UKC

It's been years in development, but the long-promised Indalo is finally out. If you're after a very capable performance all-rounder, it was worth the wait, says Rob Greenwood. 

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undoubtedly great shoes, even if the tenaya heel is never quite the right fit for me.

But, if I can go full curmudgeon for a second....

it is really sad to see climbing becoming ever more elitist and unobtainable.

It used to be that bouldering felt attainable for most, especially when MadRock first came to the uk and their prices were so far below the other manufacturers. I do hope that some other upstart company will attempt to flood the market with cheaper shoes again soon, whilst obviously I don't want it done using poor/horrific work practices.

...rant over....

I must admit, I was quite shocked when I saw the price, but sadly - I think it's a sign of things to come. The price of everything have gone up and climbing shoes are no exception, with the cost of the raw materials, labour and shipping all having sky-rocketed in recent times. Whilst I have no doubt that cheap(er) shoes will still be available, I think you can expect the baseline to shift up quite substantially over the next couple of years.

I'm not posting this because I like it, because I don't, but sadly this is something I am hearing repeatedly from each and every brand

£134.50 at Bananafingers. Still pricey but not £160...

I did spot that, but it's a tricky one from our perspective, because the price that a product is sold for is something that is constantly changing. As a result of this, we tend to judge its value according to its RRP, because that is - at least in theory - a little more stable.

If you can find it for cheaper then obviously that's great!

For reference solutions were £100 when they came out in 2008 which is about £160 in 2022 money so the price of high end shoes is only really moving with inflation (solutions at £100 was a bigger shock then as that was about 25% more than other high end shoes)

Bank of England says GBP 146.06. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calcula... although a very quick Google suggests UK RRP for solutions is 150 so not too bad. Recently I looked up my 1991 Goretex jacket in today's prices, and it was distinctly cheaper than a similar level Goretex jacket today. So I think some things are more expensive than they used to be, once inflation is adjusted for. Improved technology MIGHT be a fair explanation, but I'm don't know. 

RPI vs CPI difference (the BoE number is CPI, although that’s probably the better measure). I can see why climbing shoes have got more expensive as the designs are more complex - can’t really understand how a shell jacket can cost £350 though. Would love to know if they are genuinely expensive to make (and if so why) or there are just great margins somewhere - especially as for 90% of the time a cheapo decathlon one seems to work fine.

yep, even with Tobys revised maths, I agree that solutions were a milestone.

However at the time, and with where I lived at the time, it felt there were more budget options alongside them. It felt there were brands trying to cater to different pricepoints. I guess I'm starting to feel that all the brands are trying to stick to more similar pricepoints now, maybe boreal being one of the cheaper ones?

I also do recognise that I'm not in as many climbing shops as I used to be and I'm probably just being a curmudgeon.

I would also say that when solutions came out they were truly innovative and sometimes that helps justify a price whereas the shoes reviewed appear more derivative which for me makes it harder to justify.