John Lofgren (Speedway)
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Thanks to both of you! I've wondered about something like this. I know a good shoe repair place in town, so I'll hit them up later this week.
Hopefully it'll work. Seeing that beautifully evo'd pair above was getting me even more depressed thinking about letting mine go, haha. I'll report back.
I was also just thinking that one interesting thing is that the boots actually feel pretty loose once I get them on—the tight bit is really more of a bottleneck effect right around the ankle. So by wearing them a bunch, I'm not even sure I'm stretching out that part, rather just the brief (though not always so quite so brief, haha) moments I'm putting the boots on. I'll go over it with the cobbler and point out the trouble areas with the hopes that he can put extra focus on those.
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That sucks. Mine are somewhat tough to get on, then a bit loose when I do. I think the pattern needs to be reworked, since the strap should make it easy to get on and then snug when buckled. But then again maybe Japanese legs and feet are different.
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I too had to add an insole but they feel unbelievable with them in place.
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@mclaincausey what kind of insoles did you put in yours?
I was at REI the other day and tested out a pair of Oboz insoles in my Blundstones—they felt pretty incredible, was thinking about spending the $30 and picking up a pair. Wonder if they might be good for the Lofgrens.
That said, if they end up fitting after a stretching from the cobbler. Picking em up today—thinking positive!
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Mine are Dr. Scholl's gel insoles, but I have some Oboz boots and their insoles are outstanding, especially for arched feet.
They are great boots, but the sizing is wacky–I think a 9 instead of a 9.5 (I am 9.5D on a Brannock) would be a better fit for me, but I bet I wouldn't be able to get my foot in there in that size. Maybe Japanese feet are different, but at least for me it seems they should have a half size smaller footbed and should add at least a half in of diameter to the ankle.
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Yeah it's crazy—I just went to check em out at the shoe doc but they're still too tight, not really much change that I could see. They're gonna put em on the stretcher for a bit more… fingers crossed, as I'd like to keep these things.
The sizing is indeed weird. I normally wear a 13, but Standard & Strange recommended taking what size you normally wear in an Iron Ranger, which for me is a 12. Seems to be the same with a lot of boot makers (eg Viberg). Once I get my feet in the Lofgrens I have plenty of room, almost like it's a bit too loose—it's just the ankle and heel where I get hung up.
No idea.
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FWIW: I have the Badalassi and nattys in 11" and 10.5" respectively. They're exactly the same length and wide AF. As much as I love these boots (and make no mistake I do), the advertised JL sizing info and subsequent lackadaisical sizing advice from vendors on a 1K pair of boots is interesting to say the least. These boots are E width at MINIMUM and should be advertised as such. It would save a lot of folks some grief. You really need to pay attention to your foot's volume. Simply equating the JL engineer to say RW IR can be very misleading (yes it's an apples to oranges comp with the Engineer however the point remains). I wear Alden (barrie last in 11.5-12), AE (11-12 depending on last), RW (10.5 in IR, etc.), Attractions engineer (10.5-268), etc. These fuckers are wide AF compared to anything I have ever worn, notably in the heel/instep area. The early 268 Attractions have their own issues (I never really noticed), however, the instep is far less voluminous. I'm a 11-11.5 (Left vs Right) with a D width via Brannock. This is coming from someone quite comfortable with the engineer boot's characteristic/infamous heel slip. I went round and round with different insoles ending up with half-soles with the low volume in the toe box. This massive volume in the heel/instep area is why you see the inevitable adjustments such as boot socks (aka my 1k boots fit like shite), etc. Hope this helps.
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Welp, I just picked them up today after a second round of stretching, and I think they're going to be ok. In addition to the stretch, my shoe guy put a little slippy (silicone?) spray along the inside back of the boot where my heel slides in—that was the biggest problem area.
You're right about the fit being wide, though. My heel definitely moves around a bit once my feet are in, but it's nothing too bad, and I think I might indeed opt for some insoles after hearing y'all talk about having helpful results with them.
I guess the thing I still find so bewildering is that I'm a pretty skinny guy and have found these boots to be downright impossible at times to get on—I've given up on several occasions and just put on another pair. Why were they especially tough those particular days—maybe too much salt the night before? Haha I don't know. All I know is that my feet are pretty normal if not narrow width, average volume (this was a new term to me until I bought some hiking boots recently), and it's been a mega struggle. For anyone who had slightly heftier feet and/or ankles: forget about it. And that's just kinda nuts for a pair of boots that cost so much… would someone even be able to return them? I guess there'd have to be a way?
Regardless, psyched mine have finally been at least somewhat tamed. Thanks a ton for everyone's help!
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Here's a look at your future, @PV/ATX
Picts before and after a routine cleaning to show how the pull-up leather is so resilient.
Before maintenance:
After brushing, scrubbing the sole with water and canvas, and scrubbing the uppers with a greasy Terry cloth rag:
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Those looks so killer, man! I'll aspire to get that level of wear
Ever since I got mine to fit properly, I've been wearing em pretty much every day. They start to show character pretty quickly… I'll make sure to post some pics.
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They're great boots. Wear in good health!
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Wabi in Progress
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@AdamJ cheers! I wonder how long they'll last. I hope forever
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@PV/ATX:
@AdamJ cheers! I wonder how long they'll last. I hope forever
I've put a ton of abuse on mine for years and only needed a re-heel aside from routine maintenance.
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Reassuring to know that I'm not alone in experiencing difficulties putting my JL Engineers on. I've had 2 pairs for 3 years (approx.) and they're still a nightmare to put on! However, I'm so used to the plastic bag technique that this idiosyncrasy has stopped bothering me. The Mister Freedom Road Champs, however, were a breeze from the word go.
Pic is a couple of years old. After conditioning and cleaning, the Lofgren boots are as good as new.
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A couple weeks back, I had a question about wearing engineer boots with denim. Everyone who posted have some great advice ( @neph93 and @Stuart.T to name a few) and when I got these beauties, I was brave enough to try them on with my IH 25 oz 555s. I think they look great. Hard to out on, yes, but loving my first pair of engineer boots. Jamie over at East West Apperal was a real help. Here's a link to the type I got if you're interested. http://vintageengineerboots.blogspot.com/2014/04/john-lofgren-co-3-weeks-later.html?m=1
