Dead Velcro!

[Eden]

My beloved Sidi road shoes are suffering from a bad case of un-sticky velcro... anyone know a good way to bring it back? I heard about and tried hitting the hook side with a hair dryer, but maybe I just didn't do it long enough? I'm also thinking the fuzzy side might need a hair cut...

I'm not sure I can afford a new pair at this point, so if anyone has tricks to revive tired velcro I'd love to hear about them.

[alpinerabbit]

Could a shoe repair shop replace the hook side?

[Eden]

I think the whole piece would have to be replaced, but its a thought.
It's not attached as complicatedly as I thought it was.

I'm also going to get out a big needle, I think, and give the hook side a really aggressive cleaning out. Maybe that will do some good.

[Becky]

What about taking a comb to the hook side? Something to get all of the fuzz out of the hooks....

[newfsmith]

^1+. I've had good luck using flea combs for cats.

[Eden]

I've got the hook side pretty clean now.... still no sticky... The fuzzy side is pretty long... I'm going to try giving that a hair cut.....

[OakLeaf]

It's usually the loop side that gives out long before the hook side.

You can buy velcro in various widths from a fabric store. Usually you have to buy both sides, occasionally they'll sell the hook part and loop part separately.

My shoes aren't there yet, but it seems like it wouldn't be that big of a deal for a cobbler to replace the velcro. I might even make a stab at hand sewing it myself using the existing needle holes (probably best anyway so as not to weaken the strap).

[ttaylor508]

Hey Eden-- DH has the same problem with his Sidi shoes. I believe the bike shop (Center Cycle) told him they could send that piece into Sidi for new velcro and then you would need to take to a shoe repair place to have them sew it back on. It seems this is not a new problem with the Sidi shoes.

The shoes are expensive enough that a minor cost at the shoe repair would be much cheaper than replacing the shoes.

[Blueberry]

Thanks for the tips. DH has this problem with his (otherwise good condition) sidis too.

CA

[wavedancer]

I had a similar problem with my Sidi's and they responded well to trimming the loose loop fibers, just a slight shave.

[Irulan]

Any decent shoe repair ought to be able to replace all the velcro for a couple of bucks. Forget hand sewing it, those guys have the right tools!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I seem to recall a cookbook for utilizing dead velcro?

[NbyNW]

Try Swanson's shoe repair on N. 45th street in Wallingford - he has replaced Velcro on leather for me, and I see him out cycling w/ family sometimes so I imagine he may have done work on cycling shoes as well.

[Crankin]

I am getting new shoes for this reason. They are five years old and the velcro has been dead for two years. I did some research on this and found out that this has been a major problem with Sidis in the past, but it seems to be fixed with later models (2008). I looked at my husband's new shoes and there have definitely been changes.
We both got great deals on Sidis at backcountry.com outlet. There was one pair left in my teeny size...

[Eden]

Yeah - I've decided on a new pair as well. We have a team deal for them, so its not quite as painful. I could get new velcro put on, but they are wearing out in other places too. Even though I've changed the heel bumpers they are getting ground down and one has a bit of a hole from a crash.... They were my lucky $30 pair too - I think I got my money's worth out of them.