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drbeagle
Sep 3, 2004, 3:50 PM
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I'm looking to buy a second pair of rock shoes and looking for some advice.
I currently climb in a la sportiva katanas (slip lasted). While they are great for the gym, bouldering, and short tough sport routes, I would like to have a second pair of more comfortable shoes for easier but longer routes.
Does anyone have any recommendations for more comfortable shoes that still offer decent toe power and feel?
Thanks
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mr8615
Sep 3, 2004, 3:55 PM
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2nd pair?? You have to have at least 5 pairs of shoes before you're a real climber. :lol: Find a pair of shoes that fit you and aren't quite as aggressive as the Katanas. Perhaps 5.10 mocs (buy them tight, they stretch) or Boreal Zens (also stretch). I have both and after they're broken in, they fit comfortably enough to climb all day.
Mark
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macherry
Sep 3, 2004, 4:09 PM
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if you like the sportiva fit, try a pair of mythos. good all day shoe
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overlord
Sep 3, 2004, 4:48 PM
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i second the mythos. theyre really comfy (for the time i was in them, meaning i tried them out) and my friend really swers by them on everything vertical or less.
you should definitely at elast check them out.
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tchamber
Sep 3, 2004, 5:06 PM
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Mythos are great shoes. I bought mine as a second all day / trad shoe to compliment my more aggressive velcros (Madrock Flash). I've just broken them in, (about 1 full day, 10 hrs, climbing) and they've performed well. I don't have the same flexibility, but they edge well and they smear very well for a moderately stiff shoe. They're a little spendy at $120, and I'd probably recommend some evolves as a better deal for their price, but I've been happy with my mythos so far.
So I guess my advice-- if a store near you carries evolv, go try some on... if not, just go for mythos, you'll be happy. The tongue is padded, they're a very comfy solid shoe (some people boulder in them too, the rand is nice and sticky for toe / heel hooks).
Regarding breaking them in, here's the trick-- don't lace them up too tight at first, they'll hurt, a lot. Once the shoe conforms and stretches to your foot, you can tie it tighter and it's fine. Of you can be like me and put up with the pain because they break in after a day, and then they're fine...
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rcaret
Sep 3, 2004, 5:23 PM
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Registered: Jul 30, 2002
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I like all six pair of my Five Ten's
Anastazi
Newton
V-10
Ascents
Hueco
X-Ray
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saskclimber
Sep 3, 2004, 5:31 PM
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if you found a company you like, stick with them. figuring out sizing and stuff inbetween companies is a pain in the *ss
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drbeagle
Sep 4, 2004, 3:21 AM
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Thanks ya'll. I'll try on some mythos next time i'm at the gym.
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pylonhead
Sep 4, 2004, 5:31 AM
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I went the other way.. I bought mythos for my first pair, and just got a pair of katanas to do harder sport and bouldering. I love both shoes.
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drbeagle
Sep 6, 2004, 6:55 AM
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I ended up purchasing the la sportiva mythos.
I'm going out tomorrow to climb so I'll try to start breaking them in. I like the feel of them so far; I just need to wait for them to stretch and mold to my foot shape.
Thanks for the advice
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tgreene
Sep 11, 2004, 5:38 PM
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I've tried numerous brands over the years, and have finally settled on a company that makes what could quite possibly be the finest rubber ever!
ACOPA
http://www.acopausa.com
When I first discovered them a year ago, they were a very little known Mexican company that it seemed nobody had ever heard of... From what I understand, they are now under new ownership/management and are based out of California.
Their shoes are designed damn near like a ballet slipper, in that the rubber is so soft and supple, that you can feel every dimple and feature of the rock. They are also extremely sticky as well as having a very unique edge contour, which makes them killer on steep slabs that require smearing of edges. :wink:
Unfortunately, when I bought my 1st pair of Acopa's (Icampa), I didn't realize that they were already pre-sized smaller, thus THEY NEED TO BE PURCHASED IN YOUR STREET SHOE SIZE. Although the pair that I have are closer to a full 2 sizes too small, I greatly preferred the performance and characteristics they provided over that of my other 2 pair of properly sized comfortable fitting shoes (Kamet 'Carbon' and Sportiva 'Evolution'), so I suffered through the pain of a full season in them!
Just yesterday, as luck would have it, I came across the web address for Acopa. Visiting their website, I was disheartened to learn that the shoe I love so much, is no longer in the lineup, so I called and asked about a comparable replacement for the 'Icampa'... I was told that the new 'Chameleon' is the equivalent replacement, with a few refinements that eliminated the only flaw of the shoe. The original toe-box was too narrow, and would roll your toes into a very painful position, much like "roach killer" street shoes that look good, but hurt like hell to wear for more than 5 minutes at a time. From what I was told, the redesigned toe-box will allow a bit of stretch for width, more so than top to bottom, which will definitely give all day comfort, as well as better toe control when trying to stick just the tips of the shoe.
I can't wait to receive my new pair of shoes this next week!!! :mrgreen:
FWIW: The 'Chameleon' is their middle-of-the road shoe. Their lineup contains 6 shoes, with 2 of them being specific to women and children.
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tgreene
Oct 1, 2004, 1:48 PM
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Registered: Oct 22, 2003
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I received my new shoes (Acopa Chameleon's) a couple of weeks ago, took them to a cobbler to stretch them a bit for my large toes, and then climbed like a freakin spider last weekend! :P
I also loaned a first time climber (Boyscout) 2 pairs of my shoes, with the Acopas being for his 2nd climb... His response was that they were obviously a bit tighter and felt really wired, but said he was able to climb much harder because he could actually "feel" the rock with his toes, even while they were stuffed into the shoes! For someone that knew NOTHING about the dynamics of a good shoe, he pegged it without anyone saying a thing to him about the differences. 8^)
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