- Climbing Magazine’s Editors Choice
- Now with the stickiest new Science Friction rubber
- Unlined leather stretches and molds to feet
Product Description
One shoe (a pair, actually) that can do it all. The Mad Rock Men?s Flash Climbing Shoe that is technical enough for competition climbing and comfortable enough for multi-pitch climbs on intermediate feet. The TPR rubber twin strap closures make getting in and out easy and fit adjustments a breeze.
Product FeaturesMaterial: 2.0mm SupaSuede leatherLining: Sole: 5.3mm Mad Rubber Formula #4Last: SlipAsymmetrical Curvature: MediumLacing: Hook-and-loopRe… More >>
Mad Rock Men’s Flash Two-Strap Velcro,,Orange,10.5 M US
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These shoes are sized about 1 to 1.5 sizes smaller than what I generally wear. I’m sure that they are great shoes, but if you cant get them on then really they are of no use. I returned them and they were out of stock…
Rating: 2 / 5
I’ve climbed in all-brands of shoes in my years, and I figured I’d finally give MadRock a try. I chose the Flash because of their easy velcro closure, and not overly-aggressive rand, I’m glad I did. They fit really well and true to street shoe size (9.5). It’s also nice that they’re unlined (definitely keeps odors down), and the padded overlapping toungue is really comfortable so you can really pull the velcro down snug.
The rubber is great. It’s a little softer than what I’m used to, so I’d stay away from climbing trad and edging, but I found it to be really great for higher friction climbs. Great shoes for bouldering and sport. It worked perfectly on sandstone, and gritty conglomerate rock. The heel-cup is really the best part. I believe last time I was out, a bystanding climber accused me of having the “cheater heel” because it works so well. (Turn that foot out–it works everytime!) So anyway, for $75, you really can’t beat the price and performance. Way to go MadRock!
Rating: 5 / 5
The other reviewer is correct, in that these shoes do tend toward the small side. I bought mine locally, and while I normally am about a size 10 (give or take a 1/2 size depending on the shoe), I bought these in a size 11.
The fit leaves a little to be desired, at least in my case. Initially, they were just a little tight lengthwise. But this is normal, since climbing shoes tend to stretch with use. And just as expected, after a couple of sessions my toes started to have more room. Unfortunately, the shoes also stretched in width and now I have to pull the velcro straps tighter than before to get a snug fit. And since my feet are already a bit on the narrow side, the velcro straps are hanging off the sides, almost touching the ground. Of course, now every time I belay the rope comes in contact with those hanging velcro straps and they become attached. Really annoying. Also, while my toes fit now, there are still a couple of rubbing points (the side of each big toe and outside side of each fourth toe).
So the final word on fit, after 4-5 months of use (2 to 3 times a week), is that they feel fine for about the first 60-90 minutes, then progressively get more and more painful after that. I will sometimes wrap the affected toes to get some relief, and that helps for a while until the movement and sweat start to maneuver that wrapping off.
If your feet are perfectly formed for these shoes, you may not have the same problems as me though. In our group of 4 climbers, 3 of us have this shoe. Of those three, two of us complain about the fit and find them nearly unbearable within about 2 hours of use.
Performance is another issue. These shoes have been great for me. They’re sufficiently sticky for my (limited) capability, and can grab a pretty small chip. And when you’re on the ground and they start to become uncomfortable, they are pretty easy to pop off, or just loosen a little by pulling the velcro straps up.
In my opinion, this shoe would get 4.5 or 5 stars if it was just down to performance. But I took the stars off for the discomfort and excessive velcro straps. As I said though, the fit issue will change drastically depending on your foot shape. I’d recommend finding a place to try them on before buying.
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UPDATE 08/21/2009
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I just bought a pair of La Sportiva Mantis climbing shoes and the difference is incredible. They’re much more comfortable that the Flash shoes, at about the same price point. And the rubber is just as good. Regardless of what the company employees posting these five-star reviews are saying.
Rating: 3 / 5
The incredibly popular Flash just got better with their new Science Friction rubber. I have to say it is super sticky. Sure these aren’t super high-end Italian made construction. But for the money these shoes are unbeatable.
I don’t recommend anyone buy climbing shoes online unless they’ve tried the exact model and size before because they are designed to fit tight, and every model fits differently. A specific fit to your particular feet make the difference between good comfort and unbearable pain. This is especially true the higher performance the shoe.
The Flash are designed to fit tight with toes full curled. This is good for beginners only if they know they want a higher performance shoe that fits tight with toes fully curled and don’t mind a little less comfort. This shoe has great performance for even advanced climbers who want a no-nonsense all around shoe.
Unlike sizing for other climbing shoe companies, these give a good tight fit in regular street shoe size. I wear size 10 street shoes, and these fit tight with my toes curled in size 10. 9.5 was super tight, 9 was even tighter, and I could barely squeeze in 8.5 with pain. 10.5 was comfortable with toes still not flat. 11 was almost flat, but the volume of the shoe became too large to fit right. Bottom line again is these aren’t shoes meant to fit with your toes flat.
They are unlined leather so I expect them to stretch a half size to a size. I recommend street shoes size which may be a little uncomfortable at first, but should stretch and mold to your feet as they break in. For more performance half a size down. But again, try on them on and several other brands and models before you buy online.
Rating: 5 / 5
Love the super sticky new rubber. Great all around shoe for beginners and advanced climbers alike. But as the other reviewer said, these are designed to be a very tight fitting shoe and every shoe fits people differently. Street shoe size is a good tight fit with toes fully curled. Not comfortable if you’re not used to it. While I like the idea of vegan friendly shoes, the unlined leather is still unbeatable for comfort because it will stretch and mold to your feet. Plus isn’t leather a renewable resource as opposed to synthetics which are usually made from oil? I expect these to stretch quite a bit and get more comfortable as I wear them.
Rating: 5 / 5
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