Shoe cobbler for Lake Boots

[tuba_transport]

Both of my Lake Winter Boots have separating heel cups. I called Lake and they said this is a known issue due to using the wrong type of thread at the factory.

Lake will reimburse for the repair or I can send them in for RMA. Repair might take a day or two local or RMA might take 2+ weeks.

So I am going to go with a local repair. Anyone have a recommended shoe cobbler here in the DC metro area?

BTW, Lake said that the thread needs to be nylon with a 20% stretch capability. That might be useful info in case you have the same issue.

[CRAIG2]

Both of my Lake Winter Boots have separating heel cups. I called Lake and they said this is a known issue due to using the wrong type of thread at the factory.

Lake will reimburse for the repair or I can send them in for RMA. Repair might take a day or two local or RMA might take 2+ weeks.

So I am going to go with a local repair. Anyone have a recommended shoe cobbler here in the DC metro area?

BTW, Lake said that the thread needs to be nylon with a 20% stretch capability. That might be useful info in case you have the same issue.

I can't remember the name, but there's a shoe repair place tucked in behind the Safeway at the corners of King St and Braddock Rd in Alexandria. A previous g/f had some heels repaired there, and I recall the work being decent.

[dphelps]

Both of my Lake Winter Boots have separating heel cups. I called Lake and they said this is a known issue due to using the wrong type of thread at the factory.

Lake will reimburse for the repair or I can send them in for RMA. Repair might take a day or two local or RMA might take 2+ weeks.

So I am going to go with a local repair. Anyone have a recommended shoe cobbler here in the DC metro area?

BTW, Lake said that the thread needs to be nylon with a 20% stretch capability. That might be useful info in case you have the same issue.

There used to be a guy in the shopping center by Kilroys. I think he's still there.

[rciracing]

I had a similar issue w/ my Sidis and they recommended that I take them to a shoe cobbler or try some glue. I took it to a cobbler (in Belair, MD) and they repaired it. The Sidi shoe is stiffer than my Lake 300 boots.

I just had the ankle come up/off on my Lakes and I think that the design is too flexible and will result in the threads tearing again so this time I used some glue. The newer 301's and 302's seem stiffer. I've had the 300's since 2004 so I've gotten my money's worth out of them.

[bkjoe]

I've used the guy next to Kilroy's 3 or 4 times & been happy with the results - he seems to get things turned around pretty fast, too.

bk

[punga]

I'm having the same exact issue. I might just push them for the RMA because I don't want to deal with them falling apart every year.

p!

[DaveG]

I'm having the same exact issue. I might just push them for the RMA because I don't want to deal with them falling apart every year.

p!

I think it's funny that they're blaming this on the wrong type of thread at the factory. I guess they've been using the wrong thread for 4-5 years :rolleyes:

[Dirt]

I think it's funny that they're blaming this on the wrong type of thread at the factory. I guess they've been using the wrong thread for 4-5 years :rolleyes:
Exactly. Even a good shoe repair guy wasn't enough to fix mine. They're the best on the market, but they're far from perfect.

[CRAIG2]

We should all stop and ask ourselves, in this situation, WWCND?

I say just man up and make good use of some duct tape. It fixes everything. Oh, and quit buyin' those cheap shoes! :p:D

[tuba_transport]

There used to be a guy in the shopping center by Kilroys. I think he's still there.

Thanks for the heads up. I took them to him before tonight's Wakefield ride and he quoted me $14. Should be ready to pick up on Saturday.

[mark w]

Don't forget to add cost for your time and gas spent dropping them off and picking them up.

[punga]

Thanks for the heads up. I took them to him before tonight's Wakefield ride and he quoted me $14. Should be ready to pick up on Saturday.
How did your boots come out?

p!

[tuba_transport]

How did your boots come out?

p!

They seemed ok. I wore them yesterday for 3 hours. Only problem was my feet going numb from fastening the boots too tight. Once they warmed up, stretched out, and I loosened them more and more they were ok.

The repair itself looks just as good as new. Cost was $14 with a turnaround of just a few days. I'll see how long they last this winter.

[punga]

They seemed ok. I wore them yesterday for 3 hours. Only problem was my feet going numb from fastening the boots too tight. Once they warmed up, stretched out, and I loosened them more and more they were ok.

The repair itself looks just as good as new. Cost was $14 with a turnaround of just a few days. I'll see how long they last this winter.
Now the question is are they still water proof?

[tuba_transport]

Now the question is are they still water proof?

The heel is sewed up exactly the same way it was before but with the proper nylon thread. I suspect they will shed water the same as before.

I asked the waterproof question of Lake on the phone. He told me the boots are not waterproof to begin with. They are just designed to shed water very well. So walking through ankle deep water is going to still get my feet wet. But water splashing over them or walking through snow should keep me dry.

This is my second customer service interaction with Lake and both times has gone superb. Last year I broke a Boa retention dial on a rock at Gambrill. I called up Lake to find out what parts I needed to purchase for the repair. They shipped the parts for free. This time around I am technically just outside the warranty period by several days and without question they offered to reimburse for the repair, which is the recommended route since the repair seems to effectively correct the problem, or they will RMA a whole new boot.

My boots were in pretty good condition except for the thread holding the uppers to the heel cups. So I did the repair and will ride them.

Considering how great my customer service has been so far with Lake, I am pretty confident that if the repair ends up coming loose again that Lake will do the right thing and RMA the boots at that time.

I am impressed with the company.