UKH

Hi. I saw an add for fixe ropes and never heard of those before.  I’m looking to replace my 70 sterling sport rope, which has been great.  Would a fixe rope be a good replacement?

cheers

In reply to kipper12:

Do they apply their own rating for their ropes

PS Sterling ropes are great

In reply to kipper12:

Spanish company, been around for about 40 years, merged with rocca (well respected rope manufacturers) I've been using them for the last few years, no complaints,  really nice ropes, handle well, doesn't kink and is turning out to be very durable, it's the fixi rocca rainbow that I have.

https://rope-master.com/en/sport/climbing/ropes/dynamic-single-ropes/9968-r...

In reply to kipper12:

Given the issues that Fixe have with quality control on their anchors I wouldn't touch any of their weight bearing kit with a barge pole.

https://theuiaa.org/mountaineering/safety-alert-for-fixe-lower-offs/

The ropes MIGHT be ok, but the anchors issue put me off buying from them, especially when you compare the response from them to recalls initiated by other manufacturers.

In reply to UKB Shark:

I really like my sterling rope but I don’t appear to be able to find a replacement however in the UK.  After a single 70 or 80 sport rope.

In reply to kipper12:

Sterling are a premium brand and for the distributor to make a normal % they were prohibitively expensive at retail. Real shame, as you say they are lovely ropes, but if they can't be priced competitively they won't sell in sufficient volumes to be marketable.

In reply to kipper12:

You’re right. You can get them with Alpinetrek though. 

In reply to UKB Shark:

Brilliant, thanks.  👍😁

In reply to kipper12

I’ve owned and used a few Fixe ropes. Nice enough and nothing negative to say about them.

In reply to kipper12:

I've got two - both picked up in sales so really good value.  Handle well and seem reasonably hard-wearing.  Weight pretty good for 8.4mm.  People comment that they are nice to use.

In reply to kipper12:

I've got two - both picked up in sales so really good value.  Handle well and seem reasonably hard-wearing.  Weight pretty good for 8.4mm.  People comment that they are nice to use.

I've got some of their lightweight crabs as well - also good value

In reply to kipper12:

Not a fan at all. They make your hands go black with some sort of grease/residue.

In reply to trying.soft:

That's probably your draws mate - have you got draws with anodised grey/black on the rope end? 

I have and get the same.

In reply to kipper12:

The one I've had has been great and was a total bargain. Think it was the Siurana model.

In reply to kipper12:

Have recently bought a FIXE Fanatic 8.4 rope (50m half rope). Been great so far - handles well.

Steve

In reply to kipper12:

I've used a load of Fixe ropes for work. Their cheap half ropes were soft and nice to handle but didn't wear particularly well. The 9.8 singles I have are absolutely indestructible. 

In reply to kipper12:

Alpkit distributed them in the UK for some years. I'm still using this one https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/ropes/fixe-roca_free_105_mm_rope-7... it's a nice handling rope and reassuringly chunky when above your last bolt!

In reply to climber34neil:

Ha ha ha ha ah, €330 for an 80m. I'm dead.

E

In reply to kipper12:

I’ve a 9.4mm Fixe single rope which I’ve had for a couple of years, it handles well and is still in good condition. Good value from Rock & Run.

In reply to Iamgregp:

Can you explain how anodising leaves a greasy residue ?

In reply to jon:

He said grease/residue which is what I get when I use my grey anodised DMM draws, anodised layer is rubbed off by rope friction, mixes with sweat and oils on your hands.

Almost certainly what’s going on here, never heard of a rope transferring any type of residue to peoples hands on it’s own.

In reply to Iamgregp:

It isn't my draws. Use the same grigri and the same draws with different ropes. Only the Fixe and Simond ropes make you look like you've been working at a coal mine. Beal and Mammut are perfectly fine. 

In reply to kipper12: I'd guess it's some sort of treatment added to the ropes then - I've had new dry treated ropes (not Fixe) feel sticky from that, and it picks up dirt and Al oxide as they rub on the draws.

Maybe yours was a bit sitckier than the norm for them

The cost doesn't necessarily reflect quality - the worst rope I've ever owned was the most expensive (Edelweiss)

In reply to trying.soft:

What colour is the rope?  What colour are your draws?  What colour is the residue?

Could it just be the case that only Fixe and Simond ropes are abrasive to wear the anodised layer off the draws, trap it in sheath, then transfer to you hands? 

I mean if it was one rope that left black stuff on your hands, but two of them? Presumably neither of the ropes are black or grey?  

Where on earth do you think the black/grey stuff is coming from if the ropes aren’t that colour?

It’s your draws. 

In reply to Iamgregp:

No it isn't the draws. Happens to tons of people everywhere. Friends back in Spain (where most poeple use fixe/simond) have the same issue. When I use any of my other ropes (on anyone's gear) it doesn't happen. 

In reply to trying.soft:

I've been using a Decathlon rope and I often find my hands get pretty dirty after lots of belaying. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

In reply to john arran:

... and if it did you could even use gloves. Now that's radical.

In reply to wbo2:

Funny you should say that - exactly the same experience

In reply to timparkin:

Yeah I had an Edelweiss rope that I retired after just a couple of trips just because it was so horrible. 

In reply to kipper12:

Fixe ropes are great, handle well and outlasted any of the other ropes I’ve had, again have the 9.8 rainbow rocca. Sheath did turn a little black, but it’s been in use for 3+ years so as expected tbh. It’s not dry treated so maybe the complaints above about fixe and decathlon making hands greasy is because the other ropes used were dry treated and therefore didn’t pick up the anodised coating as much, and it’s definitely either anodising or dirt… not any kind of coating on the rope.

I rate decathlon ropes too, they are cheap enough not to care how long they last, but still handles really well for long enough to not complain.

Would also agree edelweiss handles like crap. 

In reply to Phippy:

For the avoidance of confusion - or possibly to add to it: there doesn't appear to be any connection between the Italian-sounding rope brand 'Rocca' which was marketed here and elsewhere in the 1970s [the US distributor at the time specified that they were manufactured in West Germany] and the Spanish brand 'Roca', now part of Fixe and whose range includes the 'Rainbow'.

In reply to Iamgregp:

It's not the anodising that's making the rope black - if it was my rope would be red! It's the aluminium from the krabs and belay devices where the anodising is warn off. In addition, some ropes are worse than others for picking it up. I have an old indestructible Decathlon rope that just refuses to turn black and a Beal Joker that is horribly black - both used with the same set of draws at the same crags. If the deposit is greasy, then chances are it's sweat from your hands, as you say.

In reply to jon:

Ah right, yes that makes sense. 

I get black hands from my Petzl (lovely handling) rope, but never did from my Edelweiss (horrible handling) dry treated job.  Would prefer the black hands any day! 

In reply to trying.soft:

I've currently got a Fixe 9.6 nature which has been going a bit grey after 3 weeks intensive sport use. The two previous ropes were a Beal 9.8(?) and a Mammut 9.6 both of which also want grey/black with use. The worst was the Beal which looked so fecking disgusting I got embarrassed and retired it way earlier than it needed to be. When the Mammut was the main rope it did look so bad halfway through a sport climbing trip it got washed. 

Just my experience mind