When to resole shoes and with what

Hi everyone, when do you decide to resole shoes, what do you look for and how often do you do it? My other question would be what do you like to resole it with and why (C4 vs XS Edge)? I have a pair of Miura VCs I'm thinking of sending to either Positive Resoles or Rock and Resole. As these are my main high-end shoes, I use them mostly for projecting and leading steep routes. Mostly gym climbing but I'd still use these outdoors on most things. Thanks!

I've had the same pair of solutions resoled twice, once with XS Edge and once with C4. Both times, it was done by Rock and Resole. I honestly didn't notice that much of a difference in friction when climbing at the gym. What I did notice is that the thinner rubber (3 or 4 mm, can't remember) seemed to wear out much faster than the thicker rubber (4 or 5 mm).

I wish I could remember which type of rubber was which thickness, and exactly how thick they were. I think Vibram rubber was the thinner one, but I don't know for sure...

I don't know how you're planning on using your resoled shoes, but if they're just going to be your gym/projecting shoes, maybe get some thicker rubber. If they're going to be your only pair or your redpoint pair, maybe get a thinner rubber. That's what I've been doing, and it works for me.

Rock and Resole are the only resolers I've tried, and they've done a great job on 4 resoles so far. Customer service has been great, too.

It's time to resole once the rubber has rounded/worn to the sole/rand glue line. Rands can be repaired but it's a better option to resole before rand work is needed.

It can take an entire season or a week to wear out the soles depending on how or what you climb. A climber who places their foot securely onto holds will decrease wear over someone who grinds their foot along the entire wall. Climbing on large hods is easier on the rubber than standing on dimes. So, thatching up a thin face will go through a lot of resoles.

What to resole with?
That really depends on who,what,where&when. There are different hardness or rubber, XS Grip and C4 are soft, XS Edge and Onyx are a little harder. There are other companies but each will have a selection.
Now just jumping to the softest stickiest rubber is not necessarily the correct answer.
If you like to edge on dimes then a stiffer compound will flex less and give better support. If you smedge then a soft rubber will enhance the grip.
The temperature you climb at affects your choice. The soft stuff works better at lower temperatures. It get kind of greasy when the mercury rises.
To compound the problem, a 200lbs climber will not have the same experience as a 100lbs climb.

So when climbers shot out that so&so rubber is the best, it may not be the best for you.

It's best to use the same thickness that the shoe came with.

resoling miuras with C4 will soften them up significantly ....

theyll become more smeary and less edgy

i have several miuras that have been resoled with different rubbahs

the c4 miura VCS are my go to winter slab shoe ... in the summer in the sun i find em a tad slick

personally i would suggest resoling with the same rubber they came with ... vibram edge

;)

I try to get them to resolers before it wears a hole in the rubber (i.e. before it goes through the rand). It's especially important on high-performance edging shoes - if they have to repair your rand, it will affect the stiffness of the shoe.

What with, depends on where and what temperatures you climb at. If you mostly climb in room or above room temperatures, resole them with XS Edge, if you climb a lot in cold temps, resole them with softer rubber like C4.

Thanks guys! This helps. It looks like I've a tiny hole in the rand so a resole and a new toe cap might be in order. :( I may just go with XS Edge on this one and maybe resole my Katana Laces with Grip or C2 for use as my smearing/slab shoe.

Tiny holes in the rand can be patched with Freesole, which is a type of glue sold in outdoor shops. It is quite durable and can help postpone a more expensive resole for quite a while. You should check that out. A tiny hole in the rand, by itself, isn't enough to warrant an entire resole.

Reviving an old thread.

I found a local cobbler that does climbing shoe work with a two day turn around but he only uses C4 rubber. My question to the people is (I've never used C4 on any shoe) what would be the perceived or objective advantages/disadvantages to resoling my shoes that traditionally come with Vibram edging rubber with the C4 instead? I don't do a ton of edging anyhow. I'm Mostly crack climbing and smedging on less than vertical Southern California granite with occasional steep(ish) chossy sport climb.

I was thinking of trying it first with my katana laces but my mythos, TC pros and Scarpa Insinct VS' all need new rubber as well.

Dont do it!?!? Do it!?!?

Your shoes will get a little softer and stickier. Great for smedging less so for fist crack. 

Yeah, I would say for most purposes, C4 is highly superior to edge rubber.  It has higher friction, is more sensitive, and I find it to be more durable.  It is softer, so if you need to stand on tiny stuff (or for long periods of time, e.g trad multipitch), you might prefer Edge.  That said, I usually like to stick to the same rubber as a shoe came in, as I generally buy a shoe for a particular purpose.  While one could buy TC Pros and have them resolved with C4, I say why not just buy a pair of Pinks?  For your purposes, however, I think you'll be much happier with C4 than Edge.

Thanks for the replies. I'm now thinking I should stick with edge on the TC's and maybe the Katanas as well and try out the Scarpas and mythos with C4. I don't want the shoes to lose much of their character. My TC's are going on their third half sole and all the others have not ever seen the shoe doctor before.

Ted Pinson wrote:

While one could buy TC Pros and have them resolved with C4, I say why not just buy a pair of Pinks?

There are some of us like myself that have yet to find a 5.10 shoe that fits my foot. So in some cases there is a good reason to do this.

Lou,

Mythos with C4 are great. But it will depend on your application and if the added grip is enough of an advantage to offset the sole being less stiff and the rubber wearing through quicker than XS Edge. Sometimes you just have to experiment with your shoes and see how you like them. I think you've got the right idea with trying it on only some of your shoes..