Nine seasons of riding later, and my riding shoes are still truckin’ on. They cost me a purty penny, but oh how good they feel on my feet. I cannot part ways with them. To keep them, though, required that I give them a little lovin’.
The stitching that holds the plastic piece where the ratcheting system is screwed into started coming undone a few months back, requiring that I use zip ties on my last weekend outing. That was on the left foot. Then it started on the right foot a few weeks back. Add in that a piece of that fine, supple, soft, outer layer leather up by the little toe on the left foot had a piece that tore and started to peel back after too many run-ins with rocks and shrubs, and it was time to give them a little attention.
A few riders said that I got my money’s worth out of the shoes and that I should go get a new pair.
Whatever.
I took them to the local cobbler down on main street. The husband and wife team looked at ’em and said they could fix ’em for $15. I handed over my cash. That was yesterday.
I picked them up an hour ago. They are as good as new, as far as I’m concerned. They didn’t use one drop of glue, and they even restitched the torn piece back to where it belongs. Not only that, they cleaned them up a little and buffed them. Actually, it wasn’t “they.” The wife of the team did all the work on my shoes.
That kind of service gives me much hope. What’s more, knowing that their skill and craftsmanship is alive and well in this day and age puts a big smile on my face. When I was a kid, my Dad would take us to the other side of town and down an alley to a cobbler shop to get our shoes repaired. I thought those days were gone.
I’m very happy to be wrong!
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