click for larger view
Earlier this year I had a low side crash on my Triumph Sprint. I was making my way around the roundabout (traffic circle) just down the road from my office heading home for the day. As I was completing the circle which I do on a regular basis I noticed I was very low to the ground. It was about this time that I realized I was too low and was about to low side. It felt like it happened very slowly as I thought “well I’m about to slide” and then I was.
I was unhurt in the crash and no one else was involved save for the kind person in the truck behind me who hopped out and helped me pick up the bike. I was able to ride the bike home from there without issue. I was unhurt because I wasn’t going fast and I was wearing all my riding gear. My pants were torn, my jacket only scratched and I thought that was the extent. Once home though I found my new-ish Dianese Fulcrum boots had not fared so well.
Taking off my boots I found that I put a 2.5 inch gash in the leather on the left side of the left boot just above the sole. As pleased as I was that the boot had protected my foot, I hated to think of having to toss these boots as I really liked them. They were comfortable, waterproof, and obviously do their job on the protection front. I knew my insurance would repay part of the cost of replacing them but at $249.99 for the Fulcrum boots, I hated to see them tossed away.
I looked online to find out what, if any, options were out there for getting them repaired. A few places online offered up quotes from 35 to 75 dollars to repair them and this would involve a patch. I didn’t really like the thought of a patch as it sounded like it would be ugly so I set the boots aside for a while until…
Carmen and I were heading out to Cool Springs Mall in Franklin, TN and one of the things she needed to do was get a strap on one of her shoes repaired. I thought it couldn’t hurt to take the damaged boot along and see if they could offer any advice on repairing it. It turns out that where we were going was one of the Hakky chain of shoe repair places. Honestly their spot in the mall doesn’t inspire confidence at first glance as it is very small and the work area is dark and jam-packed with equipment and other shoes waiting to be repaired.
Nevertheless I proceeded to show the shop owner the boot not at all confident he would have good news. After inspecting the damage and the rest of teh boot he looked at me and said he could fix it. I said “OK,” and asked how he would do this. He told me he could patch it, which the phrase I was afraid of. He also said he was “pretty sure” it would work but needed to get into ti and see.
I asked how much this would cost and he told me $17.00. Yep, not $70 but $17.00! For that price I thought what do I have to lose, the boot’s toast anyway and so we left her shoe and my boot and were told to come back in about a week.
Returning to the mall the following week I handed over our ticket and he brought back our footwear. Wow! I literally said “Wow!” as I picked up the boot and took a close look where the gash had been. The repair was pretty slick and although it’s not “pretty” I don’t believe it could look much better, especially considering the cost. And it gets better.
Since the Gore-Tex ® liner appeared to be intact after the crash i hoped maybe the boot would retain its waterproofing. Sure enough after a full three minutes submerged in the sink, no water found its way inside the boot. Not only did the liner survive the crash intact but the repair was done with enough care not to damage it as it was being worked on.
Many weeks having gone by and many rides later the patch is still holding up and it still remains waterproof (I just checked today). If you’ve got a damaged boot and you feel that the only recourse may be the manufacturer or specialist, or maybe even just tossing it away I say do give the local guy a chance. If you’re in the Nashville area you can go to the shop where I had this done in the Cool Springs Mall.
-MW
Leave a Reply