I meant to plan carefully for this year’s Thunderdome, but I forgot. When the email hit my inbox reminding me that the competition was one week away, I knew that I had missed my chance to order something that would take some time to arrive. The day I read that email, it was the afternoon, and my feet were hurting even though I was wearing sneakers. I decided that I needed to be unambitious and kind to my feet. I went looking for a chukka boot from one of the heritage moccasin brands (Quoddy, Ramcourt, Russell), but nothing was readily available. I settled on these wedge-soled derbys because I suspected they would be comfortable. The black Chromexcel would make these shoes easy to style with just about anything I wanted to wear, but the downside is that there wouldn’t be much in the way of patina. Regardless, I wanted to participate in the Thunderdome, and winning is less important to me than the personal journey and the community.
I’m an 8.5 on the Brannock, and most well-made leather footwear fits me if I take an 8.0. Rancourt’s web site didn’t give the clearest sizing advice, but I gambled (correctly) that an 8.0 would be the correct size.
Rancourt put these in the mail to me a day after I placed my order. I think it took four days total for them to arrive, so no complaints whatsoever.
Over the course of the Thunderdome, these shoes got eighty days of wear. This was mostly suburban life and office work, but I walked in the woods from time to time for variety.
There was basically no break-in needed for the black Chromexcel. One shoe developed an admirable roll at the break, but the other shoe creased in a less attractive fashion. My feet are slightly different sizes, and Chromexcel can be inconsistent, so this wasn’t a surprise. Ultimately, despite all the days of wear, the leather looks almost brand new in many places. This is a testament to the quality of Chromexcel, but not great for a shoe-aging competition.
These derbys were comfortable from day one. The soles have molded to my feet admirably. I think the last could be a little narrower around the heel and a little wider at the toe, but that’s specific to my feet.
The construction and finishing quality are excellent, especially at this price point. As for the design . . . these are slightly odd shoes. The toe is fairly pointy to pair with a wedge sole, so the outcome is something of a Frankenshoe. It’s a dress shoe with a workwear sole. It’s a fun choice if you are into heritage footwear and live a lifestyle in which you can wear what you like most of the time.
The Vibram Cristy is a name brand. It is comfortable and needs no break-in. My gait finds me striking the outside of the heel as I walk, and I wore about a centimeter off of the soles on the outsides of the heels over the eighty days I wore these shoes for the Thunderdome. They are not very durable, but that is part and parcel with the soft comfort.
Black Chromexcel isn’t the best choice for the Thunderdome because it maintains its shine stubbornly for a long time. It is a teacore leather, and with patience the brown undercoat will reveal itself. These shoes are also part of Rancourt’s Dirigo line. This means they were made out of scrap material that would otherwise have been discarded. I’m proud to have rocked these shoes for the Thunderdome. This was an intersection of high quality, American made heritage footwear with sustainability and affordability.