Skip to main content

Take your worn out shoes in for new soles with the Vibram Sole Factor

VIBRAM SOLE FACTOR
Thousands of miles across rugged terrain in the backcountry can quickly wear out a shoe’s sole — but instead of replacing an entire pair of shoes that are in otherwise good condition, why not just revive their soles? The Vibram Sole Factor aims to do just that. 

The Vibram Sole Factor allows you to customize any pair of shoes with a Vibram sole — just name your style and color. This unique opportunity allows you to not just recycle, but up-cycle. The Vibram Sole Factor RV is making stops at REI stores around the country, allowing consumers to bring in and revitalize their old shoes.

Recommended Videos

Vibram has brought on a team of trained professional cobblers to assess your shoes, listen to your needs, and provide you with options for transformation. You can choose from a variety of styles including the New York, Oregon, or Lady Ripple and a palate of colors such as Camo Red, Lime Green, or Gum Black.

The cobblers will then remove your old sole, treat the barren surface, and glue on your customized pick with eco-friendly water-based glue. Perhaps you have a pair of shoes with plenty of sole left but you want to personalize your style? The cobblers can adhere a chosen Vibram sole directly onto your old sole as well, allowing you to strut your stuff in a whole new light.

Since Vitale Bramani started Vibram in 1937, the goal was to make exceptional rubber outsoles for footwear. With the development of the Carrarmato design the mission was underway. The sole soon became famous, and is still used by mountaineers to this day. Vibram’s soles are made with innovative rubber compounds and tested by team members in extreme conditions to guarantee their durability.

Now Vibram is bringing their soles to you — all you need is an old pair of shoesThe Vibram Sole Factor RV first stopped on June 23 in Issaquah, Washington and from there they will journey across the continental U.S.

You can read a full tour schedule and follow the Sole Factor on Facebook. Take the first step by downloading a catalog or order form directly from the Vibram website. While the upgrades are complimentary, the service is first come, first serve, and a donation to Big City Mountaineers is requested.

Amanda Ellis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Amanda is an outdoor junkie and digital nomad with an insatiable hunger for gear. Based out of Raleigh, NC she travels to…
The best hurricane trackers for Android and iOS in 2024
Best hurricane tracking apps.

The hurricane season instills fear in those who find themselves in the paths of these storms, and in their loved ones who are concerned for their safety. A hurricane app is essential if you’ve stayed up all night worrying about a family member who's alone during a destructive storm.

Many hurricane trackers are available to help you prepare for these dangerous events, monitor their progress, and assist in recovery. We’ve compiled a list of the best apps for tracking storms, predicting their paths, and providing on-the-ground suggetsions for shelters and emergency services. Most of these apps are free to download and supported by ads. Premium versions are available to remove ads and add extra features.

Read more
Best lawn mower deals: Cordless, gas, electric and robotic
A robot lawn mower in a backyard while a family relaxes.

Mowing a lawn can be very therapeutic unless you have an older lawnmower, which makes life difficult and constantly causes you frustration. Luckily, you can snag a new lawnmower for a pretty good price, and even the more budget-oriented options have a lot of quality-of-life features that you wouldn't find on lawnmowers ten or even five years ago. To that end, we've gone about and collected some of our favorite lawnmower deals across the board, including some great robot lawn mowers that are worth checking out.
Litheli Cordless Lawn Mower U20 Handy+ -- $120, was $140

If you want a solid lawn mower, this offering from Litheli has a 13-inch cutting width, which is pretty good for the deal that you're getting. Even better, you get a 30L grass bag so you're not having to clean up after yourself, and you can mow for longer without having to stop. You also get 5 height adjustments so you can hone in the length of your grass to the perfect height, plus you get a 4.0Ah portable battery included.

Read more
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

Read more