adidas Men's Bc0884 Track Shoe

Product Information

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Over several months (pre-COVID) I have traveled all over the US with this New and Improved version of one of the most ubiquitous shoes in climbing. From granite to sandstone, limestone to basalt and a whole lotta plastic, I’ve tried to give myself every opportunity to be right, which I happen to value more than is probably healthy. Here’s my experience: Feels Like the First Time (Blatant Foreigner Reference):

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. On the whole, always hard to tell after just a few sessions but I’d say it’s not much different to the original Anasazis (other than the sizing). Then again, I thought the same about the new Anasazis, which some people didn’t like apparently. May be my footwork is so bad that I can’t tell the difference 🤣 Just undoing the laces won’t make them instantly comfortable as there’s still tension from that heel rand gluing the shoe to your foot.The upper is thin but surprisingly comfortable, and the tongue is just long enough that I have never really felt any pressure from the laces, cuff, or seams in the upper. Ah yes, Five Ten’s legendary Stealth C4™. Arguably considered one of the best climbing rubbers out there, and unquestionably 5.10’s most versatile rubber. The C4 rubber offers an unbeatable grip on almost every climbable surface. It is used throughout the Anasazi lineup as well as a bunch of other Five Ten climbing and approach shoes.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: The rubber is Stealth C4 and I personally believe there's nothing better. It gives me the confidence to use the most marginal smears, or commit to horrible slopey volumes indoors. This has been a large contributing factor to Five Ten's success over the years and the NIAD Lace is no exception. After a few sessions, the VCS softens up, although they still retain good edging ability long after the break-in period. The full-length midsole has a large part to play in this, as does the new heel rand, both of which contribute to the precision and stability of the VCS toe box. Because the VCS is designed to be a performance all-rounder, don’t expect this shoe to have the unparalleled edging ability of the NIAD Lace or other stiff climbing shoes that are purpose-built for technical face climbing or all-day use Smearing

have used a double rand, so even when they break in it'll take a fair while before they stretch too much. I've found this shoe toThe 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 After putting the NIAD VCS through its paces, I am happy to say this shoe lived up to its predecessor’s reputation and has thrown some interesting new features into the mix too.

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.

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The uppers are made from lined microfibre, which certainly gives the NIAD a comfortable feel. Five Ten believe the use of this material helps the shoe to 'maintain a consistent fit,' whereas in reality the shoe's shape changes considerably over time. That's not to say this is a bad thing – the Anasazi always changed over time, and as previously mentioned, what this means is that the shoe's purpose changes too: from an edging machine to a sensitive smearer.