Climbing shoe recs?

Turns out that racking up the gym days absolutely destroys nice climbing shoes. I'd like to replace my older model scarpa force with another semi aggressive shoe that isn't a torture device with a good amount of rubber attached -- cheap. And preferably leather since the only pair of synthetics I owned had to be hosed down with chemical to cleanse the odor pretty regularly.

Any ideas?

I'm not in any way anti scarpa or sportiva, but there are a bunch of second tier brands for half the price that seem like they're worth a look.

P.s 157 days on the pass last year, my best season ever for any sport!

i've always gotten 5.10s second hand in great shape either from mountainproject or geartrade. i also tend to keep getting the same model since sizing can vary even within brands. i tend to go not super aggressive though. i went madrock new once and was not happy

5.10 anasazi if they still make them. Slip on shoe that's leather and lasts.

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Originally Posted by Chugachjed

5.10 anasazi if they still make them. Slip on shoe that's leather and lasts.

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2nd that. Anything 5.10. Been in Dragons for the past 7 or 8 years with a few regrettable deviations. Other than Anazasis for techy, vertical pitches, I'll never own another shoe.

FWIW I've also be in the teams, arrowheads, and blackwings, all of which are solid kicks since stealth rubber is IMO the stickiest on the market, but nothing beats the Dragon last and heal for me.

That being seaid, with shoe prices getting higher and higher though, I can see how Fiveten and Sportiva can be a tough sell these days. Good luck.

Why not just resole your old pair?

For a pair of gym-only shoes, I'd go with the Five Ten Moccasym. Just make sure to size them down a bit to account for the stretch.

I will resole the old pair but I'll still need a shoe for 10 visits to the gym while they're getting mended.

The moc looks like a nice gym shoe, still not really "cheap". Evolv saves $10 but the last pair of evolv synthetics I had the GF was unstoked a bout.

STP ended up saving the day though with a coupon just in time for a Sportiva Katana, but I think I owe it to myself to try the really cheap brands someday.

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Originally Posted by jmerrey

2nd that. Anything 5.10. Been in Dragons for the past 7 or 8 years with a few regrettable deviations. Other than Anazasis for techy, vertical pitches, I'll never own another shoe.

FWIW I've also be in the teams, arrowheads, and blackwings, all of which are solid kicks since stealth rubber is IMO the stickiest on the market, but nothing beats the Dragon last and heal for me.

That being seaid, with shoe prices getting higher and higher though, I can see how Fiveten and Sportiva can be a tough sell these days. Good luck.

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Not really. I've seen it a zillion times. 5.10 or Sportiva climber tries Evolv or Mad Rock to save a buck. Once. Then they discover the difference and go back to 5.10 or sportiva for the rest of their climbing life. Even my long-suffering wife, who has bunions, got sick of soft and squishy Evolvs and went back to 5.10. [full disclosure: I'm not just another guy with an opinion. My data set is very very very large. I own a gym. We sell 5.10, Sportiva, Evolv. Dropped Mad Rock.]

My Scarpa's are coming back from Rock and Resole in a couple of days with 5.10 C4 rubber. Best of both worlds? Will find out.

I've got a pair of 5.10 something-or-others that were my dad's old climbing shoes... and I've worn them for years, still in perfect shape. I have since upgraded to something more aggressive (Sportiva Katanas), but yeah... they last.

New shoes for outdoors, when those get old, resole for gym. My katanas are on their third resole and are perfect for gym climbing.

5.10s are sweet and you can find a pair for cheap online. I've just bought a pair of Evolv shoes and they are amazing, only problem is I decided to go a size down and it's taking some serious work to break them in... Anyone have any pointers for breaking shoes in without breaking my toes?

^^^ Just wear them. Although, IIRC (it's been awhile since I worked in a shop and sold shoes) Evolvs don't really stretch...

What is your foot size? I bought some lace up muiras I would part with for $100. I have two days in then in a 42.5 that fees like a 44 but I wear solutions at 42 now and swear they feel roomy. I thought I would love the Muira as a contrast to the solution, turns out I just like the solutions.

Also, it depends on what you are climbing and foot shape. I would really like to see pictures of your feet to make shoe recommendations. I'm usually pretty solid on recs by foot size (even if I try to convince myself I want shoes I shouldn't wear). I climb all over and am now sadly 50:50 since moving to the Bay Area. After a 100% outdoor lifestyle and 150-200 days on rock a year

Got my shoes back from rockandresole yesterday.

5.10 rubber on the force makes for a killer shoe, the fit didn't change at all. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny.