Viable Business?

[love2fly]

Hi

Just testing the waters....

I have a bit of time on my hands and like working with my hands restoring and fixing....(sometimes fixing whats not yet broken)!

Earlier this year I repaired my road carbon shoes which had one carbon sole toe section broken when the car that hit me parked across my toes..... (s'true).

So, what I'm looking at doing is kind of similar in that while my repair was on the carbon sole, I'd like to offer a full cycling shoe restoration service doing the uppers and sole.

It would be primarily to fix scuffs and damage or rejuvenate paintwork and even look at customization after I've learned to transition from walking (slowly with a stick) to running. There are sometimes limitation iro of how bad the shoes are and colours etc (I have a pair of Spez shoes with a massive scuff across some fake carbon that not possible to replace so there I'm planning on changing the carbon to a contrasting colour.

I'll include the link to a young lady who does amazing work in the UK to show what is possible.....and i'll include my before and after on my road shoes (sole only)

https://jarpz.com/#about 

My question is whether you guys think it's a viable business (it doesn't have to pay the rent and would be in part to fund my cycling habit).

I would offer courier/Pudo and collection/delivery - based in JHB.

 

[Jewbacca]

I have a pair of shoes you can have a go at.... Used 3 times before I fell descending Chappies and skidded across the road.

I've always wondered if it was possible to refurb them/fix them.

Hit me up with a PM and we can discuss costs etc

[love2fly]

7 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I have a pair of shoes you can have a go at.... Used 3 times before I fell descending Chappies and skidded across the road.

I've always wondered if it was possible to refurb them/fix them.

Hit me up with a PM and we can discuss costs etc

Cool - Thank you I'll do that. I'll send you my number so you can send me some pics for us to assess what's required.

👍 

[fiqree]

I would also be interested if you considering doing it, got a pair of spez with front carbon damage and red colour is faded.

[love2fly]

14 hours ago, fiqree said:

I would also be interested if you considering doing it, got a pair of spez with front carbon damage and red colour is faded.

Thanks. I'll PM you my no if you could then perhaps whatsapp me pics showing damage and other angles?

[Tomik]

Add in heel rubber replacement and you should get many customers. The small rubber soles on the heel always wear faster on one side and sometimes fall off. 

I replaced one on my Catlike road shoes with a modified brake pad, but am sure you can find a more elegant solution if the stock ones are no longer available. 

I had a previous pair done by a shoe repair company but they did a horrible job. 

[Tomik]

With the price of new shoes these days, it's not a bad time for this service. 

[Shebeen]

3 hours ago, Tomik said:

Add in heel rubber replacement and you should get many customers. The small rubber soles on the heel always wear faster on one side and sometimes fall off. 

I replaced one on my Catlike road shoes with a modified brake pad, but am sure you can find a more elegant solution if the stock ones are no longer available. 

I had a previous pair done by a shoe repair company but they did a horrible job. 

i love this!

 

It's so funny how people will use an item from their sport to fix things on that sport.

 

 

 

[love2fly]

7 hours ago, Tomik said:

Add in heel rubber replacement and you should get many customers. The small rubber soles on the heel always wear faster on one side and sometimes fall off. 

I replaced one on my Catlike road shoes with a modified brake pad, but am sure you can find a more elegant solution if the stock ones are no longer available. 

I had a previous pair done by a shoe repair company but they did a horrible job. 

Nice idea. One could maybe cut that u-shaped pad out of a heel that shoemaker fit to your shoes when they resole. Just cut with a small band or jig saw and grind to fit. Or buy hard material.

[Tomik]

That will work too. The grinding part was messy on the brake pad but it does the job. 

If I was paying, I'd want an as-original look as possible. 

[love2fly]

7 hours ago, Tomik said:

With the price of new shoes these days, it's not a bad time for this service. 

Thanks. The high price of decent shoes is what started me thinking. Its not great to replace shoes after a scuff or when the finish and the non-aging carbon sole is still good. I'm going to look at customization also. It's a special leather paint that can handle flexing which doesn't come cheap but I have time and while it's not entirely free I plan on keeping prices reasonable.

[love2fly]

1 minute ago, Tomik said:

That will work too. The grinding part was messy on the brake pad but it does the job. 

If I was paying, I'd want an as-original look as possible. 

👍  that's the plan. I'll be starting on my own spare pair of Spez shoes shortly with a before:after.

[dave303e]

59 minutes ago, love2fly said:

Nice idea. One could maybe cut that u-shaped pad out of a heel that shoemaker fit to your shoes when they resole. Just cut with a small band or jig saw and grind to fit. Or buy hard material.

Most cobblers will find a rubber replacement and fit it for you. Used to be a guy on a street corner in randburg that resoled my MX boots a few times. MX boots are too expensive not to resole and the boot makers sell replacement soles for a good price. But he did resole them the one time in a hurry with a car tyre tread, actually worked well.

[100Tours]

10 hours ago, Tomik said:

Add in heel rubber replacement and you should get many customers. The small rubber soles on the heel always wear faster on one side and sometimes fall off. 

I replaced one on my Catlike road shoes with a modified brake pad, but am sure you can find a more elegant solution if the stock ones are no longer available. 

I had a previous pair done by a shoe repair company but they did a horrible job. 

This is genius. I've always heard that you shouldn't use your shoe for braking - but your solution changes everything.

 

 

Seriously I do think this is an interesting business. The artwork element also adds an interesting dimension.

[madmarc]

Also look at replacing the velcro on the straps with some serious HD stuff - I have a set of SIDI Dragons which you can get replacement sole bits but the velcro has gone - replaced it with glue on stuff but it don't last

[love2fly]

10 hours ago, madmarc said:

Also look at replacing the velcro on the straps with some serious HD stuff - I have a set of SIDI Dragons which you can get replacement sole bits but the velcro has gone - replaced it with glue on stuff but it don't last

That might require some open-heart-surgery but nothings impossible.