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Mad rock shoes

purpleoctopus

28-Apr-2005
12:56:02 PM

I notice that mad rock shoes have entered the market at madly cheap prices. Im tempted to get a of pair for indoors, but I dont know anyone who wears them. Can anyone out there give me some goss?


Nick Kaz

28-Apr-2005
1:08:49 PM

I just got a pair of frenzys a coupld weeks ago, I like them 1.5 weeks at araps a coupla days in the gramps and 3 days at nowra and 1 trip to the gym( around 80-100 pitches grd 9 - 23) without any real wear and i consider myself to have ok footwork...

They edge great which is what I was after and so far the fancy heels seem to do what they are ment to, they are a slipper but come with velcro to strap them on tight for the realy steep stuff. Aparantly the rands and rubber have been beefed up a bit so they dont wear as fast as the older models do. Oh and the purple goes with my eyes ;)

dalai

28-Apr-2005
1:17:11 PM

Been discussed in depth, check previous topics for a wealth of information...


Rich

28-Apr-2005
1:22:53 PM

i've seen two pairs lately with holes in the middle of the front foot. they are the ones with the funny edge around the sole.. white coloured i think. apparently they weren't taken back under warranty because they were trashed elsewhere as well. but i guess you get what you pay for.


Nick Kaz

28-Apr-2005
1:26:57 PM

Heres a pick of my toe, I dont think they are too badly worn considering howmuch i have done in them. For $130 or whatever I paid its a no brainer, I'm shure i'll get another 400 or so pitches before they need a resole, thats 25c a pitch or there abouts, bargain realy.


adski

28-Apr-2005
1:34:29 PM

ok nick nicely done. now we are all aware of how much climbing you got in in the last week and a half, but you should've provided a link to your account at TheCrag.com to do a proper job

:-P


Rich

28-Apr-2005
1:43:37 PM

25c a pitch hey? I wonder how much it would be if you included all the chalk and depreciation of all your gear... hmm


Nick Kaz

28-Apr-2005
1:45:32 PM

chalk? Dont know if I should admit to having it around here, and my gear? MEH! Uni gear all the way, hehehe!


Ben

28-Apr-2005
1:47:55 PM

They are becoming VERY common sights at a lot of indoor climbing places due to prices. Bouldering at nunna last night I saw roughly 70-80% of all people in the bouldering area were wearing them.

They wear faster than a lot of other shoes (the rubber soles) and there have been numerous reports of problems with rubber peeling/holes appearing around the toe box.

Some people have returned shoes if they showed bad wearing earlier and got replacements, others (ie Alex) got told that there was too much other wear (I'm not convinced this is reasonable myself, I saw the condition of the shoes and the wear was abnormal).

Having said all that, I love my madrocks (2nd/3rd pair now). I have the white Mugens, with the silly hybrid double sole. I do mainly indoor climbing ~3 times a week and they tend to last for about 6-8 months for me - I retire them pretty early though. And my footwork certainly isn't laser precise. Compared to $200 for most other shoes (scarpa dominator Vs were a previous favourite) the price is right. (~$120 new with VCC discount)

And most of my shoes get 'icky' after 8 months anyway (greasy on the inside etc) so I don't resole.

And they happen to fit my personal foot shape really well - more snug, less pain than any other shoes that I tried on.

I recommend them. The price VS perfomance is great for me.


GG

28-Apr-2005
4:18:37 PM

I second that. I have the Frenzy Velcros (I use for lower grade trad stuff). I also have a pair of the Locos which fit my huge foot nicely. Absolutely the best shoe i've ever owned...

mpage

28-Apr-2005
4:51:26 PM

How big of a huge foot Gareth, I'm struggling to find manufacturers that make in my size other than some 5.10's, or when I do the next trick is finding a shop willing to order them in.


sabu

28-Apr-2005
5:50:22 PM

On 28/04/2005 Nick Kaz wrote:
>Heres a pick of my toe, I dont think they are too badly worn considering
>howmuch i have done in them. For $130 or whatever I paid its a no brainer,
>I'm shure i'll get another 400 or so pitches before they need a resole,
>thats 25c a pitch or there abouts, bargain realy.
>
>

um thats bad? you should see mine, mine has a BIG gash accross that line, my toe touches the rock on one shoe, the other is not so bad. but for the amount of use i got out of them they were great and i'm stubbern enough to keep using them i hav no intentions on buying a new pair or resoling!!! i would deffinately recommend them!


Nick Kaz

28-Apr-2005
7:52:31 PM

On 28/04/2005 sabu wrote:
>um thats bad? you should see mine, mine has a BIG gash accross that line,
>my toe touches the rock on one shoe, the other is not so bad.

I thought they were in quite good condition actualy, that was the idea, to show they had bugger all wear

>but for the amount of use i got out of them they were great and i'm stubbern enough to keep >using them i hav no intentions on buying a new pair or resoling!!!
>i would deffinately recommend them!

Barefoot no chalk?


Rich

28-Apr-2005
9:23:54 PM

On 28/04/2005 sabu wrote:

>um thats bad? you should see mine, mine has a BIG gash accross that line,
>my toe touches the rock on one shoe, the other is not so bad. ...

>i would deffinately recommend them!

um, sounds great!


sabu

28-Apr-2005
9:50:56 PM

well for the use they gave me it was decent.

mikl law

29-Apr-2005
12:02:12 AM

To various pionts raised - icky inside boot? (cold) wash them in a machine, or if there's serious toe jam, scrub them out with (someone else's ) toothbrush and soap first.

I've been very happy with mine (and I'm just starting on my third pair of Mugen's), but I do notice that anything which is cheap gets treated badly, I reckon abut half the "problems" would evaporate if they cost $70 more.

The only criticism I have is that the stiffness drops off significantly when they are 80% worn, but by that time they are getting comfy too and I get a tight new pair.


trent

2-May-2005
9:54:09 AM

I bought a pair of flashes from the states a year ago and they lasted until january climbing at least 2 days a week in them. Really good for thin face climbs but equally at home hooking through a roof. I got around 60 days of climbing stuff up to 25 and they never missed a beat.

I have more recently bought a new pair of flashes and a pair of Maniacs (the slippers nick kaz was talking about) The maniacs are great gym shoes with the same fit as flashes but the convenience of a slipper.

Two weeks ago I got a pair of the new 2005 sharks from overseas. They are about 90%rubber and after alot of huffing and puffing I can finally squeeze my feet into them. They are also a slipper with an add-on velcro strap for extra security but have the dual density sole and a very aggressive series of red rubber fins on the toe. Havent climbed in them yet but they feel like they are spray painted on (ie great sensitivty)

I had heaps of probs getting Maniacs in Sydney so I got them and the new flashes from Arapiles Mountain Shop.

For anyone thinking about mail ordering here are my size equivalents

Velcro Anasazis Euro 43
Scarpa Vortex 42
Madrock Flashes 42.5
Madrock Maniac 42
Madrock Sharks 42.5(really tight, can get them on...just and being 90% rubber I doubt they will stretch much)

You wont be disappointed with the performance or the price.

On a side note the story behind madrock is very interesting.

The dude that was previous they head of the 5.10 factory in Asia had a disagreement with the head of 5.10 so he thought bugger it instead of making your shoes for you I will make my own shoes and be a competitor. And madrock was born. Strange how Flashes look a lot like anasazi velcros.

acgrun

2-Jun-2005
12:41:28 PM

mad rocks are the bomb. i got my sharks-all black ones- at SGD$90 and i used them about 4 times a
week. so the sole's gone a bit thin and soft. it actually feels like uncle toby roll-ups. but they are good
comfy shoes and fit like a sock. when my foot goes in there's this suction thing happening. and they are
comfy enough to be walking around in. my feet make farting noises though coz they are a bit big. i use
the sharks for leisure climbing indoors. they would shred outdoors coz of the dual density thing happening.
so i like them so much i'm going to get another pair. and they are selling them in singapore for $60 while
stocks last.. i'll help anyone take orders if they want.


sabu

11-Jul-2005
12:02:06 AM

well after even more use i can pretty much stick my big toe through the hole!! good for air-rating them!! i havn't noticed or felt any impairment in my climbing from them, i can still edge on stupidly small holds and so on!! yes it feels a bit wierd, but im used to them, the actual shoe fits like a glove, they are sooo molded to my feet!!
if anyone is interested in seeing me climb with gaping holes in my shoes come down on friday afternoon to Hardrock (States Comp) !!! see you there.
i will get new shoes when i can afford them!! maybe Flashes this time!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Jul-2005
10:49:53 AM

You are starting to sound very trad sabu!

There are 37 messages in this topic.