[moose]

Surprised we haven't already had this:

[clm]

Been sporting the wonderful combo of red/blue 3 stripe trackies and dragons/teams for a while now. Could be good for scally chic fashion conscious sponsees I guess 

Ha. Ive got the same pants. Not as good as my green and yellow pair though.

[petejh]

They’ve [Addidas] got a full page advert in the current Alpinist for some jacket in very pretty colours.

Yeah looks good.

[Jaspersharpe]

Incidentally today would have been Adi Dassler's 111th birthday.

[dave]

Incidentally today would have been Adi Dassler's 111th birthday.

Good skills. I suppose this is as good a time as any to remind anyone who might be wavering that the founder's name is a handy cue to pronunciation, i.e. not "a-dee-dus".

Fingers crossed for some daescents with white rubber, corduroy sides and big-ass laces.

[Johnny Brown]

All my life I've dreamt of a sticky Gazelle.

[lagerstarfish]

Hopefully we'll be seeing Jess Ennis dressed in Stealth sometime soon

[Pantontino]

All my life I've dreamt of a sticky Gazelle.

Fair play JB, as fantasies go that is quite far out!

I can just see you charging across the african plains with a lusty look in your eyes...

[Grubes]

Been sporting the wonderful combo of red/blue 3 stripe trackies and dragons/teams for a while now. Could be good for scally chic fashion conscious sponsees I guess 

Ha. Ive got the same pants. Not as good as my green and yellow pair though.

How about shiny purple track suit with matching quantums?

[corpy]

I think thr reported 25 mil is a bargin to get a foot hold  in a new market

[duncan]

Congratulations to Charles Cole for selling-up whilst he still has plenty of time to enjoy spending his money.  It also gives me an excuse to tell this story... 

Cole was a pretty decent slab-climber in the early 80s and his interest in sticky rubber stemmed from a desire to repeat Yosemite's Hall of Mirrors, a 16 pitch 5.13 friction slab.  He went to the library and taught himself how to make better climbing shoe rubber.  Clean-cut and diet-coke swilling, he stood out from the usual Camp 4 crowd who mostly looked like they had just got back from a Grateful Dead concert (and often had).  I didn't realise he had just finished an MBA, not that I would have had known what one was, which I'm guessing was also an unusual choice in the early 80s. 

Charles asked me what I thought of his idea of a "five tennie" - a training shoe with a sticky rubber sole - and even asked me if I was interested in helping distribute them in Europe.  With the business acumen I retain to this day, I told him I didn't think much of the idea and never took him up on the offer.   

[Jaspersharpe]

From the press release:

The Five Ten Elite Team consists of some of the world’s most exciting athletes such as Dean Potter

[T_B]

With the business acumen I retain to this day, I told him I didn't think much of the idea and never took him up on the offer.

LOL. Good story.

Maybe with the backing of Adidas they'll start putting something better than cardboard in their midsoles 

[tim palmer]

Am I alone in thinking that this may not be a good thing? 

From what I understand (which may be wrong I accept) the rock shoe business is not the most low over head, high profit scheme, so surely all that will happen with a big industrial monolith (like adidas) in the market is prices will likely go up and quality down in an effort to increase profits? 

Also have other mainstream brands not tried to break this market and given up?  Reebok springs to mind, so what does adidas have which reebok didn't, probably shoes being north of £110 now helps I suppose. 

[SA Chris]

I think it's impossible to say. May be a good thing, may not.

Going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

[tim palmer]

I think it's impossible to say. May be a good thing, may not.

Going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

hmm that was a slightly fatuous comment, of course no one can predict the future but has there been a wider precedent set by large companies taking over relatively small specialist outdoor companies? 

[galpinos]

..... so surely all that will happen with a big industrial monolith (like adidas) in the market is prices will likely go up and quality down in an effort to increase profits?........

I really hope 5.10 quality doesn't go down, I'm not really sure it's possible.

[slackline]

so what does adidas have which reebok didn't,

Five-ten.

[tomtom]

You can't blame the man for selling on and taking the dollar.. thats life...

But its also a shame that 5:10 is now owned by a monster global company - that at the end of the day answers to its shareholders not any Owner/MD's concience..

Where's me tent, I'm off to St Pauls....

[SA Chris]

I think it's impossible to say. May be a good thing, may not.

Going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

hmm that was a slightly fatuous comment, of course no one can predict the future but has there been a wider precedent set by large companies taking over relatively small specialist outdoor companies?

Fatuous! Am I turning into Slackers??

When Timberland took over Howies it didn't seem to make much difference. They still produce lovely ecologically friendly clothes very few people can afford.

[tomtom]

I think it's impossible to say. May be a good thing, may not.

Going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

hmm that was a slightly fatuous comment, of course no one can predict the future but has there been a wider precedent set by large companies taking over relatively small specialist outdoor companies?

Fatuous! Am I turning into Slackers??

When Timberland took over Howies it didn't seem to make much difference. They still produce lovely ecologically friendly clothes very few people can afford.

RE: Howies - I think their stuff has gone a bit more mainstream (ie Fat Face stylee) since the take over - but agreed its not a huge change... Interesting to note that their (former) Owner Dave Hiatt is now starting his own Jeans company...

I wonder if 5:10's vegan leather alternative cowdura will now be replaced... I kind of admire 5:10 for sticking to their vegan morals and not using leather, but 5:10 boots in leather would be big improvement - certainly to the smell of my car...

[namnok]

be good to see some 510 overstock at their adidas factory outlet stores. one right next to a climbing wall in stockport iirc

[dave]

I think it's impossible to say. May be a good thing, may not.

Going to be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

hmm that was a slightly fatuous comment, of course no one can predict the future but has there been a wider precedent set by large companies taking over relatively small specialist outdoor companies?

Fatuous! Am I turning into Slackers??

When Timberland took over Howies it didn't seem to make much difference. They still produce lovely ecologically friendly clothes very few people can afford.

RE: Howies - I think their stuff has gone a bit more mainstream (ie Fat Face stylee) since the take over - but agreed its not a huge change... Interesting to note that their (former) Owner Dave Hiatt is now starting his own Jeans company...

I wonder if 5:10's vegan leather alternative cowdura will now be replaced... I kind of admire 5:10 for sticking to their vegan morals and not using leather, but 5:10 boots in leather would be big improvement - certainly to the smell of my car...

Mocassyms are already leather. As far as I know their other model's synthetic uppers are to reduce stretch, rather than any dubious dietary concession.

[Jaspersharpe]

Just seen the answer to this on Twitter:

Screw Stubbs, from now on all 5.10 shoes are going to made from cow. #pickonvegansfriday

[lagerstarfish]

I wonder whether 'das are aware of 5.10s reputation for poor build quality and sizing?

In fact, I often wondered whether 5.10 were aware of this reputation.

Changing to cow skin and small fingered cheap labour is sure to improve quality