Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Mudhead's Slippers


Remember if you lend someone your shoes their different foot shape might distort yours.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Tailored for Mudhead

There a many little things we can do to improve or change your rockshoes. For example - if one shoe is a little tight or you have broken in your new shoes and they are still a little stiff for your liking, visit our workshop in person and we might have a solution. It is best to visit Monday to Thursday or you can call and see if a repairer is in on Saturday morning.

These little modifications like "rock shoe tuning" are usually completed while you wait.




Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Rock shoe tuning

Rock shoe tuning – what is it all about?

Often I here climbers prophesying about what enhances climbing performance - climbing shoes, conditions, diet, etc. In over 20 years of repairing climbing shoes, I have only known a handful of climbers that even considered maintaining their rock climbing shoes for increased performance and wear - these were mostly climbers I have lived with and worked with.

Your shoes will assist you up a free climb. All other equipment is not really performance enhancing, it functions as the safety net. Maintaining your rock climbing shoes is worthwhile and easy.

What is maintaining your climbing shoes?

Apart from general maintenance, which I will detail in a later blog, it is the condition of your rubber that can make a huge difference to how your shoes perform and last.

In a nutshell, when you climb your sole rubber deforms/depresses around the rock grains. One measure of a rubbers durability is its ability to rebound or spring back to shape from this. The quicker the rubber rebounds, the better. Inevitability the rubber will drag, tear and wear leaving scalloping - see below photo. Scalloping is the resulting wear marks on the rubber, which if left unattended, results in poor friction and accelerated rubber wear – sometimes described as rolling when it is occuring. This damage can be seen on the rand rubber* but, more commonly on the soles. Super sticky rubbers are more prone as they are softer. Coarse rock or twisting on plastic holds also increases this type of wear.

This photo shows typically worn rubber - scalloping on both sole and rand

Nearly 100% of all repairs we get show scalloping. BJR has estimated that the life of a shoe can be prolonged up to 35% by periodic removal of scalloping. Removing this damaged rubber is easy for an expert using super fine sand paper – removing this damaged rubber will make your shoes last longer and perform better. It is what I call “Rock shoe tuning” and it is a free service available at BJR.

Shoe before tuning

The same shoe after tuning

The performance difference to your shoes will be immediately noticeable - better friction and edging. Competition climbers that have had one shoe tuned in this way and commented on the massive difference between the tuned and unturned shoe.

Before you try to tick your next project, check your climbing shoes are tuned to the task.

Rand rubber* the thin side wall rubber of a climbing shoe.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Cartoon Series


This is the first in a series of cartoons we ran at Big John's Retreads in the early 90's.