UKH

With uproar still shaking the forums at the phasing out of the cult classic Anasazis, all eyes were on Five Ten for the new NIAD range. We recently reviewed the NIAD VCS. Here Rebecca Ting offers a different take on the lower volume version. Does the NIAD VCS LV manage to blend comfort and performance? And might it please fans of the original Anasazi VCS LV, while perhaps finding a new audience too?

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From the first photo I wasn't sure if "28 Weeks Pregnant" was the name of the route* or a statement about Rebecca, but as it seems very unlikely that the boulder problem in the lower photo would just happen to be called "27 Weeks Pregnant", I think congratulations are in order! 👏 

*Is it actually Exposure Explosion?

Thanks Toby

28w is indeed the fabulous Exposure Explosion (HVS 5a) and 27w was Brad's Break (f6C). 32w is currently ranging from Terrier's Tooth (HS 4b) and Dowser's Route/Porthgwarra Face (VD) to Midnight Express (E1 5b) still on lead but now very much in a full-body harness and some bandolier faff shenanigans.

Just clicked through to the addidas website, where the NIAD LV doesn't seem to exist.

</eyeroll>

You're quite right Andy - I promise it did when I wrote the review! Will contact adidas and see where it has snuck off to...

I noticed this too when looking to see what the size range is.

As a man with very narrow low volume feet I would like to try some of the various low volume offerings but most companies brand them up as women's shoes so make them in stupid feminine colours (which half my female climbing friends don't like) and only make up to a size 8.

Welcome to the club, brother. 🙄

Rebecca spoke to Five Ten who said that they may be currently out of stock which is why they're not on their site but that they're available from various online/in-store retailers. From a quick check both Outside and Needlesports have them in stock.

Thanks for the update

Nice well written review.

But one thing annoyed me… 510 sizing has been wear your street shoe size for over a decade. It was like that well before Adidas aquisition.

Thanks for your feedback. I think covering what I am about to say in the review would have made it less well written

Agree that Five Ten 'wear your street size' has been out there in places for a few years, but the consistency of this being the case has been low due to a number of reasons. 

There was a shift in sizing (and quality) with initial move from US to China manufacturing, then some shifts in alignment between the correlation of what US size represented what UK size, then the added complication of lots of UK and European stockists carrying a mixed bag of old/new, US/China for several years meaning you didn't really know which iteration you were getting especially if ordering online. 

As a non-scientific case study illustrating historical lack of pattern, I've just gone through my husband's stinky back collection of Anasazis (pinks and VCS - can't be thrown out as they are 'useful' for DWS...) with a good range of purchase dates across the last 12? years. Even within the same model and  country of manufacture they range in size for what he found to be "the same" comfort (ie all-day performance not aggressive performance) fit. All of these are sized either half a size or full size below his street size. There is no correlation between sizing and date of acquisition...

So I totally agree 'street size' is it not "new", but I think what Five Ten are saying is right now the NIAD is unequivocally the new and only NIAD and thus we can be sure that all available stock is made in the same place, to what appears to be a better build quality. So they are confident in promoting the 'wear your street size' system. From our tests so far this sizing certainly bears out, and we will be reviewing the new Pink and Pink LV (with similar methodology to the VCS and with experience of previous iterations) over the coming months so will have further data on this to share...

You must have had either really tight street shoes or really loose rock shoes! My fit changed a full size in most models with the resizing (from a full size below street to street).