Fixing the uppers of Shimano sandals - duck tape challenge

[WildCorgi]

I've got a 4 year old pair Shimano sandals, where the outer layer of the uppers around the toe section on both sandals is beginning to crack and look like it will merrily fall apart somewhere out in the midst of nowhere. (All my own silly fault, stored too close to radiator over the winter.) The rest of the lightly-used sandals - perfectly fine.

No problem, I thought, fix that with duck tape ...

... only duck tape won't stick to the outers at all.

Can it be possible - is this finally something duck tape won't fix?

Slighly more seriously - if duck tape won't fix it, is there anything that will?

[CREPELLO]

You might have regretted using duck tape anyway as when the weather warms up the adhesive at the edges will become softer and start to seep away onto anything that touches it, such as your feet (or socks, if you're that way inclined ) and it's a devil to remove the stuff.

I'm not sure what the answer is but inner tubes come in handy for situations just like this. Could you reinforce the weak area with a shaped piece of tube? Stick it using Evostik Impact adhesive after sanding both surfaces to provide a sound key.

I've got a pair of these sandals - I'll have to monitor their condition as I have noticed the black brace between the two straps had begun to crack a bit.

[WildCorgi]

Thanks Jerry - I hadn't thought through the consequences of the duck tape as far as the sticky goo meltdown.

I will give the abrasion and inner tube alternative a try - there's certainly nothing to lose!

Maybe I should have been applying the occasional dose of - I don't know, some kind of shoe goo/wax/polish-cream/softener to keep them nice and supple. (On the other hand, who wants nicely shined sandals?)

Lin

[CREPELLO]

Actually Lin, I've been thinking about the inner tube bit. If your sandals remain wearable for a couple of years, the inner tube is also going to start to break down, so the repair would best be done with a proper fabric, denim maybe?