Spec me..... Climbing shoes!

thepeganator · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:14

Just started really, done a few sessions of bouldering and really am enjoying it!

Looking for some cheap shoes, trainers just aren't cutting it, I have no feel and my feet start hurting pretty quick

Budget of below £40 really, just getting into it so don't want to spend a fortune already!

Kemik · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:17

Go to some outdoor stores like Ellis Brigham. They can recommend you some.

Remember to not wear socks when you try them on, put each one on while resting your leg on your knee so they are tight on your foot. Try balancing on some stairs while wearing them to see how they feel on your feet.

I bought some Red Chili Sausalito's when I first started but they were £60.

ZG002 · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:20

For a start, DO NOT ORDER OVER THE INTERNET!! This is your first pair of shoes you really do need to try before you buy, You need to find your nearest outdoors/climbing shop. I got some red chilli shoes and they were perfect they were about £60

You really do need to get yourself to a climbing shop, The staff there will see you right. enjoy it is real fun

I need to get back into climbing.

Apopcalyptic · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:26

ZG002 said:
For a start, DO NOT ORDER OVER THE INTERNET!! This is your first pair of shoes you really do need to try before you buy, You need to find your nearest outdoors/climbing shop. I got some red chilli shoes and they were perfect they were about £60

You really do need to get yourself to a climbing shop, The staff there will see you right. enjoy it is real fun

I need to get back into climbing.

This - Particularly if you have stupid sized/shaped feet. I ended up replacing my first pair of climbing shoes within three weeks of buying them, because they didn't really suit my feet. Incidentally, I've a barely used pair of Scarpa Vantage in a large size if you want them

I ended up with Red Chilli Spirits, very nice, but not a 'beginner shoe' as such.

ZG002 · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:30

Kemik said:
I bought some Red Chili Sausalito's when I first started but they were £60.

Yeah they are the ones I have

Good shoes for beginner I thought.

thepeganator · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:45

I have been told to go into a shop by a couple of people, get them fitted properly, so is it just a case of go in anywhere?

Not really found anything below £50-60, bit more than I would like to spend when I'm only a beginner...

Apopcalyptic · 17 Sep 2010 at 20:50

To be honest, any half decent shop should be able to advise you on beginners choices. Shoes geared towards the beginner tend to hover around the 60-70 range. Beginner shoes tend to have a reinforced sole until your build up foot and toe strength.

ZG002 · 17 Sep 2010 at 21:07

Yeah not sure you will find anything under £50-£60. If you have a climbing buddy who is in to it then it is defo worth the money, Are you bouldering or rope top climbing?

thepeganator · 17 Sep 2010 at 22:31

ZG002 said:
Yeah not sure you will find anything under £50-£60. If you have a climbing buddy who is in to it then it is defo worth the money, Are you bouldering or rope top climbing?

Bouldering, not really anything rope based I could find around me (Portsmouth).

Been going on my own, but met someone who seems pretty cool, he said def go into a shop at first.

fire_munki · 18 Sep 2010 at 12:57

Cotsworlds have a large range but they are pricey, strangely enough Sports World (super budget chavvy shop) here in Plym sell climbing kit.
Portsmouth def should have a climbing centre I'm sure a some of my buddys were heading up there to do some outside course.
I got my 1st pair for 45quid and fit nicely, from a shop that's cheaper than the inter-web, sometime real people are cheaper!

Fenris · 18 Sep 2010 at 13:21

One piece of advice I can give you is don't buy Boreal Spiders, guy in my local outdoor sports store told me they were a great beginner shoe, and they were, until the rubber on the toe totally disintegrated after about 4 months. I only go climbing once a week max so it came as a surprise.

Oddly enough like Apopcalyptic I ended up buying some Red Chilli Spirit's, really brilliant shoes.

beh · 18 Sep 2010 at 15:07

While I agree it's always better to try things on, I've no issue with ordering online either, particularly if you don't live near a decent climbing shop. It helps to have some idea of your foot shape/size, and just order a couple different sizes of a shoe (or couple different shoes) appropriate for your aspirations, keep the pair that fits best and return the other(s) for a refund. Or if you don't like the fit of any of them return them all for a refund/exchange.

Some reasonable deals to be had too, you don't need to spend £70+ for some "beginner" shoes, for example - http://www.rockrun.com/categories/LATEST-DEALS/Rock-Shoe-Deals/.

Good info here - http://www.facewest.co.uk/How-To-Buy-Rock-Shoes.html and http://www.facewest.co.uk/facewestblog/2010/04/20/facewest-rock-shoe-survey-results/.

Again, oddly enough, I also own a pair of Red Chili shoes, Mescalitos.

Bennie-Mac · 18 Sep 2010 at 15:15

Go into a specialist outdoor/climbing shop and ask for advice. They will be able to help you choose the right fit and sole if they're anyway decent.

Beginners shoes should have a pretty much solid sole on them as your feet wont have built up the strength and pain resistance for the more flexible types of sole.