Not about the boots, but FIXING the boots..that's the point of this post.
I had my Tech8s resoled a couple months back. The cobbler said he stitched the sole on..that doing so was a big improvement for the boot.
He was wrong.
Stitching the sole greatly compromises the strength OF the sole. You end up with a perforation all the way around the thing..with only 1/4" edge. And, just like a perforated anything, it is much easier to rip/tear/damage the sole when it's got all those holes in it!
I didn't send them to Alpinestar to be resoled due to the timeframe, btw. The guy that's redoing them now agreed that stiitching was a bad idea..and he said the glue that was used otherwise wasn't up to the task. He was as impressed by the work done as I was.
Moral to the story. Either send them to the factory (get an RMA first!! or they will send them back!!), or make sure stitching the sole on is NOT the method used.
**EDIT** 6-8-06
Quite a few rides since the second set of soles was put on. They're in fine shape. First time the soles were unglued and/or chunking within two rides.
They even survived DEEP WATER CROSSING
at Rock Creek (ski's backyard). Not only survived, but my feet were dry, too! Only 16-18" deep on the track I took. Some others weren't quite so lucky.Well...maybe they just didn't pick the right track, 'eh?
