UKH

Anyone got La Sportiva Genius?
What do you think of them?

I'm a big fan of Muria lace ups but the toe rand is quite thin and my draggy foot style tends to wear them out quite quickly.

From the pictures I've seen, the Genius toe rand rubber looks quite thick. How thick is it? Does the thick bit from the sole go over the pointy big toe bit that wears out on Muira?

Anyone gone from Muria to Genius? Was the performance better or worse?

If the toe rand is longer lasting it might make economic sense to have a pair for the indoor wall where most of the wear occurs.

In reply to JLS:

I've had a pair of Geniuses for about a month - my previous shoes being Miura lace-ups.

They're a very different shoe from the Miura: much more sensitive and smeary. I downsized 1/2 a Euro size from my Miuras as the rubber is so soft. Initially they hurt a lot, but stretched out after only a couple of climbs.

I'm loving them on gritstone as they're so much stickier than Miuras (due to XSGrip2 rubber, rather than the XS Edge on the Miuras). The fit isn't as close as the Miura, and its a shame they haven't given the heel the same sensitivity as the front of the shoe. They're the first 'no-edge' shoes I've worn, but I've got on pretty well with them out of the box.

The big toe does have a double layer of rubber, but I wouldn't expect the Genius to be more durable than the Miura as the rubber is so much softer and all effort is focussed on the big toe in the same way as the Miura.

They're not the massive leap in shoe design that La Sportiva would have you believe, but if you want some soft shoes that look pretty bling (or as ugly as sin, depending on your taste) then I recon go for it.

In reply to JLS:


Neil G. does:

youtube.com/watch?v=bG0rTQr2Wes&

In reply to Catcheemonkey:

Cheers. Sounds like they may not be the answer to my Muira wear issue.

In reply to JLS:

Brilliant shoe and will do a review on them soon.

I've been wearing La Sportivas for the last 7-8 years, having had most models.
I used to love the Miura VS, the Solutions (still do), but for the last year-year and a half I've been using no-edge shoes.

Firstly the Speedster - could not fault them, but would recommend going down 1/2 size from normal Sportiva sizing.
The Futuras are brilliant.
The Genius takes both shoes and the no-edge tech even further. Laces have always been a bit of a faf for me, but the heel is improved on the Futura and Speedster and is obviously more adjustable.

No edge means you are closer to the rock, but doesn't mean you will go through.
My Speedsters are 1.5 years old and still going strong - using them (for climbing and coaching - indoors and out, on a daily basis).

The rubber is much softer than the Miuras and the support will put your toes under more stress, but the rewards are worth it...once you try them, you won't go back!

In reply to Catcheemonkey:


How would you say they compare with the Miuras in terms of actual sizing? (rather than your preference or reasoning for down-sizing, which I can understand) I have Miuras in 44 & 43.5 and Solutions in 43, so am wondering what to go for in the Genius, as I can't seem to find a pair to try locally.

In reply to JLS:

I'm interested in these no edge shoes too. But I have a few questions I'd like to put to anyone who knows:

What's the difference between the Genius and the Futura?

Indeed, what's the difference between the two Futuras?

Neil Gresham says that the Genius stays good right until they die, which sounds good to me. However, can they be re-soled once dead?

In reply to JLS:

I've got futuras and love them - the no edge concept takes a bit of getting used to though! Only weird thing I've found is that they bunch up my big toe so much that I'm now developing a large callus/growth on the knuckle of my big toe on both feet. Could just be my foot shape though!

In reply to jon:


Ah, I see I've been a bit dumb here. I assumed that the yellow no edge shoe was a version of the Futura and also hadn't realised that they are slippers and called Speedsters. So, what's the difference between the Futura and the Speedster? Is it simply that the Speedster is a slipper? Anyone used the Speedster? I'm a fan of slippers and have used Cobras for years now, so the Speedster might just be for me.

In reply to Fraser:
I'd say that out of the box they feel pretty similar, but stretch out more quickly. Initially I tried 42 (the same size a my snug Miuras) as they felt good, but after only one climb they stretched out and felt like clown shoes.

I'm now in 41.5s, which hurt a lot at first but now feel pretty good.

In reply to Catcheemonkey:

Can I just direct you at my rather clumsy question just above... any idea about Speedsters?

In reply to jon:

There's more discussion on the UKB thread. User cha1n has both futuras and speedsters.

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25758.50.html

In reply to galpinos:

Brilliant, thanks! Just what I was looking for.

In reply to JLS:

My no edge shoes have largely been shelved until grit season arrives. I love them for smearing and they're very good indoors where all the feet are massive compared to outdoors anyway (though most of my current indoor climbing at the moment is lengthy endurance training and these aren't comfy enough to wear that long).

Limestone season shoes for me have been Scarpa Instinct VS and more recently my La Sportiva Testarossas (bit softer than the scarpas). Don't think you can underestimate how much a stiffer shoes helps out on limestone (unless it's a 10m roof or something). I haven't climbed at Malham though, which is wear it seems a lot of the limestone climbers have been testing them. Summary:

No Edge Good - Indoors, grit, sandstone, other smeary rock types.

No Edge Bad - Vertical tiny crimps, anything that require toe power though having a laced version will probably help slightly on this front to adjust the fit as they stretch.

In reply to Catcheemonkey:



Thanks for this. I'm now torn between the Futuras and Scarpa's 'Booster S', which felt pretty decent yesterday in the shop.

In reply to JLS:

What is the heel like on these?

I've just worn through my solutions (after 7 years!) and looking for a replacement. The heel is (imo) terrible on these so I'm hoping the genius heel is different.
I can't tell if they have big lumps of inflexible rubber or something a bit better?

In reply to Fraser:

I quite liked the Booster S from a brief boot demo but in my opinion just a Muira VS with toe rubber. I'd be interested to see what someone who'd used the muira vs for a while thought of the booster s. Realistically, being that they're again soft, I'd only use them on roof climbing or sandstone and the no edge is better than anything else I've tried (I've tried lots) on sandstone and I like my dragons/teams for roofs.

Right tool for the job and all that!

In reply to cha1n:
Interesting stuff, thanks. I had a pair of the Miura VS but didn't find them as good a fit as the lace ups and the Booster S felt a lot snugger, even in the 44s which I tried. Maybe I didn't have a tight enough pair of VS. TCA are doing a good discount this w/e and they stock the half size Boosters so I'll probably give them a whirl.

Edit: I read on ukb that the Boosters are a bit stiffer than the Futuras, if that makes any difference.

In reply to JLS:
One thing that struck me was the advert for Genius - A Genius is born, when clearly it should be hatched. Talk about being misleading? Trades description...

In reply to mark_wellin:

Me and a mate both tried geniuses on at the weekend , I found the heel fit great whereas my friend said the heel didn't fit at all and the only reason he didn't get them , everyone is different I suppose defo best trying them on

In reply to JLS:

Mrs J has just come back from Chamonix with a pair of Speedsters in size 40,5 for me. That's the size I normally take in Cobras and Miuras, so tried and tested over a long time. However I can barely get the Speedsters on but am encouraged to keep trying due to the comments about them stretching a lot. Actually, I can get the right one (my much smaller foot) on without too much pain now and from what I can tell about how it feels just sitting here, they're going to be really good. The back of the shoe looks just like a Cobra but the rand is a LOT tighter and that's the problem - getting my heel into it - there seems to be lots of room up front, maybe even more than the Cobra.

So it seems to me that despite the very aggressive and tight rand they suit big fat feet better than narrow ones. Update to follow when I've managed to get the left one on!

In reply to jon:

Keep us posted jon. I ended up going for the Booster S yesterday as I could actually try them on and they were a (relatively) good price after discount. I could barely get the right foot on initially, but the second attempt was much easier and more comfortable so I think they'll stretch sufficiently to be usable on routes rather than just for bouldering.

In reply to JLS:

Jon stay with it, i take a 40 in Miura vs and a 39.5 in speedsters. They do stretch, but I found I had to use a new technique to get them on. I seat my toes firmly in the toe box, and then pull onto the heal