[tomtom]

Try on Instinct VS

+1

[cheque]

Got my hands (but not my feet) on a pair of new pinks this weekend and heard it from the horses mouth that they will be replacing both the whites and greens from early next year.

They are indeed less pointy than whites or greens but I was surprised by the lateral stiffness of the toe area- obviously I was only trying to bend it with my hands but it felt stiffer than whites. The Five Ten rep told me that for the first time the rands are going to be the same rubber as the sole (C4) so they'll feel less stiff around the top of the toe, a feature I've always liked about the whites and I know at least one other UKB users likes as well...

[ghisino]

they'll feel less stiff around the top of the toe, a feature I've always liked about the whites and I know at least one other UKB users likes as well...

does this mean that white lovers should buy extra pairs of them before they get discontinued?

can you predict how the rand change will affect the feel of the shoe?

[moose]

The day the whites are officially discontinued, I predict a howl of despair will echo from Malham catwalk, be redoubled by the curving cove, and form a sonic tsunami that levels the village.

[John Gillott]

Got my hands (but not my feet) on a pair of new pinks this weekend and heard it from the horses mouth that they will be replacing both the whites and greens from early next year.

They are indeed less pointy than whites or greens but I was surprised by the lateral stiffness of the toe area- obviously I was only trying to bend it with my hands but it felt stiffer than whites. The Five Ten rep told me that for the first time the rands are going to be the same rubber as the sole (C4) so they'll feel less stiff around the top of the toe, a feature I've always liked about the whites and I know at least one other UKB users likes as well...

Any idea from memory if the heel cups were similar / same as the Whites or whether they have gone for a lower volume model, similar to say the Quantums?

[Stubbs]

The Five Ten rep told me that for the first time the rands are going to be the same rubber as the sole (C4) so they'll feel less stiff around the top of the toe, a feature I've always liked about the whites and I know at least one other UKB users likes as well...

They seem to have messed around with the rands on a lot of shoes; new dragons seem to have a thinner rand which means your toes poke out above the sole,  This causes the rand to get worn faster which exacerbates the problem. I can only assume they are trying to save money on rubber or something!

[John Gillott]

Sort of answering my own question:

http://www.splitterchoss.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/five-ten-anasazi-pink.jpg

They look kinda basic really. Not sure if that's good or bad.

[Wood FT]

Any idea from memory if the heel cups were similar / same as the Whites or whether they have gone for a lower volume model, similar to say the Quantums?

low volume, don't look anything like the whites' arse end, they look like the same heel as on a tenaya masai

[Paul B]

This means that the pinks will simply end up too soft (FiveTen in overly soft-shoe-shocker, what a surprise)?

Interestingly I just talked to someone who pointed out that there aren't many places (outside of the UK) where really stiff shoes are preferable (I wasn't totally sure I agreed with this). One of the places where I (first) thought blancos are a common choice is Squamish, non?

[Doylo]

Fuck it I'm getting some more whites

[weakdave]

Any ideas on pricing for the new pinks?

Bargain whites here:-

http://www.tauntonleisure.com/five-ten-men-039-s-anasazi-lace-up-climbing-shoe-larger-size/p6223

Stock up!

[cheque]

Any idea from memory if the heel cups were similar / same as the Whites or whether they have gone for a lower volume model, similar to say the Quantums?

low volume, don't look anything like the whites' arse end, they look like the same heel as on a tenaya masai

They do indeed look like Masai heels (which is actually what I went for instead of whites last time I bought a pair of limestone shoes) but a bit more tensioned.

Habrich has a point about the stiffness of whites when new vs when broken in- quite a while since I had a new pair of whites.

[thrashhard]

On a related note, the Instinct Lace Up which was mentioned earlier is discontinued, so don't even try it unless you want to love a shoe which is disappearing

You've got to be kidding!  I'm on my fourth pair - best shoe ever for me.

I think it will be a UK embargo like the situation with the boosters which are still available in europe.
Instinct Lace Ups are in stock here and there is no sign that they are discontinued.



i don´t get people who mention that anasazis are stiff shoes.
After breaking all of them in they aren´t stiff shoes at all. If i would be looking for a a stiff shoe i would go for something like a Katana Lace Up, Scarpa Vapour, Instinct LU or maybe Miura VS but none of the 5.10 shoes. Even a La Sportiva Solution is stiffer after 3 months of climbing in them.

[mrjonathanr]

Where's 'here'? Some online European stores do Scarpas mail order, Barabbas is one I think.

For a stiff limestone shoe the Mago is great...but Andy wanted something for sandstone, and a little flexion would be better I think (as someone who grew up climbing at in Pex hill

[tomtom]

Where's 'here'? Some online European stores do Scarpas mail order, Barabbas is one I think.

For a stiff limestone shoe the Mago is great...but Andy wanted something for sandstone, and a little flexion would be better I think (as someone who grew up climbing at in Pex hill

Having climbed with Andy a fair bit over the Summer on the Sandstone - from the outside I would have thought the the Anasazi's were doing great.. after all (Andy) you've had a good summer (non?) in terms of new problems - mostly involving the crimp and small edge smear that the Anasazi's work well on?

I have a non broken in pair of Instinct VCS's that I have used a couple of times at Harmers - and they do seem to hold the small edges slightly better (than my A-Velcro's) but are (at the moment) very stiff and give me little/no feeling on the toes - breaking in may help this....

It seems to me that the main factor deciding what BRAND of shoe is how they fit your feet... people definately seem to have 5:10, Scarapa, Sportiva etc.. shape feet..

[ghisino]

They are indeed less pointy than whites or greens but I was surprised by the lateral stiffness of the toe area- obviously I was only trying to bend it with my hands but it felt stiffer than whites.

Worth noting that new whites are much stiffer than well-worn whites. I compared my old whites to the new pink prototypes ... both fairly bendy. The new whites I then obtained were far stiffer.

good point but a tight pair of well worn whites still behaves like a pair of stiff shoes when my feet are inside them - it's probably a combination of heel tension and rands???

To make an example...i never made the direct comparison but i bet well worn whites feel stiffer than similarly sized brand new verdes?

[Fultonius]

I used to think I fitted whites quite well, but all 3 pairs I had went as floppy as an monks cock in about 2 months. Plenty of rubber, just soft and bendy.

Maybe I had just never sized them correctly? I know the last pair were definitely bigger than the first 2 pairs (despite being the same "size").

They were the best shoes I've tried on mildly overhanging micro edge climbing on basalt (very specific, I know) but they became instantly useless for everything as soon as they went soft.

In contrast, I've had 3 pairs of Scarpa Vapour VCS in a row and each one has felt great right up until I wore a whole through the toe. No real softening to speak of. They are also the best fitting shoes I've ever owned. Maybe there's a link 

[Fultonius]

Good luck with that. 

The other thing about the whites that I got annoyed with (even with older, tighter pairs) was that on small edges or smears (especially on granite) my feet used to start walking off the holds. Not a slip, just a gradual oooze. Had to downclimb the second dihedral pitch on freeway once, right back to the belay, in order to get my shoes off, dry out my feet and chalk up my toes. The strenuous stemming was making my feet squirm inside my shoes!

[Fultonius]

Quite possibly/probably. It does seem that I have a more scarpa shaped foot and loads of folk love the whites so it's probably just me...

[Muenchener]

The strenuous stemming was making my feet squirm inside my shoes!

Is that not primarily a tightness/ "fit" issue?

Sounds like precisely the issue I have with Katana Laces. My feet just don't feel secure in them, whereas they do in Miuras. And sure enough, when I measure them the Katana Laces are 5mm wider than the same size Miuras.

[andy popp]

I'm beginning to wonder what I've started. Hope to report back v soon.

[tomtom]

I'm beginning to wonder what I've started.

Shoe wars!!

[thrashhard]

The strenuous stemming was making my feet squirm inside my shoes!

Is that not primarily a tightness/ "fit" issue?

Sounds like precisely the issue I have with Katana Laces. My feet just don't feel secure in them, whereas they do in Miuras. And sure enough, when I measure them the Katana Laces are 5mm wider than the same size Miuras.

Funny i´m wearing both of them and they both fit me perfect. Beside the fact that the Katana LU is stiffer i hardly notice any difference between them. But on the other hand i´m not a shoe guy. I wear whats cheap in the store and nearly every decent shoe i´ve ever had worked for me.

Quite possibly/probably. It does seem that I have a more scarpa shaped foot and loads of folk love the whites so it's probably just me...

It´s not you. No one i know ever said that whites fit well. Maybe they are great for edging and stuff but everyone i´ve ever talked to says the heel is ass and the fit is awful. It´s only the US and the UK where the Whites are so common you barely see anyone wear anasazis in austria especially not the whites. But every second guy you see is wearing vapours.

[tomtom]

I ran a comparison yesterday on West Side Story.

My 30% worn Anasazi Velcro's were OK - but feet were squirming off the wee edges..

My 5% worn Instinct VCS's were noticably better on the edges/nubbins..

It was a bit warm mind, and I wonder if the 5:10 rubber comes back at the scarpa's vibram when it gets cooler...

I failed whatever I wore by the way.

[Johnny Brown]

No one i know ever said that whites fit well

Except for Steve McClure, who does 9a without bothering to lace them up.