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Good Experience with Pearl Izumi

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
Last week after a lengthy ride, I took a look at the bottom of my shoes and found a crack on the sole plate near the cleat. I knew the damage was cause by the pedal and I have been using the shoes for what must be over two years now, but decided to see if Pearl Izumi would consider doing a warranty claim on them.

These are the shoes: http://www.pearlizumi.com/publish/content/pi_2010/us/en/index/home_middle_nav/ride/men/0/0/mtb_footwear.-productCode-15111008.html

Normally when I email a company about something like this, I almost always expect to get no response. It just seems to be that way with a lot of companies these days. However, after sending the initial email asking about the warranty, I recieved a response only 2 hours later asking for pictures.

Three days later, I finally got around to taking a really crappy picture and sent it off.

Only 14 minutes later, I had this reply (which shocked me..);

It’s hard to see the detail, but if the crack is in that trough created by the retention bar on your Crank Bros pedals, it wouldn’t be considered a manufacturing defect. You can bring the shoes to your local PI dealer for warranty evaluation and service on the spot, too.

Thanks!

Jeremy
To which I replied with,
I had a feeling that would be the outcome! That is awesome that you recognized that I use Crank Bros pedals as well!

Do the Crank Bros pedals produce a lot of damage to shoes like this? Their design does seem to put a lot of pressure on just two tiny points of contact.

Thanks for the quick response. And maybe you can pass word onto someone that these shoes have been awesome. They are the only pair that I use for mountain biking, which includes everything from cross country to full out downhill riding. And I have been using them non-stop for over two years! Amazing!

Do you know of a way or have any tips about making that area a little bit stronger if I purchase another pair, and still use my Crank Bros pedals?
And he replied again, within 15 minutes;
I haven’t seen a ton of this sort of damage, but Crank Bros. does offer a stainless steel plate to protect carbon fiber soles, so I’m assuming they’d heard about problems over the years. If the crack goes all the way through, I would be concerned about safety, but if it’s only a hairline, you might want to push some epoxy in there and then add the Crank Bros. plate on top: http://www.crankbrothers.com/accessories_shoe_shields.php
Which brings me to the point of this thread, I guess. That quick of a response is refreshing to see after so many failed attempts of contacting other companies, with what were more serious concerns about failed product.

These shoes rock. I use them for everything and I love that they have some tread for when I'm off the bike. Other than that crack in the sole, there is only one other spot on the shoe that is showing some real wear. One thing that really bothers me about a lot of shoes is how the shoe lace eyelets will often fail well before the life of the shoe is up. Not so on these. These are the only bike shoes I own and they get used on all of my cross country type rides and also on downhill rides. They shrugged off countless weekends of rainy Bromont like nothing.

Another thing I'm curious about is if other people have had similar cracks in their shoes after using Crank Brothers pedals for an extended period of time. It is quite clear where the 'wings' of the pedal sit put pressure on the shoe. These aren't the first pair of shoes that I've had crack like this.

Wow what a long and almost pointless post. I need another beer..
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
well. truth be told, pearl izumi makes some of the best quality stuff i´ve ever used. the best gloves i´ve ever had were PI. anything PI was very high quiality and had perfect fit and lasted for very long.

there is no longer a pearl izumi dealer in peru, but their stuff is so good; i order their stuff in the US and have it shipped to my house.
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
Customer service is funny. He basically just told you to piss off, but he did not ignore you. He told you to piss off in a prompt and friendly manner, and that is all we really want. ;)

And to answer your question, No. My crank brothers pedals always died LONG LONG before any of my shoes could crack.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,860
4,154
Copenhagen, Denmark
Jeremy has help me a couple of time and if its their fault I am sure they will help you and Jeremy really knows their products. PI has some of the best service of any company I have dealt with ever.
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
I love PI stuff, expensive but worth it. Lasts forever (Never tried the shoes...) and looks cool too. And hearing good customer service stories (Like my Thomson experience...) just makes it more better...
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
Customer service is funny. He basically just told you to piss off, but he did not ignore you. He told you to piss off in a prompt and friendly manner, and that is all we really want. ;)
so true.
people just want a hug, even if its swiftly followed by a kick in the nuts.