material for trainer

[earlsdoncobbler]

i have a customer ask me today to repair his trainers when he starts running again he wears out the outside edge badly last year i used micro from birch called zephyr but he said the material was to hard and hurt him does anyone know of a material that is soft and good wearing

[keithm]

I would have thought Vibram materials would have been best for this Dave.

 

They offer a number of options including one called Gumlite which is extremly light but quite durable.

 

Keith

[Lee]

I'm surprised Zephyr was considered to hard, that stuffs really supple! No pleasing some!

 

For trainers I sometimes use the vibram unit ART-2002 its flexible, and as with all vibram units hard wearing.

 

 

its around 4mm thick, tapering at the toe & heel.

 

Lee

[Auto Key Wizard]

I do alot of this work on trainers

If the EVA mid-sole is damaged, make good using lightweight EVA/Micro, then top-out with a Vibram sole as Lee has mentioned or the wavy sheeting below called 'Wellen' is very good, both have a high carbon content so very hard wearing

[Lee]

can you post up an image of the Wellen sheeting Terry? not seen that before.

 

Lee

[Auto Key Wizard]

Bumped for Lee

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

The problem may be two fold, firstly if you have put a sole on it must be as flexible as the original and of the same thickness and durability.

Joggers and trainers may not notice the difference but a true runner, especially marathon runners will notice the slightest variation.

 

This customer has what is known as a Pronation problem but you dont say if the customer is wearing the sole edges or the heel edges. (if the wear is on the inside this is called Supination).

 

Second problem is one of midsole density. Over the months this compresses and takes a lot of the energy return out of the shoe. This should be compared with a new shoe where you would see a visible difference in depth. As the PU or EVA compresses it goes harder and this could be what the runner is experiencing. If so then it has to be replaced with a low to medium density EVA according to the weight of the runner.

 

Many of todays soles are serrated at various point to allow flxing to be easier, putting on a full sole removes this flexibility and makes the mid sole appear harder due to the rigidity of the repaired unit.

 

If the shoes are Nike Air look for a punctured air pocket as these get veru easily damaged by thorns from hedges and the evidence may not be so obvious at first. Damaged ones can be cut out and replaced with low density EVA but do the pair.

 

The Insoles may also be compressed at the heel to an extent where there is no cushioning.

 

I would rather repair the damaged area that put on a full sole unit and I would repair with something in the nature of the purest carbon (be wary though as this is abrasion resistant and is difficult to scour) of thie thinnest I could get it, at least to match the original thickness and no more.

[x minit uk]

Crikey, that sounds complicated Hugh

[earlsdoncobbler]

the customer only wears the outside edge( he says he runs with a bad gate) i did only repaire the edge the rest of the trainer was fine

[kobblers]

no wonder he's having difficulty running, must be bloody heavy that gate!

 

i think you meant gait earlsdon

 

rick

[earlsdoncobbler]

so that`s why he took so long to run the London marathon last year

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

no wonder he's having difficulty running, must be bloody heavy that gate!

 

i think you meant gait earlsdon

 

rick

 

Must have been the one you made rick out of Mahogany

 

and earlsdon cobbler, yes it is complicated and i've only skimmed the surface for you. With you mentioning "Gait" this tells me that he is not the top class runner or he would have refered to the Pronation. You can read all about foot problems accosiated with running shoes by purchasing the Runner magazine. If you do these type of repairs it is in your interest to read up otherwise you could get a hefty solicitors bill followed by a hospital bill for damaged ligaments/tendons etc. It can be a minefield and I would be very wary of tampering with a sofisticated shoe that is designed to do a particular job for a serious athlete.

Joe Public and Trainers are a different kettle of fish though.

[derek]

sounds like a lot of work for little money

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

It can be little work for a lot of money, these running shoes cost a packet.

Learn to know the technicalities and you could have all the athletic clubs in the region begging at your door. you have to get it right though.

 

Another problem that you may not know about is that the heat from inrfa red lamps (or any heat) can severely alter the resiliance of the midsole.

5 seconds maximum any longer and you have problems that cant be resolved without replacing the midsoles. They shrink or go harder when cold. Never ever take soles off by heating them up. Cut and Scour on a new 24g band to avoid heat build up.

[ironplanet uk900]

Good advice from Hugh, for anyone attempting this task for the first time

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Another addition, be very very carefull scouring the sole on a new band, as soon as you get down to the last millimeter try to pull it off as if you scour through to the midsole it will be with force and you will go halfway through the midsole without even feeling it.