My soles are getting bad, all screws turn endlessly (holes are stripped). But the stripped holes have been 'fixed' twice already, still have the problem. All screw holes are used (NOT my doing!! Stupid skate sharpener! ). I'm wondering if it's possible to re-sole the boots entirely? I can't afford a whole new pair this year, maybe next--so the repair doesn't need to last indefinitely either. The boots are Klingbeil, but I'd rather not send them back there, it'd cost too much/take too long. There's a shoe repair place in my area that works on skates.

Heard of people doing this, but not sure how bad of shape their skates were in. I would think that it'd be a lot cheaper than getting new skates, but I'd definitely look into the price savings and how long the re-soling will last. You may find that it's more beneficial in the long run to just save for a new pair.

I had my Klingbeil's resoled after about 6 years. Although they put them back on the last, they did come out slightly larger. After they put in a new insole they were fine - and lasted another 3 years. I also had them rebuilt at that time. However, now I have new boots!

I had my 9 year old Riedell's resoled when the leather rotted and they lasted another 4 years. I sent them to Riedell and got them back in 10 days. I don't remember any fitting issues when they came back but Riedell had also refinished the white exterior of the uppers and they looked like new!

So it's possible to get skates resoled. I don't know that I'd trust them to just a shoe repair place, though.

We have a cobbler shop in our town, and if i had to i probably could use them to re-sole my boots if i were to choose not so send them off. Still, that might take a week, and i'd still trust the maker of the boots themselves the best, but i'm sure a reputable cobbler would do....

Mont Clare in Chicago handles a lot of boot repair jobs. You're probably best off contacting them and asking them. They may need to see the boots to give you an accurate answer. Also, you may want to check with Rainbo. They may have some suggestions.

Jody at Rainbo often recommends Mont Clare!

I don't know about the cobbler, but I will say that Klingbeil's will notice if your skates don't have Klingbeil soles on them. If you never plan on sending the skates back there again, that's fine. I know that I told the podiatrist that I could never put his recommended custom insoles in my skates. I'd never be able to show my face in Don's shop again if I did that without his blessing.

Don is one of the most colorful and fun people I've ever met and I have no intention of depriving myself of a chance to hang out and read the walls at Klingbeil's.

You might want to give Klingbeil a call first, to ask if they could do the job in the first place. I know my original boots were in such bad shape that they couldn't help them. They fit the best of all three pairs I've had them make for me.


Get an estimate from the local cobbler and a nearby skate shop, but I'd compare it to the cost of sending the boots to Klingbeil. The soles of skates are different than the soles of shoes, so I wouldn't plan on a full resoling by a cobbler.

Maybe the local place can do a really good job of plugging and fixing the soles. Then, you'd just need a remount of the blades.

BTW, you know that, as a skating coach, skates are a tax-deductible business expense, right? It's worth the peace of mind to have a backup pair - I learned that last year when our Director's skates were stolen.

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