Anyone have experience with the Ridgeway sole?

I can judge the appearance from photos, but I'm concerned with how they feel being worn. How stiff are they? How hard is the compound? I have a pair of shoes with the English Commando soles, and I frankly find them unsuitable for hard surfaces.

Thanks to all!

I had a professor in paris who had a pair of Bowen shoes with a ridgeway sole for rainy days. Otherwise he wore bespoke shoes (and bespoke suits, chopard cufflinks, a slim cartier tank—maybe the most elegant dresser i've ever seen). He was also probably in his 60's, and clomping around the streets of paris in his bowen boots, so I imagine they're pretty comfortable. Regardless, i think the surface looks really cool, and i really like it when companies have their name spelled out by the ridges.



Flanderian said:

How hard is the compound? I have a pair of shoes with the English Commando soles, and I frankly find them unsuitable for hard surfaces.

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The Ridgeway sole is certainly softer than a Commando sole. I would say, it is the same rubber compound (and same stiffness) as a Dainite sole (just a different design of the mould).

^this. Same feel as Dainite on hard surfaces (wet or dry) in my opinion. Better traction off pavement. Better than Dainite on snow. Still terrible on ice. Not meant for cold conditions as the compound is not soft to begin with and becomes stiffer with the cold especially at or below the freezing mark.

I have country boots with Ridgeway soles that I wear year-round. Decent boot for winter when you don't want to wear something far heavier.

bengal-stripe said:

The Ridgeway sole is certainly softer than a Commando sole. I would say, it is the same rubber compound (and same stiffness) as a Dainite sole (just a different design of the mould).

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Plus, you don't get that 'flat-footed' feeling that a studded Dainite sole can bring on after a walk of a few miles or more. Can be quite uncomfortable as you end up feeling as though your feet are slapping the ground after a while, due to the flatter profile of the studded Dainite.

The Ridgeway is my personal favourite for heavier boots. I've got three pairs of boots with it, two of which I had resoled with Ridgeways in preference to their original soles.

Thank you, gentlemen!

I think I now have a better idea of what to expect.

Today I had my first experience wearing shoes with the ridgeway soles on snow and it was not a good experience. The conditions were slushy so the snow would get caught between the ridges creating a very flat surface. On my way back to the office I almost skid and fell while walking on the tiled floor.
It seems that ridgeway is more appropriate for hiking in the country than in the snow.

Does anyone know a cobbler in NY that can convert a Dainite studded sole to a Ridgeway? Unfortunately, VIP./B.Nelson don't carry Ridgeway. thanks

So I had never heard of ridgeway and the appearance looked like something you’d find on the bottom of new balance knock offs at Walmart, or on kids school shoes/nurse shoes, so when the Dragon Boots i’d Wanted showed up redesigned and with this ridgeway sole instead of the Dainite sole...I panicked and figured it was a cost cutting downgrade, one that didn’t look very good imo. I know valuing the appearance of a sole is silly but I very much do, and nothing beats a leather or leather + rubber combo, but a few reviews commenting on how stiff the dainite sole was and I noticed the “rebooted” (no pun intended) boot mentioned having increased flexibility from the ridgeway sole...now I had to do some research.

So imagine my surprise when I find that the “Dainite” is a brand, and all the sites that use its name on the spec sheets are doing a disservice to their customers and giving ignorance a place to breed. Not good. Oh, so the Studded soles are the model of Dainites most commonly used, many of you know this as evidenced by your usage of the appropriate nomenclature throughout this thread from 2012, so please pardon my ignorance on the matter, but since I didn’t see it mentioned explicitly I figured I’d share that my tertiary shock was from learning that the “ridgeway” is also a Dainite sole.

Go ahead and flame me, but I’m genuinely curious how many of you who discussed the ridgeway were aware it was made by Dainite?

This makes me wonder if there’s actually any difference af all in flexibility since they presumably all use Dainites hardened silica approach.

Last question that may well get me killed, what’s everyone’s thoughts on Taft Clothing Company’s Footwear, Beckett & Simmons (Sp?), & Thursday boots? The latter two are certainly the better value it would appear on the surface at least. I found myself partial to some of Taft’s designs though.

The ridgeways as pictured on Dainite’s website