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kellula
Nov 8, 2007, 3:41 PM
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Registered: Jul 12, 2007
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Hi,
I posted a thread some time ago about stretching my Red Chili Spirits that were killing the knuckle of my big toe on one foot.
I figure that the size is probably not the issue and that my foot shape is to blame. The toe knuckle hurts the second it's in contact with the climbing shoes and it's not even possible to climb in them now....the toe is hypersensitive. I have tried stretching the shoe but I'm now resigned to buying some new ones. So, a few questions...
My toes are quite short, so the knuckle ends up rubbing against the rubber...which will I presume never stretch. Any shoes designed with slightly less rubber at the front (rubber that doesn't come quite so far up the shoe?). Also, which shoes are all leather (and therefore more likely to stretch)? Has anyone else with this problem found some brands of shoe more forgiving than others?
By the way, why do some people prefer slippers to lace-ups/velcro shoes? What are the benefits of both?
Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm currently climbing at a 6a to 6b level (just to give you an idea of where I'm at).
Kellula
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fenderfour
Nov 8, 2007, 7:22 PM
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Registered: Sep 12, 2005
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Take them to a cobbler and ask them to do a localized stretch in the area.
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aerili
Nov 8, 2007, 9:24 PM
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Registered: Jan 13, 2006
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This happened to me in my left foot (the larger foot) when I bought non-stretching Evolve sport shoes. But if you buy Evolve, they will split size the shoes for ya, so that's what I did by a 1/2 size. Wa-la, problem solved! Maybe that would work for you or maybe not.
I think slippers would be more likely to give you trouble again (cause you have to buy them so tight from what I understand). Otherwise, IMO, I don't find lace-ups or velcro to be 'better' in and of themselves necessarily, but rather I just look for the best-fitting shoe regardless of how they cinch down. Lace-ups give you more precision over how tight you can cinch down the width over different parts of your foot, but I personally find this difference to be negligable when I am climbing.
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tigerlilly
Nov 12, 2007, 3:48 PM
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Registered: Nov 2, 2006
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kellula wrote: Hi, I posted a thread some time ago about stretching my Red Chili Spirits that were killing the knuckle of my big toe on one foot. I figure that the size is probably not the issue and that my foot shape is to blame. The toe knuckle hurts the second it's in contact with the climbing shoes and it's not even possible to climb in them now....the toe is hypersensitive. I have tried stretching the shoe but I'm now resigned to buying some new ones. So, a few questions... My toes are quite short, so the knuckle ends up rubbing against the rubber...which will I presume never stretch. Any shoes designed with slightly less rubber at the front (rubber that doesn't come quite so far up the shoe?). Also, which shoes are all leather (and therefore more likely to stretch)? Has anyone else with this problem found some brands of shoe more forgiving than others? By the way, why do some people prefer slippers to lace-ups/velcro shoes? What are the benefits of both? Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm currently climbing at a 6a to 6b level (just to give you an idea of where I'm at). Kellula
Unlined leather tends to stretch the most. I had a problem similar to yours with my first pair of shoes, Mad Rock Phoenixes. My left foot is a wee bit larger than my right, and the big toe was more curled and pressed up against the end of the lacing reinforcement at the edge of the toe rand. They did eventually stretch out and are comfy enough for all-day climbing, but it took a while.
Slippers and velcro are handy when you want to be able to take your shoes on and off frequently, in a gym or if you are bouldering or top-roping. Personally, I'm stuck with lace-ups because I've never found a slipper or velcro shoe narrow enough for me.
Kathy
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rudolphluciani
Nov 12, 2007, 4:10 PM
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Registered: Nov 13, 2006
Posts: 63
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My suggestion to you, sir, is to throw your red chilis out the window of a moving car because they are garbage. i had the exact same problem with a different model from the brand and fixed it by giving them away and getting a pair of madrocks.
Try the Flash, they have a lot of play and are fadtastic shoes for the low low price.
(This post was edited by rudolphluciani on Nov 12, 2007, 4:15 PM)
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