The Shoe Thread

[dcentral]

It's time to buy new shoes.

I just finished off a pair of 5.10 Mocs. But I may considering trying something else.

I was thinking MR Mugens but I'm not a 100% sold on their durability. For every good story I've heard a bad one about them.

I don't really like laces (read I am lazy) but I am open to trying a pair if you really think its worth it.

[Fred]

I have had 7 pairs of Anasazy Velcros. I love them but I find the price went up these last few years and I have started having minor problems with the last two pairs. So increase in price and decrease in quality?? All in all though, they are a great technical shoe with quick-on quick-off velcro. Beware that Sportivas tend to be narrow... I think

[martha]

It isn't a factor of MadRock durability. The problem is that they have VERY soft rubber. So if your footwork sucks...expecially if you climb a lot in a gym. You will tear through them in no time.

I agree with Fred on the Anasazi Velcros. they rock. I've had 4 pairs myself. I guess if you go cheap, you may wear through them faster so may need to replace them more often.
One thing to remember..like the Moccysms, I don't think that the Mugen is lined. Fit them tighter than you can image or they will be useless after a few weeks of wearing.

happy shopping!

[Hum]

I swear by the Katana's .. they are Super comfy.. technical.. excellent edges for thin foot holds and the heals are alot bigger for wicked heal hooking...if ur into bouldering and don;t know how to tie a figure 8 anymore....I suggest these...

I buy them comfortably tight and they don;t stretch on me.. the Anasazis I had to fit them uncomfortable and hte heal hooking is sub par.. but the rubber is a lot stickier..

so get them for what ur gonna use them for

[dcentral]

Has anyone tried the 5.10 zippers?

[mitchleblanc]

It isn't a factor of MadRock durability. The problem is that they have VERY soft rubber. So if your footwork sucks...expecially if you climb a lot in a gym. You will tear through them in no time.

How is "tearing through in no time" not a durability factor?

My friend Stuart went through two pairs in about a month, the toe kept disintegrating. Mine lasted longer (better footwork?) but still died much faster than a shoe should. The rubber sucks. BUT, otherwise they were one of the most comfortable, best fitting shoe I've worn.

I wear moccasyms only, but had a pair of vipers (sucked super bad, stretched and lost shape) and a pair of anasazi velcro (the rand is high around the heal and has a sharp edge that really dug into my skin, but otherwise they rocked. Alot stiffer than moccasym, but good.

I say stick with moccasyms! Go with what ya know.

[martha]

Has anyone tried the 5.10 zippers?

I have known people who have worn the zlippers, and the deal is that they stretch, and they only have a zipper to close them so you can never get them tighter again, much like the moccasym. however a velcro or lace up has the ability to be done up tight once the stretching has happened.

[martha]

How is "tearing through in no time" not a durability factor?

Well, Madrock doesn't say that their shoes are durable. They do say that they have the softest rubber out there. So based on their marketing plan, one could argue that the shoes behave how they are supposed to.....ie. wear out fast due to soft rubber. Maybe to Madrock it isn't a durability issue as the shoes are only supposed to last a few months.

But, I'm not on their marketing team, so I shouldn't have said that "tearing through in no time is not a durability factor.

Mitch, I apologize for not being quite as clear as I had hoped in my previous post.

[mitchleblanc]

Mitch, I apologize for not being quite as clear as I had hoped in my previous post.

As well you should!

[dcentral]

Yeah, I going to try some when ever I get over to mec. But I'm thinking I might stick with the Moc.

I was talking to Jon Large and he's got a couple of pairs of Mad Rocks and he said they hold up pretty well. He's climbing in them every day in Thailand. But he had the same comment about using them in the gym.

The sad thing is I really only get to do a lot of climbing in the gym. The climbing on Southern Vancouver island is pretty crappy, and with out a car it's hard to get around to the better spots.

[martha]

John climbed in the Anasazi velcros for a long time too. that is all I ever saw him wear until he moved west.

the biggest problem with them is they are pricy.

[granite_grrl]

I have a horrible tendancey to buy shoes whenever I find them for cheap. This has lead me to go from owning 2 pairs of shoes to 7 in the past year (5 pairs of them in use). I am a shoe whore!

so what's my point? I don't really care for some of them. My least favorite (Borel Lazers) have been demoted to gym shoe. My favorite (5.10 Dragons) are saved for project days of bouldering. Some that I thought I'd wear a lot I don't like, and some have surprized me with how much I like them.

I guess you just gotta try them out, no one here has feet quite shaped like yours, and I don't know if there are any truly crappy shoes out there that you should absolutly not consider. Unless you're looking for something very specific (ie - your foot is really narrow, foot is reallt big, etc) then an internet fourm isn't going to help you. Sorry.





Death to shoe threads!!!!!!!

[mitchleblanc]

After all my bitching (maybe not here, but generally) about how flowery Cobras are... I went out today and bought a pair! WTF? Seriously though, they were 139 bucks. I could have got them cheaper, but I'm impatient, and didn't wait for my friend to give me a discount ("but I want it now!"). Anyway, point is, when moccasyms (and most shoes) go for like 259 bucks here, I'll buy two pairs of bad shoes over one good pair.

I bought them in a 37! Which is like a US 5. That's tight, but they lost shape last time so... we'll see how these go!

I'll keep you posted.

ps: They are too deep in the heel, the elastic touches my ankle bone, it's annoying.

pps: Ice climbing sucks.

[Guest]

Here is a funny story. I had not climbed in so long that when I went to the gym recently I could not remember which pair of my 5.10 moccasins were which. I had three pare in my bag. I knew one is my comfy pare for worm-up and messing around, and one is my tight pare for serious problems, and I think one pare is new, but I was not sure if I bought a new tight pare or a new loose pare. I had to try them all on to figure out which was which. Anyway, next time I replace my tight pare I might try those Madrocks, since I only use my tight pare for hard problems (usually outside) they last a lot longer, so soft rubber might be worth it. However, by the same token, it will probably be quite a while before the pair I use now ware out.

My wife loves the Katana's, and their price actually came down a while back.

Borel rubber sucks, although they have otherwise made some good shoes. With Borel I might actually recommend resoling them to start with instead of waiting for them to ware out. It adds to the price, but if they happen to make a shoe you like it might be worth it. I have been using my Borel Aces for eight years, but then they are a lace-ups.

The Teth

[The Teth]

OK...how long can you be inactive before you get timed out? I went for coffee break and posted when I came back. I guess I got logged out. Too much time taking a break from goofing off apparently.

The Teth