Brand new cycling shoes contracted hideous smell...

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djm
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Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 12:19 pm
Location: Norway

by djm

Can anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's BMW E34 is contaminated by a valet's horrific body odor...?

Well, I will promise not to sell my brand new, great looking DMT Radials I bought at the end of last year. At least not on this forum! :twisted:

My shoes contracted some powerful smell of what resembles cat's piss last week while riding in rainy conditions in Mallorca.

When they got wet I performed my usual routine of drying them with newspaper, removing the insoles and stuffing the shoes with crumbled sheets of paper, replacing it two or three times after an hour or so, until the shoes were dry. Some smell was noticeable, but hey, I guess it was somewhat camouflaged in our hotel room, blending in with all the drying bike gear in there :-) Upon arrival back home the shoes are smelling more than ever. I tried placing them for a couple of days in hot water and with some detergent.. to no avail.

At this point I had to put the shoes in double plastic bags and place them in my basement to prevent them from stinking up my entire apartment.

I've never smelled anything like it. The smell is unfathomable. My two year old Sidi Ergo2s used in far worse conditions smell of nothing.. No other shoes I own have this smell.. speed-skate shoes (used barefoot), XC ski boots (three old pairs) all have no noticeable smell what so ever.

So.. any ideas on removing the smell? 8)

I'm not too keen on throwing away these shoes seeing they're almost brand new. Had they been a year old they'd be in the bin.

Added: Also feel free to recommend a pair of Speedplay specific lightweight cycling shoes apart from DMT's shoes... ;-)
Last edited by djm on Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

LardLover
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:21 pm
Location: Kingdom Of Northumbria

by LardLover

I remember watching a story on a consumers rights programme about smelly Nike trainers (sneakers for those of you not in the UK), smelling of cats p1ss.Take a look at this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/200 ... iners.html

I'd be a complaining if it was moi.
Schnice :cool:

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stella-azzurra
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Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

See if you can apply some of these steps tot the shoes. It must be bacteria causing the smell

Directions for Cat Urine Removal from carpets

1. If the cat has recently urinated on the carpet, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place clean paper towels over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much of the urine as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.

Areas of cat urine that have dried and previously gone undetected can be found with the aid of a black light. The cat urine stains will fluoresce under the ultra violet light in a darkened room. Hand held black lights are quite inexpensive, usually costing between $15 - $25. To save the expense of a black light you can always use your nose to detect the source of the odor. Put your nose down close to the carpet and sniff away.

2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibers deep down.

After the vinegar treatment dry off the carpet as much as possible. You can assist drying by blotting with paper towels as described above. If you own a wet/dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

3. Apply a handful of baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. (not caustic detergent that you put in a dishwasher) Work it in with a scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down well into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Once dry the baking powder will vacuum up easily taking all the odors with it.

That's all there is to it. It's as simple as that. 1-2-3 cat pee smell gone. It really does work.

This recipe is for one small area of cat urine. For larger areas you will need to adjust the quantities of ingredients used.

The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors. Sprinkle it on your carpet monthly then vacuum up to keep your carpet smelling fresh all the time.

Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your cat may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many household cleaner cleaners contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.

If you don't have hydrogen peroxide on hand you could substitute it in an emergency for a spray laundry stain remover. Check the bottle. If it says 'Oxy' anywhere on the label then it probably contains hydrogen peroxide.

Caution, you should test your carpet for color fastness in an inconspicuous area.
Use only 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

LardLover
Posts: 200
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:21 pm
Location: Kingdom Of Northumbria

by LardLover

stella-azzurra wrote:See if you can apply some of these steps tot the shoes. It must be bacteria causing the smell

Directions for Cat Urine Removal from carpets

1. If the cat has recently urinated on the carpet, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place clean paper towels over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much of the urine as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.

Areas of cat urine that have dried and previously gone undetected can be found with the aid of a black light. The cat urine stains will fluoresce under the ultra violet light in a darkened room. Hand held black lights are quite inexpensive, usually costing between $15 - $25. To save the expense of a black light you can always use your nose to detect the source of the odor. Put your nose down close to the carpet and sniff away.

2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibers deep down.

After the vinegar treatment dry off the carpet as much as possible. You can assist drying by blotting with paper towels as described above. If you own a wet/dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

3. Apply a handful of baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. (not caustic detergent that you put in a dishwasher) Work it in with a scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down well into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Once dry the baking powder will vacuum up easily taking all the odors with it.

That's all there is to it. It's as simple as that. 1-2-3 cat pee smell gone. It really does work.

This recipe is for one small area of cat urine. For larger areas you will need to adjust the quantities of ingredients used.

The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors. Sprinkle it on your carpet monthly then vacuum up to keep your carpet smelling fresh all the time.

Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your cat may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many household cleaner cleaners contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.

If you don't have hydrogen peroxide on hand you could substitute it in an emergency for a spray laundry stain remover. Check the bottle. If it says 'Oxy' anywhere on the label then it probably contains hydrogen peroxide.

Caution, you should test your carpet for color fastness in an inconspicuous area.
Use only 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.



Or you could just save youself some of the hassle of the above and complain to the manufacturers and send them a link to the BBC Watchdog report. Perhaps they are made of the same material?? Bit of a coincidence, yours smell of cats p1ss, the Nike's smell of cats p1ss. Manufacture FAILURE :wink: :wink:
Schnice :cool:

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djm
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by djm

LardLover: Wow. Thanks for that link! I will contact the seller/importer here.

The shoes have never even been near a cat, and I find it highly unlikely that cat piss from the roads of Mallorca would contaminate my shoes. It was pouring, and the quantities of cat urine on the roads would have to be minuscule and only of scientific interest compared to the amount of rain.

LardLover
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Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:21 pm
Location: Kingdom Of Northumbria

by LardLover

My pleasure dude :D

Keep us informed.
Schnice :cool:

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stella-azzurra
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by stella-azzurra

You better hope there are others with the same problem in make and model.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

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Calnago
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by Calnago

I am having trouble saying I feel your pain and keeping a straight face at the same time. My post here is of no help to you I'm sorry to say but I'm just wondering if this dilemma reminded anyone else of an episode of The Office (American version) when, during Pam and Jim's wedding episode Kevin's shoes were confiscated and subsequently "destroyed as a matter of public safety". Sorry dude, but your pain is hilarious. I can't help it. So long as no animals were harmed or killed, it's simply a funny story. Hope you get it sorted out. Lol.
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djm
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by djm

Calnago; no problem ;-)

I am not keeping a straight face myself here.

Especially not when the strong stench of the shoes forces my face into a grimace :lol:

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rico
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Location: Kingston, the heart of UK weenie-ism

by rico

djm wrote:Can anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's BMW E34 is contaminated by a valets horrific body odor...?


Remember it? What am I, hard of smelling? :mrgreen:

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

Didn't Seinfeld have a Saab?
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

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djm
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by djm

Mr Gib: He sure did. A Saab 900 (now 9-3) convertible. But in this episode it was a BMW 5-series E34. I believe he had recently purchased it, and AFAIK it only made this one appearance in the show.

dmp
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by dmp

Stella-azzurra, you forgot step 4: euthanize cat!

(lardlover- nice looking springer. We've got a Welsh springer)

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stella-azzurra
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by stella-azzurra

You're evil.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

Geoff
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by Geoff

...but right.

Have you tried tossing them in a washing machine (no, not yours. Go to a laundromat)? I have never done it with cycling shoes, but have had good luck with my wife and son's sport shoes...

by Weenie


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