adidas Men's Bc0884 Track Shoe

Product Information

Let me draw a mental image for you. Picture a straight line coming 90º from your heel through the center of your foot and out of your toes. Standing barefoot most pinky toes are considerably farther away from that ‘center line’ than the big toe is; something to do with how our feet evolved from grasping to standing kinda needed that to happen, I guess. I dunno, I’m not a foot scientist. In my mind there is one unifying purpose of all climbing shoes: to gather those little piggies up and pool their resources in a messed-up fleshy Voltron– turning our feet into singular en-toe-ties (get it? entities, but like, with toes ? Ah nevermind) allowing maximum force and surface area, pushing us to send the gnar. Sportiva’s lasts by my experience have always done that gathering from the little toes toward the big one which really focuses as much pressure as possible onto the strong boi, the hallux (still not a foot scientist, I just asked wikipedia.) The Anasazi Pro feels more like there is a rubberband around all of my toes, gathering them together like a stinky bouquet and pulling them all towards that centerline which seems counterintuitive and ultimately makes this shoe uncomfortable to me. Let me open Photoshop and draw you an actual picture: Fig 1. A Bare foot; Fig 2. A Symmetrical Last; Fig 3. An Asymmetrical Last

The Anasazi VCS– a classic, durable shoe that is part of Five Ten’s famous Anasazi family and looks like something straight out of a ’90s climbing magazine. With the NIAD VCS, Five Ten has done exactly that. The medium-stiff profile and a neutral last make this a comfortable option for sport climbing and bouldering, whilst having the level of performance you would expect from a much more aggressive shoe.There is no doubt that these shoes are designed for slabs, long sport routes, and all-round beginner/intermediate level gym climbing. If you buy these expecting to crush those awesome cave problems at your local gym, you will be disappointed. When I first got the shoes I took them off maybe twice a session but after a little while, I was happy spending multiple hours in these shoes. I probably could have gone a half size down if I really wanted to go for that performance fit. The Pinks have handled most styles of climbing I have thrown at them. From slabs to vertical and slightly steeper walls, they feel great. Be warned though, that the Pinks will reach their limit on very steep sport, bouldering, or modern competition routes. At first, this does feel slightly unusual, once you get used to finding the sweet spot though, it’s easy to see the benefits of this design. Having power directed over the big toe might allow for a higher degree of precision but centralizing the toe box makes for more powerful, secure, foot placements. It distributes weight through two toes rather than just one and makes climbing long and technical routes less strenuous on your feet. Something I need to get off my chest before I get into the nitty gritty here: I am a La Sportiva Fanboy. There, I said it; since the mid-nineties I have owned (almost) nothing but Sportiva shoes and they have always just felt right on my foot. The following review is stinking with bias, hearsay, conjecture and malice. *ahem* Further Confession of Bias:

While the Pink excels in the expanse between slabby and steep, it’s not the best tool for the extreme ends of the spectrum. In a pinch, it can moonlight as a steep sport-climbing shoe (sized tightly) or a comfortable shoe for multi-pitch adventures (sized roomy). That said, with a relatively flat, stiff build and no rubber on the toe box, the Anasazi Lace is certainly not the most ideal option for overhanging terrain, and the high rand tension means it is uncomfortable on slabs or as an all-day option. Boulderers should look for a softer, more aggressive model like the Scarpa Instinct VS or La Sportiva Skwama; those focusing on slab routes or more moderate climbs might appreciate a more supportive shoe like the less aggressive La Sportiva TC Pro or even the Pink’s stiffer Velcro cousin, the Anasazi VCS. In terms of uses the Pro is an excellent bouldering and indoor climbing shoe due to its ability to edge, smear, heel hook and toe hook well. It's well suited to the small, positive footholds you find indoors, as well as the volumes that are now so popular. Equally it performs well on less distinct footholds outdoors as it can hold its own whilst smearing. As the shoe is flat, rather than down-turned, it is naturally best suited to slabs, vertical and gently overhanging climbing and as such it's also great for sport climbing on those angles. However, for me this does mean it's not my first choice for steep climbing - I would opt for a more down-turned shoe instead, but this is personal preference. That said, the tighter heel does push your toes into the front of the shoe more aggresively than the classic version, giving you more power in the toe, and with the increased heel and toe-hooking performance I'm sure that this will mean the Pro is a good choice for many sport climbers. The Pros feature the usual flat last and so they're great if you're looking for a performance shoe that isn't down-turned. On the whole they fit very similarly to the classic Anasazis, with the main differences being the tight heel and the overall stiffness of the forefoot due to the addition of toe rubber. Over the months I've being using the Pros, whilst they've given a bit to become more comfortable, there has been no significant stretching, which is not surprising due to the synthetic uppers and all that toe rubber. Materials All of this whilst being one of the comfiest shoes on the market, the Five-Ten NIAD VCS is the perfect shoe, whatever your climbing preference.Smearing on textured granite felt secure — much of that credit to the fabled adhesive qualities of the Stealth C4 rubber outsole. The amount of stiffness muffled tactile sensation on less prominent textures, making for some tense moments, but on the crystalline granite, the C4 rarely failed. After extended periods of time standing in the Anasazi Pro, I almost feel as if I have to stand bow-legged to compensate for the loss I feel of side-to-side balance, not to mention the pain from the pressure on the tops of my big toes that I’m still not used to after all these months. I ran around the house looking at all the shoes I owned; none of them are nearly this symmetrical. “Welp. Unless I rest most of my weight on my heels, chilling on a ledge for hours is probably out.” I said. The cat was nonplussed. I got these a half-size down from my regular street shoe in hopes I would be able to crank them down a bit when necessary and use them as the all-around boot they are purported to be. The length seems just about right however the toe box is loose on the outside edges and tight against my big toe. As the comfy-ness waned I started to hone in on just what was so weird about the way these shoes fit: the Anasazi Pros are noticeably symmetrical compared to just about everything I have ever climbed (or walked) in. has always touted the Anasazi line as a bit of a Swiss Army knife. With each iteration of the Anasazi over the past few decades, 5.10 has expanded the quiver into some pretty specific types and styles of climbing; each with its own bit of southwestern Native American motif that, I dunno, makes you hear the desert wind or some other form of cultural appropriation? Need that all-day shoe for yarding investment bankers up multi-pitch romps? Grab the Guides and get comfy. A shoe for hard, deep jams? Grab the Lace ups and send that splitter. Oh, so you’re a hardbruh in need of some tight technical footwork? Slap on a Blanco and crush that proj. But there has always been this bit of marketing hiding between the lines suggesting that no matter how specific the model was for ‘your style of climbing’ that the Anasazi (fill in the blank) was a great, ‘all-around’ shoe.

Five Ten says the VCS is designed for wider feet than the lace model, which I would agree with. My feet are fairly narrow so the shoes still fit but there is a noticeably long bit of Velcro which overhangs when they’re done up. This has been more of a slight annoyance than anything else though. I certainly found that my foot shape was more suited to the Pinks or Blancos than their Velcro counterpart. The suction effect generated from the heel gives you a really secure fit. During my time testing these shoes I’ve never had any issues with the heel slipping or moving when doing prolonged sections of slabby smearing or occasional heel hooking. Rubber Make sure you size your VCS to fit as, like any synthetic shoe, the stretch is minimal. After extensive use, I would guess mine have stretched 1/2 size if that. I’m a street size 10.5/11 US and got these in an 11 US. Likeits predecessors, the NIAD VCS LV is a very comfortable shoeprovidinga decent level of performance. This is a flat shoe on aneutral last which maintains the narrow width of the Anasazi and addsa lower (height),narrower heel cup. Despite this, and though it is still a low volume shoe, we found the NIAD somehow accommodates more foot shapes than the Anasazi. For me personally, this means the NIAD fits my foot much better than the Anasazi did -much of this is due to the slight adjustment of the toe box shape (more on that later).

It was instantly comfortable enough to wear for an entire one-hour assault on a slightly overhanging granite boulder. I continued to wear the shoe at each boulder without taking them off otherwise, for a whole day. The NAID VCS is good at a variety of foot placements, including edging on the inside and outside of the shoe. Out of the box, the VCS feels surprisingly stiff, almost identical to its stiffer sibling, the NIAD Lace. During this phase, they edge as you would expect a stiff shoe too, extremely well. This exceptional rubber paired with the Pink’s stiff midsole gives this shoe that reliable edging ability the Pinks are famous for.And although 4.2mm rubber – paired with that stiff midsole – does give you great durability, there is a slight trade-off with sensitivity.

We've refined the Five Ten Lace-Up that has delivered climbers to the top of more 5.14s than any other shoe. The lined Cowdura™ synthetic upper fits like a glove; providing the same fit, climb after climb, as the day the shoe was born. Stealth® C4™ rubber soles offer extremely high friction and great sensitivity.Then use a pen to draw a line just in front of your big toe. Repeat for both feet and take the longer distance to determine your size.