Rock Shoe Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I have size 14 feet. Does anyone make extra-large rock shoes?

A: The market for shoes your size is small, but you can get some select shoes in size 15 from Cava, Evolv, Five Ten and Mad Rock. If your feet are larger than that, an unlined, leather shoe that’s a 15 might stretch up a size.

Q: My rock shoes smell. How do I eliminate the odor?

A: Stink foot is caused by jamming your feet into shoes that don’t breathe enough for those sweaty dogs. The moisture build up combined with the warm environment is a perfect Petri dish for bacteria, which feed on your dead skin cells. The smell comes from the bacteria’s excrement, which gives off a cheesy odor.

To mitigate your odiferous situation, seal your shoes in a Ziploc bag and freeze them in a freezer. The cold temp might kill the bacteria. For your feet themselves, dust them (and your socks and shoes) several times daily with Dr. Scholl’s Odor Destroyer Medicated Powder. Spraying your feet with an antiperspirant might work, too.

Q: How can I fix my delaminated rock-shoe soles?

A: Delamination is likely caused by plain old shoe abuse. Rock shoes are delicate; they don’t like the heat. Their soles and rands are bonded to the uppers with heat-activated glue. Overheat your shoes by, say, leaving them next to a floor heater or on the dash of your car and they can come unglued.

Barge Cement is great for tacking down a bit of sole or rand that has sprung loose. To get an A+ glue job, open a window for fresh air, then clean the surfaces you’ll be gluing with lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol. Scrub both surfaces and let dry. Barge Cement, as it comes out of the tube, is too thick to adequately penetrate the pores in rubber, leather or synthetic materials, so don’t just squirt it in there and pray. Cut the cement with Barge All Purpose Thinner until you can easily brush it on. Paint a watery coating on the sole or rand, and the part of the boot it will bond to. Let this dry, then activate the glue by heating it with a hot blow dryer. Press the two surfaces together and clamp them with vicegrips overnight.

Holes in your rands are impossible to fix by yourself. Get your shoes re-randed by a pro.