Express your opinion regarding the longevity of the leather sole and welt

[Jay Gatsby]

You're all aware of the leather sole with or without Topy debate. But consider this: After wearing your leather soled shoes three or five times without Topys, you will notice that the leather at the end of the toe has worn a bit, and that the stitching that holds the sole to the upper has been at least slightly worn. Does this indicate that successive wearings without Topy will result in the stitching being worn through, and the sole coming off altogether? In your opinion, is it true that leather soles without protection and walking on the sidewalk simply do not mix?

Discuss.

 

[ThatGuy]

I prefer to wear-down my shoes in style.

i.e. without some cheap rubber glued to the bottom.

I guess I have grown to accept this ever since I started wearing my shoes out of the house.

 

[Quadcammer]

I am brutual on my soles, and yes they do wear out someqhat quickly.

But consider that even if you wear down some stitching, doesn't mean the sole is gonna fall off.

IF all you do is walk out of your house, get in your car, and walk around your office building, leather soles should last nearly forever.

 

[Jay Gatsby]

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

I am brutual on my soles, and yes they do wear out someqhat quickly.

But consider that even if you wear down some stitching, doesn't mean the sole is gonna fall off.

IF all you do is walk out of your house, get in your car, and walk around your office building, leather soles should last nearly forever.

I tried hard to imply that I was talking about someone who spends a lot of time walking in the harsh urban environment....

 

[VelvetGreen]

Depends on the quality of the leather sole in the first place and the skills of your local cobbler in applying a Topy or the equivalent.

My Church 116s have never had the sole changed and I have had them for three years, wearing them once or twice a week out on the street. The sole is like a rock, the only downside being the grip is hazardous on certain surfaces in the rain. This may be due to the type of construction which leaves no stitches exposed.

I have had two pairs of shoes fitted with rubber soles and heels at my local cobbler - not glued on, but professionally pinned and re-sewed from the arch all the way to the tip. This is extremely hard wearing and while not cheap at the first shot (about £40) has meant that I have not had to go back to the cobbler since fitting. I don't trust temporary solutions such as gluing things to the bottom of my shoes.

 

[DWFII]

This whole thing can be addressed from several angles...

First, let me stipulate that leather, esp. when worn on rough surfaces and even moreso when wet or damp, will wear out faster than Topy or most rubber outsoles.

Having said that, steel...as the toe tip fans have discovered, will wear out even less quickly than either rubber or leather. Surely some bright light can come up with a way to clad the bottom of shoes with steel or, perhaps steel reinforced rubber ala automobile tires. Perhaps the whole shoe could be made of iron.

Every part of the shoe, including the outsole has evolved for a reason. We're a long way from the bronze Age nevermind the beginnings of the Iron Age. The shoemakers in the 17th century had access to iron for shoemaking, if only in the form of iron hobnails and cleats....many of which can or could be embedded directly in the leather.

But except for extreme conditions and among loud, clamorous, "notice-me" people, iron hobs have never really taken off and become popular.

The point is that you can overthink and overbuild anything. And in the process lose the utility or comfort or practicality of the item being considered.

Another issue that doesn't get much attention, if only because it is so ubiquitous in our society, is the impact of rubber on the environment and our lives. To produce a Topy or Danite outsole requires the use, and processing of, petro-chemicals. The production of these materials (automobile tires as well) is in itself damaging to the atmosphere, ground water, and organisms that live in the biospheres that are impacted.

The cements used to attach rubber soles...esp Topy and its clones...are equally damaging to the environment and even if a rubber sole is sewn to a welt, it still relies on such cements for placement and attachment.

Beyond that, even the toughest rubber soles do wear. And the 'crumbs' and detritus that enter the environment are nearly as problematic as the original chemicals from which they are made.

Leather...at least in its basic form--tanned with the extracts from the bark of trees...is a biodegradable and renewable product. Producing little or no pollution--not even carbon dioxide.

And perhaps of minor importance, rubber soles do have a different flexibility profile than leather. Do have a different conformability profile than leather. And that impacts comfort and foot health.

What makes a really top shelf shoe? Throughout the centuries and even down to the present time...the ideal is comfort, flexibility and the ability to be renewed. To the extent that there is a real difference...not just a 'marketed' or over-hyped distinction...better shoes, more expensive shoes have less plastic, less rubber, less synthetics and less mindless automation of the processes involved in construction. For all the Brave New world platitudes, that remains, and will remain true well into the future.

As some other wag on this forum said (or implied)... if you are a "value shopper", if the bother and financial impact of replacing the outsole, or even the shoes, on an occasional basis is important to you then you're really barking up the wrong tree in purchasing high end shoes in the first place. Simply because those aspects of a high end shoe that make it top shelf are not necessarily compatible with the aims of those seeking frugality or zero-maintenance.

There are plenty of naugahyde shoes out there, plenty of plastic shoes, for that matter. If there is logic in replacing one or more components with cheap, synthetic look-alikes, then there is logic for replacing the whole shoe with synthetics...eliminating leather and leather shoes altogether.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Walking upwards of three miles a day in Venice my leather soles stand the test extremely well actually. I find they only deteriorate if they get wet and you still have a lot of walking to do. Leather soles don't mix with marble very well either...the amount of times I've fallen arse over elbow on the bridges here is somewhat ridiculous.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by Jay Gatsby

You're all aware of the leather sole with or without Topy debate. But consider this: After wearing your leather soled shoes three or five times without Topys, you will notice that the leather at the end of the toe has worn a bit, and that the stitching that holds the sole to the upper has been at least slightly worn. Does this indicate that successive wearings without Topy will result in the stitching being worn through, and the sole coming off altogether? In your opinion, is it true that leather soles without protection and walking on the sidewalk simply do not mix? Discuss.
This topic of Topy surely brings up a point that I've been thinking about: having a bespoke jacket made from Kevlar. It will be completely indestructible and I would not have to worry about moths

 

[DWFII]

Conceptually, functionally, and aesthetically, there is no significant difference between corrected grain leather and a Topy'd outsole.

 

[KObalto]

I walk a lot in the city on leather soles and they hold up fine. A little wear on the stitching is not a sign that the end is near (Harold Camping told me this personally).

 

[Skanstull]

Don't make this another topy vs no topys thread... we already have one that has been recently active.

Discuss longevity of leather soles.

My take - the toe of the sole wears down quite quickly in the beginning, but then the pace of wear slows down...

 

[Unregistered]

Originally Posted by Ich_Dien

Walking upwards of three miles a day in Venice my leather soles stand the test extremely well actually. I find they only deteriorate if they get wet and you still have a lot of walking to do. Leather soles don't mix with marble very well either...the amount of times I've fallen arse over elbow on the bridges here is somewhat ridiculous.

I am so jealous of you, living in Venice.

That said, I didn't seem to have any problems during my week in Venice with leather soled shoes... even with the bridges!

 

[Blackhood]

The oil painting above my bed gathers far more dust than my posters. Thus all artowrk should be in the form of movie posters.

Leather wears out faster. But is more comfortable than a Danite sole. For me the comfort is a fair trade for durability.

 

[Nicola]

Originally Posted by Jay Gatsby

leather at the end of the toe has worn a bit,

If the toe is wearing is that the shoe or your gait?

 

[JohnnyLaw]

I walk a lot in all weather conditions. My leather soles wear out fairly quickly but so do the uppers. By the time I start thinking about a second resole, the shoes are often due to be replaced completely.

Those on SF who claim a pair of shoes should last 10 or 20 years obviously don't walk several miles a day on pavement, or else they have a huge rotation.