UKC

Thinking about climbing shoe rubber, there are loads of different types out there, but are any better / worse than others in terms of grip on rock?

In reply to Pesda potato:

I get my Katanas resoled with 5.10 stealth as I think that it is a bit more wear resilient. IMO I don't think there is much in it in terms of grip.

Al

In reply to Pesda potato:

Boreal Quattro is shockingly bad. Vibram's XSGrip2 and XSEdge are both good.

In reply to whenry:

That's pretty much my take on it.

I find 5:10 stealth as wear resistant as XS Grip but I seem to be able to stick holds a bit better. Onyx I never really worked out if I like more than stealth or not.

In reply to Mr Trebus:
+1 for the 5.10 Stealth. Despite its rubbish name, it is my favourite rubber due to its combination of good smearing grip and reasonable robustness.

Incidentally, I tried to have my Katanas resoled with 5.10 soles, but the shop screwed up and put on some horrible Vibram rubber instead. Had to take it as I needed the shoes, but got into serious trouble on a runout friction slab a couple of days ago as I could not trust my feet as usual.

CB

PS/edit: I also like the Onyx soles on my other shoes, but they seem less robust (could also be due to the cut of the shoes)

In reply to cb294:
Everyone I now that gets the boreal jokers (me and two of my friends) have commented on the poor friction of the rubber.

I also freaked my self out on a friction slab recently with XS edge but I'm not sure if its also as the shoes are quite new and stiff. In general I've found it nearly (or the same) as good as 5:10 stealth in the past.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Traditionally 5.10 c4 was thought of as ahead of the others, but the xsedge and grip seem to perform well enough.

It is worth noting that 5.10 rubbers like stealth c4 have been designed to be more grippy at lower temperatures (4 degrees centigrade) and lose performance at higher temperatures, whereas the boreals aren't as temperature dependant, so worth considering 5.10's for winter bouldering whereas other brands for your summer sport.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I've got 2 pairs of pinks going for a resole shortly and I tempted to try one pair with the MI6 rubber, the other with stealth as per... It's only a fiver more and sort of feels really adventurous!

It'll be interesting to have the same make and model shoes both worn in by me with different rubbers on - maybe next time this question comes up I might have an opinion beyond loving my pinks muchly!

i think dr_botnik is right, 5.10 rubber seems to melt on warm days

In reply to teltrabm:

After years of climbing in verdes, and now several years in different types of sportivas, I think vibram rubber is the way forward.

In reply to LJC:

I'm a fan of the Vibram rubber too. I find the XS Edge is both sticky and long lasting.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Where do you all get your shoes resoled?

In reply to teltrabm:

no worries about that for me, it always seems cold and wet when im out

If only I could find a pair of 5.10s that fit me, seems like scarpa are the best fit.

In reply to TomBaker:

I've just been looking in to previous threads on resoling and the guy in Llanberis seems to come out on top

In reply to Pesda potato:

My personal feeling having climbed in plenty of different brands and types of rubber over the years is that at my grades it really makes next to no difference. That your shoes are clean, fit well and that you think about your footwork is way more important, at least that is my conclusion. I climb up to around E1/E2 and 6b sport and I don't think the rubber matters at all. If you are climbing in the 7 or 8s or mid-to-high E grades, then maybe you might notice the difference but considering the hardest routes in the world have been done in different shoes depending on who sponsors that climber, I doubt it is even that important there.

How hard do you climb? Do you think you really notice a difference? If so, when exactly?

In reply to TomBaker:
Having tried all 3 rock shoe resolers in the UK over the years, Cheshire get my vote - and my money.....

In reply to TobyA:
Typically, I find it starts to make a difference around the F7a/+ mark - it depends on the route, but that's normally the point at which I dig out my decent shoes. That's where the holds get poor enough to need better rubber, or a sharper edge, or the route is overhanging enough to need a more aggressive shoe, and where I need a shoe good for toe or heel hooking.

I don't have such a clear delineation for trad - I generally just use one pair of fairly decent shoes for everything (because I prefer lace-ups for trad, and only have two pairs of lace-ups vs lots of slippers/velcro), and normally only climb E2-3 max - which isn't really on ground equivalent to F7a.

Edit: I have heard - but can't remember or find the source - that many pro climbers get their shoes resoled if they don't like their sponsor's brand of rubber.

In reply to whenry:


That's been said for year definitely although I wonder if it as true these days as in the past?

I agree having a good edge can be really helpful, or the style of shoe on certain routes - but still I think the difference in rubber might be the placebo effect in climbing!

In reply to Pesda potato:

5.10 without any doubt whatsoever. Nothing comes close.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Some mixed ideas here, thanks all so far, just found my scarpas were struggling a bit smearing on rock the other day. I'll try giving them a scrape and a clean.

In reply to Pesda potato:

After cleaning and drying, I rub my soles down with a bit of isopropyl alcohol to make them sticky again.

The Americans use turpentine but I havent seen it for sale in the uk recently

In reply to TobyA:


It could be, and I've always been somewhat sceptical - there's no doubt that if you trust your feet you'll stick to stuff that you won't if you think your feet will slip. I don't think you could conclusively prove it either way without a double-blind trial.

That said, I've got Boreal shoes with Quattro rubber and a similar profile to Scarpas with XSGrip2 rubber, and I definitely get more foot pops with the Boreals than the Scarpas on a similar standard of climb. Sure, it could be psychological, but I'm confident enough in my footwork that there's another factor in play.

In reply to Pesda potato:


I still reckon that's far more likely to be the issue than the rubber itself!