Over the last few years performance shoes have all been about softness and sensitivity, which many of us have enjoyed, particularly when it comes to indoor performance or steep bouldering. But this has meant the amount of new shoes coming onto the market with outdoor performance in mind has been few and far between in comparison. In general, outdoor performance shoes tend to have more structure in them, whether that's a chunkier rand, firmer rubber or more midsole construction. 

Luckily, the smart cookies who design and make climbing shoes have realised this and a new wave of outdoor performance shoes is starting to enter the market with the first of these being the Unparallel Qubit.

In Use

The Qubit is designed primarily for bouldering and sport climbing on edgier rock types. It's something you'd likely use for limestone or volcanic rock types where you'll benefit from a bit of extra support and where a softer shoe might leave you lacking in power through the toe.

It's got a 4.2mm RH sole, which is Unparallel's harder rubber compound. This is essentially 5.10's old Stealth compound, which was for many years considered the industry standard as far as stickiness is concerned, and even now is still as good as it gets. We'd say 4.2mm is quite a chunky amount of rubber to have underneath your foot, but in spite of this the general sensitivity and feedback from the shoe is remarkably good. The Qubit also has a full-length sole unit, adding support and stability under the midfoot, which helps the shoe just generally feel stiffer.

Toe patches have become all but essential on modern day technical shoes, but they tend to vary in terms of their size and shape. The one on the Qubit sits at the more industrial end of the spectrum and doesn't feel as refined as some. It certainly offers protection, and definitely holds you foot in place - adding to the stiffness - but it does make the shoe feel a little more uncompromising, so if it doesn't fit you perfectly it's not something you'll find easy to break-in.

For me, the shoe is a combination of things that I want for harder single pitch sport climbing on British limestone, or bouldering in places like North Wales or the Lakes that have more edgy volcanic rock. Despite these being generally stiffer than most of the bouldering shoes available, the Qubit don't quite have enough structure in them to stand around on harder trad routes trying to fiddle in that wire that just won't fit.

Fit

The Qubit has a medium width throughout the forefoot, combined with a narrow heel. The heel itself is quite slender in terms of its construction, which gives good sensitivity at the back but doesn't offer a huge amount of protection. Volume-wise it's pretty average, sitting somewhere in the middle. It's been designed to have your toes curled up against the end, but not completely knuckled, so be aware of that whilst you're trying it on.

For those with more low volume feet, there is also a Qubit LV version available - same feature set, just a lower volume version of the standard model.

When it comes to sizing, Unparallel have achieved what very few brands do and managed to keep the size in keeping with high street shoe sizing. I'm personally a UK8 street shoe and have been wearing a UK8 Qubit quite happily.

Features

The Qubit features a single power strap, with a good size opening so it's easy to get your feet into. The upper of the shoe is made from an unlined micro synthetic which gives quite a minimal feel to the construction and generally means the shoe feels light and low bulk on your foot.

Summary

The Qubit contrasts with a lot of modern day performance climbing shoes as a result of the higher-than-average level of stiffness it offers in the toe. As a result of this it is particularly suited to harder single-pitch sport climbing and bouldering on more edgy rock types. I'm sure over time these shoes would soften nicely for use on gritstone or sandstone, but straight out of the box they are the perfect shoe for slightly overhanging limestone, which is what the majority of our sport climbing is here in the UK. Overall, in their niche these shoes are a bit of a winner.