La Sportiva - Resole / Sole repairs

Hello all 

Been years since I have posted here  , but hoping someone here can shed light on my predicament. 

My boots have a section of polyurethane that has started to disintegrate resulting in the sole starting to peel off. I have read on the interweb of others having this same issue and that La Sportiva were willing to repair for 150 USD.

I need local advice and a local solution. 

The boots are 11 years old but you wouldn’t say so by looking at them.  

Simply glueing doesn’t seem like it could work as I’m not sure how to build up the middle layer. 

Hoping some one here has already solved this and can help. 

 

 

Happened to a pair of boots of mine, Tecnica, midsole simply disintegrated even without use. I read somewhere it has to do with bacteria munching the cellulose or something, ie It's a lost cause.

Try a whole resole job at RockSole in CT, maybe?

I had the same problem, send it to get resoled in Gauteng, not sure who it was, replaced with a vibram sole and needless to say did not last - was told that due to the environment the re-sole could not be guaranteed to last. Such a pity that we don't have a La Sportive re-soling service available to us that can repair the boots to almost new.
I did find a place in the UK but after transport and resole it was almost as expensive as getting e new pair here in SA.

Hi All

I had a similar issue with my LS nepal evo trek.  I purchased them in March 2017 and have done 495km over 25 trips in the 7 years I have had them.  On a trip boulder hopping up to Leslies base camp the inner layer also just collapsed and the sole parted company.  I had to tie it back on for the return trip, fortunately I wasnt going up, the pass.

Glueing wont help, and as mentioned, the cost of sending them overseas is prohibitive.  I found a cobbler here in Umhlanga on the ridge who did a good job cost me about R350.  It had to go back after the first trip (to base of Cathedral Peak and back with a 20kg pack 26km) because he hadn't replaced all the middle foam layer that was between the red plastic ridges.  
The second repair was also R350, and he was able to get all the old foam out.  I recently did a trip tp the base of Rwanqa, so about 35km plus the extra bit also with a 20kg pack and they seems fine.  He replaced the foam layer with his own layers and did a dam fine job.  Though ultimately, I am not sure how long they will last.  They are a complex design, like most modern boots and materials. If it was just stitched leather to a sole it would be easy.  Also take into consideration how much life the sole has, as you might replace that at the same time if you can find them here.
Some images of before and after.  It is Bhana's Service Centre.  083 789 1111. He is a helpful guy, though his telephone mannner is a but brusk.

 

Serious tribe wrote:

I had to tie id back .



 

I find it impossible to tie id back, he's always popping up, making a mess, monkeying about.
 

@1armbandit Contact Drifters JHB. Had a pair of La Sportiva Trangos with the exact same issue resoled through them last year, think they use a Capetown based cobbler. They facilitated the whole process, I just dropped them off.

@Carl - It is the natural breakdown of the polyurethane midsole (Hydrolysis) and cannot be prevented. NOT wearing the shoes on a regular basis makes the breakdown happen faster, hence you will hear a lot of accounts of "I have not worn my shoes and their soles are falling appart". So be fashionable and wear them to the office