The bigger question is whether or not what rubber you think you have on your shoes actually helps.
I'd bet that most people here would climb harder if told that they had stealth on their shoes and would climb worse if they were told they had Boreal Fusion. Regardless of what was actually on their shoes.
I bet you are right, on that note though, the only rubber I have ever used that I could tell a difference with was a pair of boreals that had the fusion rubber on them. I bought those shoes without having heard anything good or bad about the rubber, but I soon vowed to never buy a boreal product again.
It only matters to the person climbing. There is no best rubber. Pro climbers use many different brands of shoes and rubber. Obviously it doesn't really matter or they would all use the same ind of rubber.
the coefficient of friction for the rubber will not change based on the weight. the stickiest will be the stickest no matter what. personally, i think evolv has the stickiest.
uh. no. maybe you need to take high schools physics again. but as i said, the COEFFECIENT of friction will not change. only the force of friction will change based on the climber's weight.
The ability of the rubber to hold within itself due to shear changes though. Hence the difference, 5.10 is much more difficult to tear apart the rubber thereby enabling you to stand on smaller things. Once you are below the shear threashold of the rubber, it no longer matters. Ive been 90kg and I've been 76kg and I'm telling you from experience, that below 85kg makes no difference to me what rubber I use, above that weight it makes all the difference.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the La Sportiva and Scarpa use the same rubber. Now that that's out of the way, I've climbed in all the brands listed and the performance of each came down to fit, not the rubber. So go with the ones that fit, period.
uh. no. maybe you need to take high schools physics again. but as i said, the COEFFECIENT of friction will not change. only the force of friction will change based on the climber's weight.
thus, my point still stands.
That point stands, but the physics behind the friction of rubber on rock goes beyond the simplistic assumptions if high school physics.
I have Sportiva Mythos and Miura VS. Without a doubt the Miura VS is the best of the two but if I'm going to do a super long multi-pitch climb then I may change that ranking. So shoes are tools. Pick the one for the job.
There is some study out there that says Evolve Defy is the stickies rubber of all. I couldn't get those things to stick to glue. I switched to the Mythos and suddenly I could hold better (on basalt). Then I got the Miura VS and compared to the Evolve Defy it's no contest.
The wisdom though is that you have to try on lots of shoes and get out in them. I started at REI because they have a guarantee on all their stuff (for members). Once I knew what I liked and how a shoe should fit I went to local climbing shops with better selections but ZILCHO return policy.
One piece of truth that you just won't understand until you've suffered through it is that ... Shoes stretch. Pack your feet in so that after 10 minutes in the store you are dying to get them off. They'll stay that way for your first 5 to 10 hours of climbing. Then next 10 to 20 get better. 20 to 40 are marginal and then from about 40 hours on things really start to feel awesome.
Shoes are tools just like cams and such. There is a correct shoe for certain applications and there is an all around shoe for many applications. Your budget, skill level and birth order will define a lot of it.
But get a pair and go climb until you are pissed at them and then you'll be ready to make a pickier choice.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the La Sportiva and Scarpa use the same rubber. Now that that's out of the way, I've climbed in all the brands listed and the performance of each came down to fit, not the rubber. So go with the ones that fit, period.
+1. I voted Sportiva because it's what fits me best
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