Spire

 

Page Type Gear Review
Object Title Spire
Manufacturer Five Ten
Page By John
Page Type Dec 20, 2001 / Dec 20, 2001
Object ID 100
Hits 4257
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In 2001, the Spire is the bestselling shoe in the U.S. for the third year in a row. It's is an all-around climbing shoe, engineered for the climber seeking value, comfort, versatile performance and first-rate materials and workmanship. All-day comfort is provided by rounded toe profiles.
  • 5.5 mm Stealth® C4 ultra-sticky rubber outsoles and 2.5 mm rands grip nearly every surface and provide durable wear
  • Full-wrap rands and deep heel cups give extra traction for cracks, edges and smears
  • Breathable split-leather uppers are unlined so they conform to the shape of the foot; 2mm thick leather withstands rigorous use
  • Side exit heel seam
  • Dual pull-on loops
  • Asym split slingshot heel
  • Padded tongue
  • Sizes 2-15

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Reviews


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scot'teryx - Feb 19, 2002 9:47 am - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
Good value for one thing. If you buy these small enough, they stretch out quite a bit after good use. They are not the most technical, and not so good for edging, but a good gym shoe, and all purpose shoe for outside. Highly recommended for beginners.

tbnelson - Mar 30, 2002 11:22 am - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
An excellent entry-level shoe. Comfortable and versatile enough to be used all day. I used these for over a year with excellent durability. Reasonable price.

mpbro - Jun 7, 2002 9:16 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
Nice shoe. Can't beat the price. Predictable under a variety of conditions, though not stellar.

I find the upper poorly matched with the sole. The upper is supple, like a slipper-type shoe, while the sole is pretty stiff. At least you can expect the shoe to hold up.

Sizing: My shoe size is 13 US (13.5 on my right foot on a hot day). I went with a 12.5 US, and it fits fine. Could've probably gone with a 13 easily, but I was banking on some stretch. On the Boreal Ace, I went with an 11.5 US. Solution: I simply wear socks when I climb. This is great, especially for the backcountry.

I've done long (easy) backcountry routes in these shoes. Very comfortable, no problems.

daniellwu - Jul 7, 2002 9:57 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
good value, decent shoes.

Alan Ellis - Nov 24, 2002 8:18 am - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
I wore these for two years and three resoles. Great for the gym or as an all day, long route shoe. Very comfortable. Not very good with routes requiring extreme edging or toe cracks. I recenty purchased a more aggressive shoe, but kept the Spires for the gym and long or moderate routes. A great shoe.

Martin Cash - Dec 5, 2002 5:04 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
This shoe has worked very well for me for about a year. I would say that the shoe is pretty comfortable and quite durable. They work pretty well at the gym and for high end 4th class scrambling and easy 5th class moves. They crack climb quite well. For more difficult face climbing routes, I find their performance quite bad. They edge and smear very poorly.

A couple other things that I don't like: 1. The laces are way too long. I swear they are for hightop shoes. 2. The styling on the shoe, is, wellllllll, a little too girly for my tastes.

A good shoe to have around for easy alpine rock, easy crack climbing, and the gym, but don't expect too much.

Misha - Dec 14, 2003 6:22 pm - Voted 2/5

Untitled Review
Okay, maybe I had bad luck with these shoes. But after some easy crack climbing on 4 occasions, the seams on the outer side in the back of the shoe started to rip. It happened to both shoes at the same time which leads me to believe in some manufacturing or design defect. Rubber is really sticky (well, its C4!) which is a plus, but I was not happy with the rest of the construction. These shoes are not very good for edging and they are not the most comfortable. I returned them and bought a pair of Mythos instead.

sshankle - Jan 6, 2004 5:34 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
Great first shoe. Great price too.



Not for hard climbing of any sort. They don't edge or smear well. They perform OK in cracks. These are fine for anybody on any type of climb up to about 5.8. Most 5.9's are OK for anybody too, some 5.9 smearing is tough in them. Good climbers can do much harder in them (I know a guy that climbs 5.10 in sneakers!).



Great for long routes! Easy to wear these all day.

petersbike - Apr 17, 2005 12:56 am - Voted 5/5

Untitled Review
Comfort and durability! I like this shoe long laces and all. Great for moderate long routes . I have never felt like I have to take these shoes off. They are really comfortable. Enjoy. Of course if you are onsighting 5.11 + you might want a shoe that hurts slightly when you wear it.

robojeda - Nov 21, 2005 5:33 pm - Voted 5/5

Untitled Review
For what they are they are excellent. They are comfy and the toe box is shaped strangely like a human and not an elf foot. Agreed however that for more technical footwork I would use something a bit nastier on the digits. I knew what I was buying and I am happy with the results.

McCannster - Jan 23, 2006 9:14 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
I've had a pair for a few years, and the've lasted up very nicely. These shoes are good for smearing and small footholds. However, there is always a problem foot, for me at least, and my left big toe has developed a permanent nail bruise for them. Other than that, its a good shoe.

AltitudeSickness - Jan 3, 2008 7:53 pm - Voted 4/5

All Around Shoe
I've had these for four years. I've used them in several different types of climbing. For all around stuff these are a solid shoe. the 5-10 rubber is my favorite stuff so these guys have my business forever.

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