Heat molding instructions
How to mold shoes?
Oven, maximum 80 degrees Celsius, 15 minutes
Molding your shoes in the oven has several advantages, such as the continuous and controlled overall heating of the boot. The oven is your best choice if the shoes must be molded in different places (heel and ankle).
However, you should also know some downsides to heating your skating boots in the oven. The parts you do not necessarily want to mold are being heated also, and you risk deforming these parts unintentionally, for example, the carbon sole section. If you apply load to the sole, the carbon could bend or twist, and the mounting blocks may get misaligned. When cooling down after heating, do not wait to stand up with the shoes on your feet; always sit on a chair to avoid that problem.
Another risk of molding your skating boots in the oven is that the glue may not resist the heat, and the boot's upper could detach or misalign from the carbon shell. We strongly recommend not tightening your laces too much and not fastening your buckle to avoid damaging your strap. Using a heat gun to mold the shoe around your feet would be better. During an event, this should be done at one of the Cádomotus Pro-dealer shops or the Cádomotus booth.
Pros
- Continuous and even heating, inside and outside the whole boot
- Controlled temperature
- Glue and leather become soft
Cons
- Uncareful handing may cause misalignment of the mount blocks or deformation of sections that you do not want to re-shape
Pros
- Local heating on the desired spot only.
- Other parts of the boot remain in perfect condition.
Cons
- Risk of burning stitches or leather when keeping the heat gun too close to the boot.
Heat gun
Heating with the heat gun has one main pro: it only heats the area you want to mold, and nothing else! This means you do not have to worry about inadvertently deforming or damaging other parts of the boot. Generally, your shoe will remain in better condition and last longer.
Therefore, molding with the heat gun is a better option when you have minor pressure points in your shoe, like on the inside or outside of your ankle or at the navicular bone. You can use a ball-and-ring stretcher to adjust a specific area.
The downside of using a heat gun is that the molding temperature is less easily controlled. If you keep the gun too close to the shoe, you can easily burn the stitches or the leather. We advise you to move the gun slightly on and around the spot you want to mold. As soon as the spot becomes soft, you may mold the shell with your hands (wearing gloves) or with a pair of cobbler pliers.
If you need to adjust only one specific area or spot, the heat gun is your best choice for molding. When the midfoot and/or toe box area or the whole counter section needs molding, we advise using the oven.
We recommend you also check this video with molding tips and tricks for our cycling shoes.
Please note that every time you heat up the shoe, it impacts its durability.