Introduction: Anti Slip Sole for Your Crocks
Nearly cracked my head open when I ventured out with my worn out Crocks in the rain and slipped. It is no secret that once Crocks and the likes loose the their tread their grip in wet conditions and smooth surfaces is null.
I had a couple of old bike tires lying around and decided to put them to good use. You will need one 26'' tire per pair of soles.
Step 1: Surface Preparation
Make sure to thoroughly clean with detergent soap both the worn out soles as well as the inner face of the bike tire. Both surfaces must be clean of any grease or oil and dry to the bone in order to achieve good adherence.
Step 2: Cutting and Gluing
I used a pair of heavy duty scissors to cut the tire to shape. For my first try I used 4 pieces while for the second I made do with 3. Get good quality contact glue, make sure you create a uniform thin film on both surfaces and allow to dry before attempting to put the two surfaces together. Wear gloves, I didn't and it took me me forever to clean my hands of the contact glue (it´s probably unhealthy to boot).
My Crocks were worn out to a smooth surface which is probably better for the gluing process, not sure how that would work out with shoes that still have a tread, something to keep in mind...
Lastly, I noticed the new soles added some weight to my crocks which takes about 30 minutes to get used to. My son claims they now sound funny. The new found sense of security derived from the super grip these Crocks offer now is definitely worth the trouble.
5 Comments
7 years ago
I've been wanting to resole my work boots after the tread just peeled off, but car and truck tyres are too thick to use easily. I think your multiple-strips-of-bike-tyre might be just the trick thanks!
Reply 7 years ago
Pleasure, just make sure to clean the surfaces really well before gluing, especially the inner part of the bike tyre (tends to have a waxy surface) . Also try to source a high quality contact glue which will hold longer.
Reply 7 years ago
Ah. Good points, thanks.
I'll have to get more glue (I use Ados contact adhesive), and will update you once I've finished.
Oooh! I might see if the local bike shop has some old mountain bike tyres: wider and more knobbly.
9 years ago
brilliant!
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Were I brilliant I would have thought of this before the embarrassing and painful slip...this was more a case of necessity being the mother of.... regardless, thanks.