Shoe elastics - durability and replacement

[zjpj83]

How long does elastic in shoes last, either in side-gusset slip on shoes or chelsea boots?

Can it be replaced when necessary?

 

[tattersall]

Originally Posted by zjpj83

How long does elastic in shoes last, either in side-gusset slip on shoes or chelsea boots?

Can it be replaced when necessary?

It was in the bespoke context but I seem to recall Gaziano writing that it was a v. difficult operation to replace the elastic. I have both side-gusset slip-ons and chelseas and I hope longevity is achieved by simply having a large number of shoes to rotate through...

 

[stach]

It's rubber and oxygen gets to it. I have a couple of pair of elastic gusset shoes and the rubber on one pair is starting to go.

 

[zjpj83]

Ok, thanks. Sounds like it's not worth investing in an expensive pair unless you don't care about their longevity.

 

[stach]

I've had them for about nine years. I wore them quite a but when they were new but seldom wear them now.

 

[well-kept]

Well not so fast. I have two pair of vintage Peals made by EG more than twenty years ago in the style comparable to EGs current Wigmore. The elastic under the tongue on both pairs is just fine - tight and springy. They've absorbed plenty of oxygen in two decades. I think it might be another factor or factors that causes elastic's demise.

 

[johnapril]

I never had good luck with elastic shoe material. Anyway, it sort of looked cheap to me once I started buying higher end shoes. As I said on another thread, it really hurts when you buy something expensive and find out later what a piece of crap it is.

 

[well-kept]

The vintage Peals look nicer all the time (and the elastic is hidden.)

My brother has offered to buy me a pair of RM Williams boots for X-mas. Should I worry about the elastic? He's devoted to his. Almost never wears anything else.