Cobbler or do it yourself

We often recommend to our BikeFit Pros it is a good idea to befriend a local cobbler (shoe repair person). A good cobbler can come in handy often in ways beyond our imagination. Some of them can be quite amazing at what they can to a cycling shoe. It is however worth noting that in some cases it may take time to develop a relationship where the cobbler really starts to understand cycling needs. Not all will be able to produce something like this in the photo below on their first try. This job of creating an elevated sole is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. The cyclist in this case had been using the same cobbler for years and this was not his first attempt.

It is probably pretty clear that a job like this built up shoe is better left to the cobbler. But are there some issues we as bike fitters can address on our own? Sometimes a shoe may be tight in a certain area and it needs to be stretched. If it is beyond a small little spot I refer to the cobbler.

However, one scenario you will no doubt run into is fitting a cyclist with a bunion.

I used to refer these situations out to a cobbler as well but I don’t anymore. I save the bigger jobs for the cobbler. We have a spot stretcher (bunion stretcher)I keep in the fit area. You can apply this tool while working on another aspect of the bike fit and not really add any more time to your overall fit. It is also nice that the cyclist will not need to take the extra time to visit the cobbler. For a cyclist that has been dealing with the discomfort or pain of a bunion this relief is amazing.

Here is a recent review of the bunion stretcher on BikeRadar.