shimano heat molding machine possible alternative?

[ivanooze]

so i just bought me a sweet pair of TDF shimano road shoes that have the whole custom mold insole do-whacky in it. does anyone know of any shops in the southbay that does custom heat molding for shimano products? i've searched online but found nothing
-i might not have searched as hard as i should've but ehh..
-also, if there are no shimano ovens in the area, does anyone know of an alternative to heating these guys up? i heard an oven works but im not comfortable with the idea of using an oven unless they're bonts

[aosty]

If "southbay" = Los Angeles, I think Helen's in Santa Monica has the do-whacky machine.

[ivanooze]

then helen's in santa monica is where i shall go

[aosty]

Call first in case I'm wrong. ;)

[unterhausen]

this is a totally uninformed suggestion, but ski shops have ovens. But they might just have a "start" button

[LegendRider]

I've had this process done twice in the last month with a pair of Shimano R320 road shoes.

The first shop had the proper equipment (Shimano oven, plastic bags, vacuum, toe cap) but after seeing how it was done by the second shop it's clear they didn't follow the proper process. And, not surprisingly, the fit was only very marginally better than right out of the box.

The process with the second shop was more involved and time consuming and it resulted in a significantly improved fit. Nevertheless, it's not the glove-like fit that I expected. I wonder now if I should have gotten shoes with a Boa system or something similar (Sidi Wire).

Bottom line: make sure the shop knows what they are doing.

[Climb01742]

I got a pair of the first heat-moldable Shimano shoes and the molding process screwed them up. A recently got a pair of the 321s. The shop where I got them said they'd be happy to do the heat molding but said that, in their experience, it more often than not makes the shoes less comfortable. So far, my unmolded shoes feel great. My two cents: give them a try unmolded first. May surprise you.

[nicrump]

vac bag and oven are great marketing tools but i got perfect custom fit with them at home using this process

tools needed

confidence
sharpie
heat gun/hair dryer
a couple screw drivers with various dia domed handles
oven mitts if you dont have asbestos hands like i have developed

put your ill fitting thermo-form-able shoes on. mark tight areas with an X and loose areas with an O. i size the marks according to the size of the area needing forming. take the bloody things off and one by one slowly heat the area and gently reform by hand. i use the back ends of the tools deep inside to push material out like say for a bunion or something. let em cool, test fit and try again. you only need to heat the area you need to move.

it works but ymmv.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I've had three Shimano heat-moldable shoes. The first pair I did the oven and vacuum fit. The last two I just wore out of the box. The shoe fits me better straight out of the box.

[John H.]

I have owned every version of Shimano shoes since the 300.
Here is my take-
If the shoes do not fit really well right out the box, heat molding will not make them fit well.
As others have posted, it needs to fit well on 1st try on.
Heat molding can help a little in terms of snugging up the heel of the shoe or maybe a bunion accommodation. That is about it. Does not radically change the shoe.
Because the shoe upper is so supple it stretches. The older ones did less of this, the 320 stretches a lot. The shoe upper tends to sag over time. This makes the shoes sloppy after a year of wearing.

[Hank Scorpio]

I had a few years prior Shimano shoes that I had heat molded. I can say for certain the toe cap they put on them before the vacuum bag is a stupid idea. It created a giant crease right behind where the cap ended. It would rub the inside of my big toe until I gave up and sold the shoes. I tried to have them re-molded without the caps and specifically tried to work out that crease but I was never able to get it out. Try them without the molding for a while first like others have said.

[Climb01742]

Building on what Hank said...

The shop said unwanted creases were the #1 downside of the heat molding. Once in, they're very hard to remove, and can (pardon the pun) really rub your feet the wrong way.

[djg21]

Heat molding is not custom in any sense. It can help with initial fit, but all it really does is accelerate the break-in process. It really is pure marketing. If you want a custom shoe that actually corrects for and addresses biomechanical or fit issues, D2 shoe really is the best alternative. D2 shoes may seem pricey, but given that they are hand-sewn and lasted and come with custom insoles, the prices are not unreasonable. And they last -- my last current pair were made in 2006 and are going strong. The cost of replacing OEM shoes every couple of years is probably more expensive in the long-run.

[Louis]

This - plus it doubles as a yummy post-ride pig-out dinner maker.

http://db66abc2c256b763aaef-ce5d943d4869ae027976e5ad085dd9b0.r76.cf2.rackcdn.c om/2013/214/213/lampus-cos-wood-burning-pizza-oven_420.jpg

[Birddog]

I think a lot of those footbed molders in the back room are really these.
http://dyingbraincells.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/easy-bake-oven.jpg

[11.4]

I have owned every version of Shimano shoes since the 300.
Here is my take-
If the shoes do not fit really well right out the box, heat molding will not make them fit well.
As others have posted, it needs to fit well on 1st try on.
Heat molding can help a little in terms of snugging up the heel of the shoe or maybe a bunion accommodation. That is about it. Does not radically change the shoe.
Because the shoe upper is so supple it stretches. The older ones did less of this, the 320 stretches a lot. The shoe upper tends to sag over time. This makes the shoes sloppy after a year of wearing.

This summarizes my own experiences. The early 300s were stiff and lumpy and didn't mold well. And they were stiff and lumpy. Did I mention they were stiff and lumpy? By the 321, they are very supple and feel nice in the shop, but are stretchy (which makes fit a lot easier).

On the matter of stretching out with use, I'd actually have to say that the shoes are more supple than your basic traditional Sidi, but several shoes are going in that direction with positive results -- Fizik R1 and Lake CX402 to name a couple. Old shoes were pretty clunky in comparison and I'm glad I'm not riding those any longer.

[ivanooze]

well..judging my the group's general response to the matter, it seems that molding isn't the way to go. i'll go with the group consensus and keep my unmolded shimanos unmolded.

[killerrabbit]

I've been using the R321s for about a month now. Out of the box they fit pretty well, and honestly, after molding they fit like a glove. I recommend trying to find a shop that knows what they're doing.. If you have any questions feel free to pm me.

[HenryA]

I have two pairs of moldable Shimano shoes and had both pairs heat molded at purchase. Best fit I've ever had. And the shoes are just generally excellent.

I would agree with some comments regarding the need for the shoe to basically fit out of the box. If the fit is all wrong, heat molding is not going to fix it.

Find someone who does the fitting regularly and ask them about it.