[mrjonathanr]

Hi, anyone got experience of these and would like to comment?

I am a snug 41 across all Instincts, Vapour Vs and Magos. Got a pair of Chimera recently in size 41.5 and they seem really tight - very tight on one foot, actually a bit painful on the other.

Do they stretch much? Maybe I need to go up again a size? Thanks in advance.

[BenF]

I started wearing them after the 5.10 Dragons went west. I wear the Unparalleled Sirius as well (not at the same time though) but they are a bit soft. I adore the Chimeras and have found them to be just perfect on limestone, with a great mix of sensitivity and stiffness. They took almost no wearing in and have hardly stretched, other than the usual slight give after a wear or two, so if they are still painful you may need to go up a little. I wear 7.5 in Scarpa (and most rockshoes) and Chimeras are no exception.

[mrjonathanr]

Cheers Ben. I have fairly broad feet and these seem a tad narrower than Instincts etc so that may be it.

One foot is snug but the other seems just a bit too tight so in a quandary. All my 41 shoes fir perfectly so to go up to 42 seems unusual.

[Fultonius]

I am the same size in chimeras as instincts, boostics etc. I do find them snugger, but still comfy. Must either be a foot shape thing, or a rare Scarpa dodgy pair?

[mrjonathanr]

Hmm. Maybe they give a bit then?

[RobK]

They do give a bit, more than instincts in my experience. To add to the confusion, I'm a 43 in instincts and boosters, but a 42.5 in the chimera and drago. They're an amazing shoe, my favourite of the bunch for routes.

[BenF]

Hmm. Maybe they give a bit then?

I've been thinking back and in retrospect, yeah they definitely stretched a bit. I now recall that during the first couple of weeks they were not that comfy, but after a few sessions they settled down. So I would perservere, they should stretch a bit.

[mrjonathanr]

 

Sounds like might be possible to sell on here if I decide to sell them!

[knollchri]

In my experience, they stretch and adapt to the foot quite a lot. I also wear 41 in Magos,... and thus bought my first pair of Chimeras in 41 as well.
They have been very tight in the beginning; to the degree that it was virtually important to get them on. Fast-forward a couple of weeks of regular wear, and they have become pretty much the most comfortable pair of climbing shoes I've ever had.

...I prefer to wear them in 41,5 nowadays, however. This makes the break-in period much less of a pain and the end up with roughly the same fit. That is, the smaller shoes just stretch more.

[Sidehaas]

In my experience, they stretch and adapt to the foot quite a lot. I also wear 41 in Magos,... and thus bought my first pair of Chimeras in 41 as well.
They have been very tight in the beginning; to the degree that it was virtually important to get them on. Fast-forward a couple of weeks of regular wear, and they have become pretty much the most comfortable pair of climbing shoes I've ever had.

...I prefer to wear them in 41,5 nowadays, however. This makes the break-in period much less of a pain and the end up with roughly the same fit. That is, the smaller shoes just stretch more.

How do you find the Chimera compare to the modern Magos in performance terms? I have a pair of Magos but have never used Chimeras. Always on the look out just in case something should replace Instincts as my go-to...Magos haven't been it although I do find them good for pockets.

[knollchri]

How do you find the Chimera compare to the modern Magos in performance terms? I have a pair of Magos but have never used Chimeras. Always on the look out just in case something should replace Instincts as my go-to...Magos haven't been it although I do find them good for pockets.

They are quite different shows clearly aimed at different type of rocks. That being said, Chimeras are my go-to's for most types now and I use them much more than I would have anticipated.

One of the major differences is that Chimeras are notably softer than the modern Magos, which allows them to really adapt to the footholds. I also find that I can hook with them exceptionally well (although that depends on how well the heel fits you). More specifically, I found that they really excel on polished crags where it is often hard to get something out of the holds; I also like them for the typical tufa-route, for thuggy roofs, and -- on the other side of the spectrum -- for various slabs where their smearing ability comes in very handy.
Although, they can handle the odd incut edge reasonably well, I personally wouldn't use them for the typical wall climb with a series of small edges, as this can become quite tiring for the toes.

[mrjonathanr]

Wanted to add to this for anyone thinking of buying them.

I bought 2 pairs because they were heavily discounted. 41.5- half a size up on my VSR/Mago/Vapour size and also 42.The 42s are comfortable, snug enough, but not super tight.

The 41.5 were tight on L foot, but sufficiently painful on one knuckle of R foot that I wondered if I had made a mistake and they were just too small. They stayed that way for a number of weeks. Suddenly the pain has gone and they are comfortable.

Basically they give quite a bit, but it took a few weeks.