin sheet, 3mm, of rubber to the soles of a pair of harness boots to give them more grip on the road, and trimmed to fit.

 

[bluesdog]

Wear black socks

You're welcome

 

[rushes]

I use bicycle inner tubes for many projects; it's cheap, readily available, tough, flexible, takes glue well.

It's right there with duct tape, nylon wire ties, and bailing wire....

 

[FJRRYDER]

I prefer monel safety wire-

 

[FJRRYDER]

add to that, PVC pipe, PVC end caps, plastic carving boards, quarter pallets, one-time use roasting pans, kitchen sink drain pipes, 1-1/4" dowels, plastic soda bottles, drinking straws, fishing weights, popsicle sticks, coffee stir sticks, old air, fuel, and garden hose, shovel handles and broom sticks, hunks of plywood, the list goes on. I've made something useful out of all these things. I used to have sailboats, and creativity could many times get you home and save ducats.

 

[Mount Rainier]

I patched mine in the same area with Shoe Goo more than 80k miles ago. Not pretty, but never needed anything else to achieve a patch and/or reinforce the area.

 

[hppants]

The right boot was only cut in one small place, so I shoved some shoe goo in there and hopefully that will seal up well.

On the left one (shown above), I filled the void with shoe goo and let that cure for a few hours. Then I cut a patch out of some rubber gasket material I had lying around and shoe goo-d that over the cut. Clamping is awkward because of the curve of the boot. If I put too much pressure on one clamp, the patch wants to pull off in another spot. I'll pull the clamps later on and post a picture.

Hopefully, I will have the same good luck many of you have had