5.10 are bad

[emperor]

Ever since I started climbing, I've used 5.10 Spire shoes - they're fully laced and so suit my wonky feet. From time to time, I've tried to find other shoes, but to no avail.

Anyhow, I've finally worn holes in the current pair, and went online to buy a new pair, to discover that 5.10 have discontinued them. Woe!

I gather the Anasazi Guide is in some sense the descentant of the Spire, but no-where in town sells them. I may yet get a pair online and expect to return them if they don't fit (but that's expensive and faffsome). So after a rather frustrating lunchtime, I now have a pair of La Sportiva Tarantulaces by the advanced selection criteria of "only pair that will actually go on my feet"; I'll find out tomorrow if I can actually climb in them...

Comments

[cofax7]

Anyhow, I've finally worn holes in the current pair

You know you can get them resoled, right? Not at a regular cobbler, but there's at least one resoler in most major cities where there are climbers to be found. Of course, if you've put a hole in the rand it'll cost more, but it's WAY cheaper than buying new shoes, and these are ones you've broken in already.

[rydra_wong]

In the UK, we've only got a handful of climbing shoe resolers, so you mostly have to post shoes off to them, but I second this suggestion.

I've had best results with Llanberis Resoles.

In my experience, after several resoles technical shoes can sometimes lose their pointiness and get a bit clumpy.

But my beloved Miuras have been resoled twice and are still going strong.

[emperor]

Oooh, perhaps I shall give them a whirl. Thank you!

Mind you, having bought some new shoes, I should probably at least give them a bit of a go :-)

[rydra_wong]

Mind you, having bought some new shoes, I should probably at least give them a bit of a go :-)

Oh, definitely -- if nothing else, you need shoes to wear while your other ones are off being re-soled.

And having at least two pairs of shoes means you can designate one as your comfy pair while the others are the new tight technical pair, or whatever.

But the beauty of re-soling is that for half the price of a new pair of shoes, you get your perfectly-broken-in old shoes but with fresh rubber. Which is a pretty excellent combination.

[emperor]

No, I did not know that! Or, at least, I knew that shoe-resoling was a thing, but when I tried it with normal shoes the results were not very impressive, and I'd assumed that climbing-shoe-resoling would be specialist (and neither shop that sells climbing shoes in town advertises such a service).

[wpadmirer]

I have a friend who wears the Spire, but I got 5.10 Rogues. They run INCREDIBLY small, but I am adjusting to them and like them a lot.

I send you good vibes on the shoes, because I also have wonky feet (crooked toes from breaking them, and arthritis).