I can’t resist the temptation to brag to you about my new cobbler which I found after reading a zillion Yelps and asking around and researching the shit out of everything boots and boot repair ….
I know, too much time sunk into that endeavor when there’s wrenchin’ to be done and parts to be chased down at swap meets. But, my old cobbler who used to be in Laguna Beach, vanished out of thin air. Gone without a trace …no forwarding number, nuthin’. What the hell?!
He was a cool guy, an old-school Harley rider by the name of Denny who had a little shop right on PCH by the name of Cobbler’s Corner. He rode a molded Road King and had a past in an M/C in Arizona… And he always spoke my language, whether on jackets, boots or bags; anything you wanted made righteous, he was your man.
No, smartass, I didn’t mean that in an “alternative lifestyle” way! He was an original and a damned good cobbler with mega gnarly hands to show for it… Had been in that game for eons but still seemingly not close to retirin’ age.
But what the hell do I know about how much someone has hidden in the mattress. Anyway, like I sez, he up and split. Maybe he’s roamin’ the country tryin’ to dig up the old Captain America bike in some barn in the mid-west. Either that, or he’s down Mexico way endeavoring to talk the national assembly into payin’ for da wall. Or maybe he’s in Havana conferring with Raul Castro over a good cigar about the benefits of joining the Union.
Who knows… In any event, after my flailing about for a bit, this new guy, Victor, in Santa Ana (Victor’s Shoe Repair) came highly recommended by my buddies at the Red Wing shoe store in Lake Forest, so I went with that ’cause I figured they wouldn’t give me a bum steer. But I gotta’ tell ya’ – loving my boot’s and not lovin’ the thought of going with a new, completely unknown-to-me guy, I felt like a drunken gambler at a rigged card game giving him those walkers.
But lo and behold, I just got my boots back from him after only a couple days time, and I’m as happy as a teenager after his first whore house visit, ’cause he done good – real good!
As alluded to above, ‘O Swami, it’s been a long process of me investigating and researching what all I can put on them Chippewa’s ’cause Chippewa wouldn’t sell me the original soles as they don’t furnish a service like that. This is in sharp contrast to Red Wing where you can actually even send your boots straight to Red Wing in Minnesota and have THEM resole ’em for ya’ for around one hundred American!
Anyway, I had decided on the Vibram 430 mini-lug sole and heel. So I instructed señor Victor accordingly. And sure enough, he re-constructed the whole bottom-end, stitching the setup together through the welt like a proper Goodyear Welted boot should be put together.
The craftsmanship of it looks pretty much flawless, at least to me. Particularly at 75 bucks! Then he also riveted that hasp & staple brass setup onto my old Garage Leathers swingarm bag, utilizing aged patina brass rivets he gets in L.A.
So now, when I’m out of range of my bike with my three-five-seven, the ambition of some long fingered bastard to get into my stash is dampened by that padlock. So I’m sittin’ here pretty damned happy about something sort of small like those items.
(Wonder what George or Brad is doing right now?). But they’re victories nonetheless.
Certainly, if you can resole boots that are already nicely broken in, you’re always ahead, in my opinion, ’cause they feel just like home and have taken on character.
Sure, you could go buy new ones, but aside from the extra expense, why? I think that somewhere in there, there is some notion about being anti-throwaway society. I can just see you and Rogue nodding in agreement while enjoying your Maker’s Mark for breakfast.
One more thing: like I mentioned, it’s easier said than done to find an outfit, who understands this whole deal. Like, get this: I take them boots to “Sam’s Shoes” here in downtown San Clemente, and the idiot behind the counter tells me with a straight face that they can “just glue some rubber soles on top of the old ones.” What?! Noooo you man-boobed dip shit, that’s NOT what you do with a Goodyear Welted boot!
You take the outsoles off of them, and then you attach and sew new soles on ’em ALL THE WAY THROUGH the welt AND the sole. And if you have to take out the midsole and re-build the cork embedded in IT, or even reconstruct the whole deal all the way up to the welt to where it’s all taken apart lookin’ like a moccasin in a tepe, then so be it ’cause that’s what a REAL cobbler does, see! So I just walked outta’ there shaking my head.
What the hell, man?! I felt like shoving one of them colorful rainbow hippie surfer sandals they had on sale right down his throat for being so goddamned clueless. But I’m a peaceful man, to a point. These people call themselves shoemakers? Ha! Soon to be lost art at this rate, brother…
Anyway, I guess I just had to share all that and these pictures of Victor‘s work — my almost 20-year-old boots feel perfect.
Chippewa USA – As rugged as the land you walk! Yes sir! Very, very grippy soles now …just superb, and I can’t wait to get on the Hog again when the rains let up ’cause these fit me like a glove, as they always did …after the first week of break-in back in 1999.
I even jumped on both bikes in da garage, playing around with the shifter and brake pedal and the feel and “dexterity” is as good as ever in these here beauties. All is well on the western front. It’s not much that beats good old true American craftsmanship and that old-school look and feel. They can keep all that newfangled shit (at least as far as motorcycle gear goes) …it don’t matter if we’re talkin’ jackets, boots, gloves, you name it — it ain’t me, and it certainly ain’t you neither, and never will be. That much I know, or a huge heard of buffalo ain’t grazing in the shadows of the Tetons as this is written.
By the way, the Vibram sole story is a cool tale all by itself. Founded in Italy in 1937 by Vitale Bramani (Vibram, get it?) and still going strong, world-wide. Lastly, yes ‘O great Swami and motorcycle God who reigns supreme over all of Bikerdom from Bikernet World Headquarters in San Pedro, Cali-forn-I-A, I am fully aware that you know a thing or two, or three about boots and proper care of same, courtesy of your days in the Navy.
Ride Forever,
–Andreas
Midnight Express Motorcycle Co.,
San Clemente, California – USA
