UKH

Morning all,

Just wondering if anyone knows anywhere I can get a (new) 40m single rope cheap at the moment. Bog standard 9 - 10mm will do.

I'm amazed how expensive ropes have become these days.

Thanks

Frank

In reply to Frankie boy:

Go outdoors have a Beal for £60

In reply to Frankie boy:

Keep an eye out for Beal Karma, or Mammut Galaxy on places like Go outdoors and Millets/Blacks. You can often find one or the other for £1/m if you have discount code

In reply to Twiggy Diablo:

Thanks, that's what I've kinda been aiming for.

My last 70m rope was from GoOutdoors and managed to get it price matched less 10% so it came up at about £1/m.

Currently most have been coming up at nearer £2/m.

Only "sensible" priced ones I've seen so far are on 2 sites that appear that they ship from Germany.

In reply to Frankie boy:

Not trying to stir the pot just genuinely curious but why do you want a cheap rope?? Pretty fundamental in stopping a rather quick introduction with the ground!

A general sweeping statement is that people are willing to spend £140+ on rock boots but unwilling to shell out the same on safety kit!

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

I would imagine it would have to do with what he's planning on using it for. Using it for laps down the wall, I'd say it's not worth having dry treatment, or amazing impact properties, or the best sheath slippage etc, because it's going to get trashed, one way or another. Literally any UIAA/CE marked rope will do the job and there's not much point in spending loads of dough. I'm putting words in his mouth but... also how do you know he's not frugal with all his equipment choices? Some people don't have masses of money and where they can find a deal they will...

In reply to beardy mike:

But it may get trashed significantly slower with dry treatment, it makes a massive difference to the abrasion resistance of a rope.

See this video of testing from Mammut and the difference is astounding and just shows buying cheap can mean buying twice in certain situations 

youtube.com/watch?v=bZ9Ni7gNCh8&

In reply to Graeme Hammond:

That's a fair comment. I suppose my point was we don't actually know the reasoning for his cheap rope requirement as he hasn't said. 

In reply to beardy mike:

Oh totally agree Mike and my point wasn't aimed at the OP mainly just a general comment about the current rope market!

In reply to Frankie boy:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/semi-static-rope-10-5-mm-x-40-m-stat-10-5-whi...

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Well you level that at all hardware. Climbers are notoriously tight fisted. I think it's changing a bit, but I guess that's just the way it is. Mountainbikong it is not. I simply can't get over what people are prepared to spend on a shiny bit of metal for a bike. All that said, at the other end of the scale is fashion clothing, literally no use other than to make you look good and it costs a fortune. I suppose being able to go climbing because you were able to buy a cheap rope rather than not being able to go climbing at all is also worth considering. Or maybe its just going to be for a very specific and not very oft used purpose? I dunno... 

In reply to Graeme G:

Assuming the OP wants it for climbing, that's not suitable; it's a semi-static, and the page says "Not for sport climbing use when rock climbing or mountaineering"

This might be better:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/indoor-climbing-rope-10-mm-x-45-m-colour-blue...

In reply to beardy mike:

Bikes are ridiculous 🤣

Ropes aren't cheap but a more expensive one will last longer. If its purely indoors a cheap 40mtr does make sense as it will probably have a hard life! I dunno.

Ah well, I've got a load of dislikes for my general musing and will probably get a load on this post for mentioning dislikes!

Any of the 8 other than Mike care to chip in?

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Simply put, I have plenty other ropes but just want a 40m one for occasional use, and I see no point in spending a lot when a simple cheap one will do what I need.

And I think its safe to say that there will never be a day when I spend £140 on boots.

In reply to beardy mike:

Thanks Beardy Mike, pretty much my thoughts exactly.

In reply to Frankie boy:

Fair enough.

The way prices are going on boots though..... 😬

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Yeah, being honest, I tend to just buy what's relatively comfortable and on sale with boots. In my case, my ability or lack of, has far more relevance on whether I'll get up a route than how much I paid for my boots.

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

I'll bite. I didn't dislike but can see how your post might have attracted dislikes.

As you are someone involved with importing and selling climbing gear in the UK your response to someone who was expressing frustration at the increase in costs of climbing equipment was along the lines of suck it up and shell out. Some people might have seen that as a little dismissive of real pressures people are facing from someone who represents the industry.

We all know the increasing costs have nothing to do with importers/distributors and are related to raw materials, manufacturing and shipping as well as global financial pressures, and are completely out of the control of any one individual, but it's never nice to be reminded of that fact that we all need to pay more to do the things we enjoy.

I have a sneaking suspicion you may well have been expecting dislikes, as you started your comment with "not trying to stir the pot"!

I don't think anyone would disagree that generally a more expensive rope is better but if its UIAA or CE marked it should be up to the job regardless of price.

In reply to jbrom:

Thanks for your reply.

I can hand on heart say that I wasn't trying to cause drama etc I was, and still am, genuinely curious about spending habits. Especially when it comes to ropes. 

I didn't read the OPs original statement as somebody expressing frustration at prices, more somebody looking for a cheap option. Hence my original comment. Not that a cheap option is bad but as I said above I am interested. 

Full disclosure I used to sell Sterling rope and it never got any traction because of the price and I was interested more in what people look for in a rope.

To anyone that reads this and was one of the original dislikes I can only apologise as it wasn't my intention to come across as a dick and I really am sorry if its come across that way.

Sorry all.

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

As I say though, if you are someone who simply doesn't have enough money for an expensive rope, then any rooe is better than none. It's fairly indisputable that a more expensive rope will be better performing but that may not be an option. Its much the same in carabiners, there a big market in bargain basement, a medium market in top draw, and nothing in the middle. I'd imagine it's more or less the same with ropes, you'd definitely know more about that than me. I also think it's true that us in the industry are quite into navel gazing about what the USP of our product is as its what we can talk to shopkeepers about to persuade then that our product is better than the next. But I think its equally true that the majority of the market are somewhat ignorant with regard those features, what they do and why they are worth the extra money. I remember having chats at wild country ref shrouded wire gate noses and that if you put a shrouded nose on a medium cost biner then you're doing yourself over because why should the customer buy the top draw version? The reality is in that in terms of cost to manufacture, the difference between the two is so marginal its almost negligible, which begs the question, why bother with the midground? Just include the feature and then take a view on what the customer will pay. Then it's down to communicating the feature which IMO manufacturers in general are woefully inadequate at. I'm betting most people here won't know what a shrouded nose does or even what one is, but they are clearly safer and a good feature... 

In reply to Frankie boy:

Have a look on rock and run. I get most of my (cheap!!!) ropes from there. Almost always pay <£1 a meter for singles and half ropes. I buy cheap sport ropes because I find they don’t last, cheap or expensive!! A rope that cost 1/3 price lasts much longer than 1/3 lifespan

In reply to captain paranoia:

Apologies. Lazy Googling. I bought a 40m from Decathlon a few years back and assumed it was the same one.

In reply to George_Surf:

Thanks, I'll have a look on there.

Realistically, in over 20 years of climbing, I've bought cheap ropes, and expensive ropes and I've never been disappointed with either.

In reply to Frankie boy:

Only rope I've ever been disappointed with were Beal Icelines. Not cheap. One shredded on the second use, which was replaced by the manufacturer, the second was all done by the end of the year. They were the shortest lived ropes I've ever had...

In reply to Frankie boy:

£54 shipped for a 40m 9.5 Beal on Alpinetrek  

In reply to Frankie boy:

There’s a Beal 9.5 40m for £54 on Alpinetrek inc taxes and vat 

The website should switch to UK for you. I’ve bought loads of stuff off them over the years.

In reply to MischaHY:

Sorry, didn’t see your post and duplicated it!

In reply to Frankie boy:

v12 in llamberis had some good deals last week

In reply to beardy mike:

I'm sure we've discussed this before but my best half rope ever was a Beal Iceline back in the noughties. Got used loads and stayed in great nick.

The most worrying experience with a rope I've had was with https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/ropes/edelrid_corbie_-_for_when_we... 

I bought a cheapy Beal Karma from GOutdoors back at Xmas. I've used it a fair few times since and still in good nick and working well. They claim to be 9.8 but actually feel quite thin for supposedly almost 10 mm. 

In reply to TobyA:

Yeah that was me. I guess sometimes you're just unlucky with a product. By contrast my Mammut Serenity which I've had, must be 15 years, has seen ridiculous amounts of use. Its a bit fluffy and is in places beyond what I'd use as a regular climbing rope, but for scrambling or an easy mountain day, it comes out every so often. Cue someone telling me to stop using a 15 year old rope...

In reply to beardy mike:

You shouldn't use a 15 year old rope..... 😝

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

<whistle quietly and stares intently at his shoes>

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

ha ha ha what should I do with my 20 year old rope?

In reply to TobyA:

With you one the "thin" feel, easy to use as twins, because of this though.

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Couldn't resist could you. Go on then. Flame me.

In reply to Cobra_Head:

Soak it in a bucket of bleach overnight then it becomes a static for caving and rigging

In reply to beardy mike:

*insert generic responses relating to climbing on old rope whilst not acknowledging the owner of said rope has a much better idea of its condition than I do*

In reply to beardy mike:

because different people have different budgets and buisnesses want to tap into as many / much of the market as possible.

so if they can sell to the mid market, maybe they can sell again to the same people a few years later?

They can also set ptices to low, medium and expensive price points.

So it's all marketing and sales!

In reply to steveej:

Yep, but sales of the mid price point were very low. Which suggests to my admittedly addled brain, that people are either interested in bargain basement, or in top draw... most people buy draw once in 10 years? Why would they be buying again? In addition the bargain basement is flooded, and extremely difficult to make money in because the margins are poor and the competition is strong. I understand the theory of low, mid and high, but I'm not convinced it makes sense...

In reply to beardy mike:

I think you are seeing this in lots of markets now. New cars these days seem to either be budget models (dacia/mg) or premium ones (JLR/BMW/merc).

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Actually I have found this not to be the truth.

Sure, some ropes (often those with soft and loose mantle, instead of tight weave) will wear out faster, but it really doesn't match the price. With a lot of use, we generally got 1 or 2 summers worth of rock climbing, followed by one winter of ice and mixed craggin'... before the rope was too trashed for actual climbing... then it got demoted to bolting and anchor duties.

So we stopped shellin' out big €€€ for expensive ropes and just got the bulk ropes (namely BergFreunde.de edition ones,, so from Beal, Edelrid or Mammut).

Note, this is for general craggin' use (single pitch trad and sport, on rough granite... mostly). We have other ropes we used to use for proper winter climbing (dry treated ones, both triple rated and half/twin ropes)... also have an 80m rope we got for bolt clippin' holidays.

Which is actually something I propose to the OP as well. Get an 80m one and chop it in two (from BergFreunde.de... or the AlpineTrek or what ever the UK shop-front is). Store the other rope, and after your worn out the current one, you already have another to go by...

Edited to add... that it seems you can actually get a non BergFreunde edition cheaper these days...
Like Mammut Zopa, 132 Eur for 80m (https://www.bergfreunde.de/mammut-zopa-97-einfachseil/?aid=4b6ca96590190e06... oh, and they used to have a Zopa BergFreunde edition in the past... which we have had), that being said Beal Jampa BergFreunde edition is not mach more at 136 Eur of 80m (https://www.bergfreunde.de/beal-jampa-95-bergfreunde-edition-einfachseil/?a... ).

And I'm sure Decathlon might have some Simond ropes also available at a reasonable price (in the 80m category). As might other vendors. So shop around and see what the best deal is. As said, for indoor use (reasonably low wear, but lots of falls) or working routes whilst craggin' (lots of wear, but perhaps not a lot of falls) are two scenarios where every rope will "die" in a year or two, regardless of the price and specs you pay... the cumulative amount of falls from indoor training and wear from working routes will just kill it in a year or two.

In reply to HeMa:

Click on your links and it pushes you to the UK shop, looking at https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/beal-jampa-single-rope/ and I think the cost of the 50 mtr is a bit more than the cost of the Beal I bought from Go Outdoor at Christmas - although I don't know if the price is still the same. 

It's interesting in the light of today's news that Alpinetrek won't deliver to Northern Ireland, does anyone know if folk in NI can just buy from BergFreunde's EU site as they are in the single market?

In reply to HeMa:

Thanks, I often do that with 50m ropes and half them, that way hey make ideal grit ropes.

In this case though, I'm probably not likely to use the 40m enough to wear it out any time soon, where I would end up needing the second one. Also, I don't really have the space for another spare rope.