My first shoes with Topy put on

Shikar · May 5, 2010

I dont topy cos i really want to get my shoes resoled.
I havent had a single shoe resoled yet.
Maybe I need less shoes.

Regards.

WBaker · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by LabelKing

You don't get the nice sound however.
I definitely agree, a topy just makes everything a little bit too sterile.

RSS · May 5, 2010

I'm curious ... do they squeak when water soaked and walking on terrazzo?

upnorth · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by RSS

Nor can you see the beautiful leather sole. Or to put it another way ... it ruins the sole's soul.

I'm in the opposite camp. There is nothing beautiful about the leather soles after they have been worn. Most people don't look at your soles and really the only time people ever stare down at their own soles is after they sense a waft of dog/ cat poo. And if indeed that were the unfortunate case, the sight wouldn't be pretty regardless of topy or leather soles but they are a hell lot easier to clean up afterwards with topied shoes. The dime size thickness does nothing to adversely affect comfort.

The only time I wouldn't topy is when I konow I will only use them exclusively for carpeted or immaculately clean indoor floors, i.e. slippers, patent leather shoes and a pair of black captoes which I store in my office.

Aside from it's non slip properties, Topy is a great alternative to those who lack the geographical accessibility of a decent cobbler who can re-sole your shoes.

DocHolliday · May 5, 2010

^Yeah, that's me. Even my prettiest soles don't stay that way very long. I find the Topy no less attractive than the alternative.

Even my fiddleback waists end up pretty battered. But I don't spend much time staring at the soles of my shoes, so who cares?

In the end, for me, practicality wins out over romance.

apropos · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

^Yeah, that's me. Even my prettiest soles don't stay that way very long. I find the Topy no less attractive than the alternative. Even my fiddleback waists end up pretty battered. But I don't spend much time staring at the soles of my shoes, so who cares? In the end, for me, practicality wins out over romance.
Precisely right - it is interesting that most of the pro-leather sole camp folks tend to turn to sentimental reasons to justify their decisions. Once in a while you get folks who claim that topy-ing is bad for you because it doesn't let your sole/feet breathe, or the innards will rot because the addition of a topy stops dead the clearly significant quantity of water that escapes through a 0.75" thick leather sole. Some might even claim that leather soles have the most traction of any sole type.

bluemagic · May 5, 2010

Why not just have rubber soles in the first place?

apropos · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by bluemagic

Why not just have rubber soles in the first place?
Because many RTW shoes don't come with rubber soles?

upnorth · May 5, 2010

Correcto. Many good RTW shoes don't come in rubber soles. Those that do usually use dainite, ridgeway, medway, lugs etc which is all fine and dandy.

However, a leather sole + thin topy/ vibram negates the need to look for a specifically skilled resole person because they are a more convenient (and cheaper) option. Replacing a dainite sole requires you to find a skilled cobbler who carries stock dainite soles in a variety of sizes while almost anyone can be trained relatively quickly to put on and replace topies.

holymadness · May 5, 2010

All my shoes have a topy and a European toe tap (fers encastrÃ

s).

I have yet to wear out a pair of soles.

upnorth · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by holymadness

All my shoes have a topy and a European toe tap (fers encastrÃ

s).

I have yet to wear out a pair of soles.

You mean to say all your shoes either have a topy OR a toe tap, because clearly the pair in the pic is not topied.

holymadness · May 5, 2010

It's not my pic; unfortunately I couldn't find one with both. I just wanted to illustrate what fers encastrÃ

s looked like.

I put BOTH a topy and a toe tap. My soles are indestructible. I replace the heels more often than the soles. Come to think of it, maybe I should put something on the heels.

EDIT: changed the pic.

RSS · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by apropos

Precisely right - it is interesting that most of the pro-leather sole camp folks tend to turn to sentimental reasons to justify their decisions.
There's good reason for that. Were this all about practicality ... the topy wins hands down. Fortunately I can still afford the romance ... although after today's stock market results ...

RSS · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by holymadness

I put BOTH a topy and a toe tap. My soles are indestructible. I replace the heels more often than the soles. Come to think of it, maybe I should put something on the heels.
That's true for me even without a topy and tap. I replace 2 heals for every sole.

Wes Bourne · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by rich_202

Your shoes look great. I've seen some hack jobs in the past.

Originally Posted by Chips

They look great, and I can tell you, your cobbler did a wonderful job. He did a good job making it nice and clean the way it blends where you can see the black of the leather sole and the edge of the topy.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Of all the forum boogeymen, I find this one particularly odd.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

You don't get the nice sound however.

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

I have nothing against people who choose to Topy their shoes. I'm not going to react in knee-jerk, dogmatic fashion against it. That said, I prefer the look of an un-Topyed leather sole. I have no doubt that a Topy will prolong the life of a sole by a significant margin. But frankly, I just love the aesthetics of the leather.
Also, for what it's worth, your cobbler did an outstanding job applying that Topy. The blend with the sole is superb.

Originally Posted by Shikar

I dont topy cos i really want to get my shoes resoled.
I havent had a single shoe resoled yet.
Maybe I need less shoes.

Regards.

+1 to all of the above. I haven't had soles topied since high school. My father would take my new leather soled dress shoes to the cobbler next to his office to get them topied. Mind you, I mostly wore boat shoes, bucks and penny loafers back then, so my feet would likely still have outgrown the shoes before I could have managed to wear down untopied soles.

My first shoes with Topy put on

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