"Clicking" sound in new shoe

[imatlas]

I just received a new pair of Alden longwings, and one shoe produces a clear "clicking" sound when I walk. I can also feel this as a sense of percussion under the ball of my foot. My impression is that the shank is "twanging" as it flexes, but of course I have no way of testing this hypothesis.

My question is: will this clear up on it's own, or will it require a repair? If a repair is needed I will ask Alden to take care of it.

Thanks!

 

[zippyh]

I've had this before in a pair of Alden longwings no less.
It doesn't really bother me so I didn't do anything about it.
It seems to have gotten better over time but does still exist.

 

[DWFII]

Originally Posted by imatlas

I just received a new pair of Alden longwings, and one shoe produces a clear "clicking" sound when I walk. I can also feel this as a sense of percussion under the ball of my foot. My impression is that the shank is "twanging" as it flexes, but of course I have no way of testing this hypothesis. My question is: will this clear up on it's own, or will it require a repair? If a repair is needed I will ask Alden to take care of it. Thanks!
My initial suspicion is that you have a broken shank support. Many times a maker will put a piece of spring steel or, in the case of lower heels and lower quality shoes, a piece of wood in against the bottom of the insole. This piece runs from just behind the treadline to under the heel. Why a new shoe would have a broken shank is a mystery, so it may not be that at all. But a broken shank is one of the most likely candidates. Bottom line is that something is not made correctly; not fitting correctly; or not functioning correctly. In all likelihood it will never go away entirely.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Maybe there is a bit of an air pocket in the cork filler?

Or it is the sound of the gemming slipping...

 

[imatlas]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

Maybe there is a bit of an air pocket in the cork filler?

Or it is the sound of the gemming slipping...

I have alerted the local bomb squad.

 

[DWFII]

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

Maybe there is a bit of an air pocket in the cork filler? Or it is the sound of the gemming slipping...

Originally Posted by imatlas

I have alerted the local bomb squad.

That'll teach me. Under the circumstances, probably the best advice is just to ignore it. Whether it goes away or not, it's undoubtedly SF certified quality.

 

[NORE]

Return them for a new pair

 

[Threadbearer]

Originally Posted by imatlas

I just received a new pair of Alden longwings, and one shoe produces a clear "clicking" sound when I walk.
Remove taps. Problem solved.

 

[imatlas]

Originally Posted by NORE

Return them for a new pair

Originally Posted by bkstone

+1

Great idea. Too bad it took 9 months to get this pair!

 

[imatlas]

Just spoke to the Alden store and it sounds like it will be taken care of at no cost to me, if you discount the aggravation of waiting 9 months for a pair of shoes and immediately needing to send them back for a resole.

 

[pebblegrain]

Would they be okay with letting you wear them for a few months and then resoling? that would ease my pain

 

[GBR]

Probably hard luck but return them to see what they say.

 

[cimabue]

I have this same problem with a pair of Alden LWBs. Mentioned it to my salesman and he insisted I let him send the shoes back to Alden for inspection. Six weeks later I got the shoes back with the suggestion I turn up the volume on my iPod. They said they could find nothing. But they did install new heels for my trouble -- three inch spikes and boy do I feel sexy!

 

[Nick V.]

Originally Posted by imatlas

Just spoke to the Alden store and it sounds like it will be taken care of at no cost to me, if you discount the aggravation of waiting 9 months for a pair of shoes and immediately needing to send them back for a resole.

As mentioned, most likely, it's a loose or cracked shank. Could also be that the foot-bed didn't set properly causing the shank to shift when pressure is applied. In either case the only surefire way to correct the problem would be to remove the sole, shank and, food-bed and reapply all three. Anything else would be guesswork. If it bothers you that much you don't have much of a choice but to let them correct the it. Under the circumstances, ask them if they will expedite it for you.

 

[EBugatti]

Absolutely send them back to Alden.