These are my daily walkers, BMX riders, rainy day shoes, and mechanic work shoes. Left shoe not pictured, but I’m sure you get the idea…
Yes I do have a few much nicer pairs of shoes for nice or important occasions, but I’d rather fully wear out one pair of shoes at a time.
So, what’s your worn out shoes looking like?
As long as I can is how long I wear mine out. At least until they start to become a real problem, like starting to really fall apart. If possible, that is. I just enjoy wearing my shoes to the max to ensure I get the most out of them.
Until they break, then they’re yard shoes
No shoe thrown away
Yard shoes?
I actually like that term, makes sense 👍
I call these my junker shoes, for general everyday use, as I hardly give a shit anymore, as I have other nicer shoes for more formal occasions.
Yeah my yard shoes are there to cut grass and turn green lol
I wear them until I know when I’ve stepped in liquid.
I start with a pair of good insoles, then as those wear down I buy another, and another, and so on until the shoe tread wears out or holes appear in them. If you buy some of those magic eraser pads, you can usually keep the outside of the shoes looking relatively new for a lot longer as well. I have some shoes right now that are going on ~1.5 years and I’ll probably get another 1.5 out of them.
Pro-tip: don’t buy the cheapest shoes you can if you can afford it. I used to buy $20 skate shoes and they would wear out in less than a year.
Meh, I prefer cheaper shoes to an extent, as I know I’ll eventually destroy them.
My main requirements are:
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- Good comfortable fit
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- Easy to put on and take off
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- Well ventilated to evaporate sweat
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- Bottom sole is preferably the yellow rubber anti-skid stuff good for potentially oil-slick surfaces
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Way before they reach that state.
I go barefoot whenever it’s feasible, so if I’m wearing shoes, they better do shoe things. They last a long time because I don’t wear them, which helps from a financial side .
People think I am nuts, but I only have 1 pair of sneakers and I try to make them last at least 2 years, if not 3, before getting a new pair. I know its time if they are failing apart or I start to realize my feet hurt and its most likely due to the worn out shoes that have no more comfort or cushion.
Fair play, but coming from a fellow knucklehead…
Keep a couple of extra backup pairs of shoes brand new in the closet. Same with pants and shirts.
I definitely have nicer clothing put up for later, but when I know I don’t need nicer clothing, I’d rather use my junker shoes and clothes whenever I gotta do dirty jobs like mechanic work.
Well I do have sandals, boots, and a pair of dress shoes as well. I normally keep my old pair as a backup, they are perfect for cutting the grass and not getting my new shoes green.
If I can’t see the floor through them, I’ll keep wearing them.
Oh, so early?
Usually until I have a hole in the bottom or they start to stink that even washing them doesn’t help.
Wait, you wash your shoes?
I only do that when I stepped into a doggy landmine…
Edit: How do wash shoes without damaging them?
Yeah I do once a while which also gives them a week of rest before I go on with them. You just don’t dry them in the dryer, you air dry them.
Yeah ill do this only when I start noticing a smell that shouldn’t be there after only wearing them for a few hours. I know its time.
I guess I don’t have delicate shoes. I just throw them in the washing machine.
Not referring to the shoes I posted, but I’ve never found a pair of shoes that can be safely (or legally) thrown in a washing machine.
We don’t have our own washing or drying machines here at the apartment, we have to use laundromats elsewhere. You throw shoes or boots in there, you’ll get charged with sabotage… ☹️
Ahh damn that sucks. It makes it super easy for tennis shoes/sneakers.
Meh, nobody in their right mind would give me any sort of shoe warranty once they realize I ride brakeless BMX flatland…
This isn’t exactly the clip I was looking for, but what the fuck you expect a flatland rider to do with both wrists sprained?..
I’m pretty sure I would eat shit if I tried to learn any BMX stuff. Hope you enjoy it even though you mangled yourself lol.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=DdHGMZe5nFo
As long as I stick to flatland, I’m good. If I fail, I just either walk or roll out of it. It’s like an 80% fail, 20% land the tricks for me.
The real trick is to practice without hurting yourself…
Advice: Don’t try BMX stunts at home, unless you got balls of crazy.
For me, in a strange way, it helps me understand complex mathematics. The less I think of how I’m riding, the more I understand what I’m actually doing.
How do wash shoes without damaging them?
If I have a laundry of work clothes, I put the shoes in a pillowcase, then in the middle of the clothes. Alternatively, you can try freezing them. It works pretty well to get rid of smells.
Awesome advice 👍
No dice for me though, washers just destroy my shoes like 5x faster than my own footwear and BMX riding.
Foot/shoe smell means nothing to me, I don’t smell my feet or shoes.
Look at the wear on my right shoe. I’m definitely due for new shoes, but these are my ‘dirty job’ shoes…
Not this much, at least not daily. I have some old pairs that i use for doing things that I don’t want my nicer shoes to do.
When they start getting wet when it rains. Currently my favorite pair wears out in less than a year.
You just reminded me that I actually have a pair of firefighter waterproof boots. Hope I never actually need to use them, but I have them…
Till a toe pokes out.
Well that toe done sailed…
At least I’m prepped with more new shoes.
I stopped wearing disposable shoes several years ago. So when they start to where out, I bring them to my cobbler to get repaired.
Cool cool 👍
Any particular advice on shoes you might have?
I’m a BMX flatland rider, but I’ve found that Van’s skateboard shoes are bullshit and I wear those out within like 3 days.
Advice welcome…?
That is because Vans are trash, they aren’t skateboard shoes they are fashion shoes that are marketed as skateboard shoes.
If you buy some proper shoes designed for skating they should last a bit better. I presume if you are riding brakeless then you mostly have issues with the soles, like I do braking when skating.
I have had good luck with Osiris, Es and Globe in the last few years but at the end of the day applying such aggressive friction you are always gonna burn through shoes fast than you would by just walking.
My average is around a year before I start braking with skin.
Vans? I dunno what brand these are, but they’re definitely not Vans.
The last pair of Vans I ever got was like 15 years ago, and I literally destroyed those in 3 days.
Never again, no more Vans for me. Whatever brand these are, they’ve lasted me more than a couple years, so I can’t complain much for only $17…
I walk a lot and I use them until they are no longer comfortable to walk
I have flat feet and I usually wear down the soles in an angle and I start walking “funny”, creating more issues.
I can replace insoles, I can mend the uppers, but once the soles start letting water in, then it’s time for retirement.
Guess that’s a skill I should learn.
Protip: E6000 craft adhesive works magic.
E6000?
You son of a bitch, you reminded me of my old project, my custom modded game controller!
I did lots of mods back in 2003, but the plastic is getting brittle these days ☹️
E6000 was used to secure my modded parts.
I really should at least try to fix the remaining parts and give it another game drive, even if it requires some duct tape…
Shoe Goo
I wear leather boots, ankle high. The shoe store fixes em when the bottom wears out. Had em 11 years and they’re still fairly pristine. Just gotta oil em every winter. Probably should do that more often.
It was $600 and $50 or so every couple years. Figure I’ve gotten it amortized down.
