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escalador
May 2, 2005, 3:13 PM
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What are some ways that I can stretch the toe box out on my new shoes. They're just a little to crampy, and I don't want to be cursed with ingrown toe nails and cramped feet on a perfect weekend get away. What are some ways that I could stretch out just the toe box area and not loose the well fitting tightness of the shoe? I have limited resources, so I need to be creative.
Thanks
Escalador
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mr8615
May 2, 2005, 3:24 PM
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Wear them all the time, for as long as you can. Ex: 15 minutes on, 5 minutes off, repeat.
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spokewrench
May 2, 2005, 4:45 PM
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man, im in your boat.
i just got anasazi's too, i had a pair of spires previously size US 9, i could wiggle my toes in and the lace loops were as close as they could get, i wear a street size 8.5 or 9 in most shoes.
i got my anasazi's in a US 8 and my pinky toe and the top of my big toe is hating it.
it was recomended to my by a gym goer that i should leave them in my car in the sun where they'll get really warm and put them on as they cool? im not so sure about it
if these dont give a bit im going to have to give them up
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nnichols
May 2, 2005, 4:54 PM
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Mine didn't. After 6 months they were just too painful.
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angelaa
May 2, 2005, 4:59 PM
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I've had mine for 2 yrs now. . .and they haven't stretched a bit!
They are lined shoes after all, and most lined shoes will not noticeably stretch. :!:
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shnobe
May 2, 2005, 5:01 PM
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I had to get rid of mine, after a few months they wouldn't break-in and I'm use to tight shoes but the Anasazis and the V10's are just way too painful.
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sevrdhed
May 2, 2005, 5:02 PM
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Honestly... mine feel like they've shrunk. I just purchased a new pair after having my originals for about a year, and my new pair is easier to get on/off and feels like they fit a little bit better. My old pair is extremely stiff when I first put them on, although that goes away fairly rapidly.
Steve
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rocketboy04
May 2, 2005, 5:09 PM
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I'm on my second pair and from experience the Anasarzi will be worn out before it stretches. I went down half a size and can handle 20 minutes of it. Perhaps you could return it and get a larger pair, if that is stilll possible.
Like the advice above... when u wear it long enough, u develop the tolerance for the pain, assuming it's not terribly excruciating. And that's what the Anasazi is about... trading pain for performance.
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srwings
May 2, 2005, 5:55 PM
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Nope, they don't stretch much. At least mine didn't. You could take them to a shoe repair shop. They have a special shoe tree that can stretch certain areas of a shoe. That may help. You could also just force a bunch of rags in the shoe and let it sit for a week. I've done that with my trail runners before. Because my Anasazi Velcro's are so tight I only use them when my Katana's are at the resolers.
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erockrings
May 2, 2005, 6:05 PM
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I found that my anasazis stretched in the toe box quite a bit. Obviously the length stays the same but after a few weeks of good use the upper made room for my curled up toes, taking the pressure off of the top of the big toe like you explained. stick with em'. Those shoes rock
oh and by the way, warm shoes are nicer to put on as well as wetting the upper when climbing can help stretch it out.
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escalador
May 4, 2005, 6:02 PM
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Thanks for the ideas. I was told by a friend that leaving them in your car especially in the AZ heat, really makes them plyable and they mold really nice to your feet. I think I'll just try all your ideas at once and hope that they don't get destroyed. :shock: :D If all else fails, I'll sell them and go with a 1/2 size larger. Its nice to have many heads thinking instead of just one. More gets done that way.
If your ever in AZ or in Utah look me up and I'll show you around.
the gringo zorro lives!!!
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tigerbythetail
May 4, 2005, 6:27 PM
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In reply to: What are some ways that I can stretch the toe box out on my new shoes. They're just a little to crampy, and I don't want to be cursed with ingrown toe nails and cramped feet on a perfect weekend get away. What are some ways that I could stretch out just the toe box area and not loose the well fitting tightness of the shoe? I have limited resources, so I need to be creative.
Just suck it up and wear them until they give some OR face the fact you got them too small and get another pair a 1/2 size larger. They are performance shoes and need to be sized snugly but foot pain is a good indicator that you got them too small.
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tigerbythetail
May 4, 2005, 6:42 PM
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In reply to: i just got anasazi's too, i had a pair of spires previously size US 9, i could wiggle my toes in and the lace loops were as close as they could get, i wear a street size 8.5 or 9 in most shoes. i got my anasazi's in a US 8 and my pinky toe and the top of my big toe is hating it.
The Spire is an unlined all leather shoe, which means it will stretch a fair bit and should be sized down a half to maybe a full size. The Anasazi Velcro is a fully lined shoe made of synthetic leather, which means they will not stretch much. Better to get your street shoe size or a half size down at best IMO.
In reply to: They are lined shoes after all, and most lined shoes will not noticeably stretch.
Very true and spot on. One reason climbing shoe companies make high performance models out of synthetic leather is so the shoe retains it's performance over the life of the shoe by not stretching out and getting baggy. Another byproduct of this is it takes the guesswork out of sizing shoes by trying to guess how much they will stretch.
In reply to: it was recomended to my by a gym goer that i should leave them in my car in the sun where they'll get really warm and put them on as they cool?
That is some really bad advice. Leaving your shoes in a hot car will do nothing to stretch them out and potentially soften up the glue and cause some sort of delamination. Would you put your shoes in the oven?
In reply to: And that's what the Anasazi is about... trading pain for performance.
Absolute rubbish. Try going up a 1/2 size and get back to me.
In reply to: I think I'll just try all your ideas at once and hope that they don't get destroyed. If all else fails, I'll sell them and go with a 1/2 size larger.
You can't be serious, can you? Why don't you just try a larger size FIRST and go from there. Do not, I repeat, do not leave the shoes in the car as it will not "help to stretch them out".
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bsperes
May 4, 2005, 6:44 PM
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as others have said, wearing them, a lot, works. When I first put mine on they are horrible, but as my feet get warmer and sweatier the shoe starts to feel better.
If only they could make a decent heel (like on the ill-fated Escalante, only sans cord) it would be the best shoe bar-none.
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dynoguy
May 4, 2005, 7:12 PM
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get em a liltte wet
then where them for a while
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jt512
May 4, 2005, 7:36 PM
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In reply to: What are some ways that I can stretch the toe box out on my new shoes.
To essentially reiterate tigerbythetail's post: If your Anasazi Velcros are too short, then all you can do is get them a half-size larger; they won't stretch. If they are still in good shape, you may be able to trade them in. They will conform to your foot a bit after wearing them for a while. This might make them bearable, but if the problem is the length of the shoe, forget it.
I've had, like, 20 pairs of Velcros and have found that the way to size them is to get the smallest size I can walk around in without pain for 15 minutes. If I'm feeling any pain at all, they're a half size too small. If I can't get my foot in the shoe they are one size too small. If my toes move around in the shoe they are a half size too big. There, everything you ever wanted to know about sizing Anasazi Velcros. In our next episode: sizing Moccasyms.
-Jay
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jdouble
May 4, 2005, 7:39 PM
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In reply to: Honestly... mine feel like they've shrunk. I just purchased a new pair after having my originals for about a year, and my new pair is easier to get on/off and feels like they fit a little bit better. My old pair is extremely stiff when I first put them on, although that goes away fairly rapidly. Steve
I think mine shrunk as well! I wore them for twenty minutes at the store, bouldered around, felt no pain, and purchased. I then wore them a few times and they felt fine. Actually they felt great!
Then one day I got to the crag, put em on, and WOW, pain. Same thing the next time. Same again the next time out again. I theorized that as my feet sweat a lot, the shoe got wet, and thus shrunk. I bit the nail, have worn them again and again, and they are feeling less painful now.
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spivey
May 4, 2005, 7:47 PM
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Synthetics don't stretch, leather stretches. So to avoid this stuff buy the right size and dont factor in stretching and when they guy tells you they will stretch a bit stop listening as he knows very little. When buying leather shoes there is a definite stretch factor.
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stonefoxgirl
May 4, 2005, 8:23 PM
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These shoes are synthetic and I believe they are lined.
The chance of these shoes stretching is slim.
A leather unlined shoe will stretch and form to your foot.
They also stink less! I don't think I'll ever buy another
pair of synthetic shoes again.
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bosterson
May 4, 2005, 8:30 PM
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In reply to: I theorized that as my feet sweat a lot, the shoe got wet, and thus shrunk.
If you had the shoes on long enough for your feet to sweat, then you had them on long enough for your toes to start feeling the pain of being crushed into tiny shoes. Ever notice how when you wear a pair of tight shoes for a while, they start to really hurt on the tops of the toes, even after you take them off?
Basically, like tigertail and Jay said, Anasazis don't really stretch. The other thing to keep in mind is that shoe sizes are not homogenous between brands: for example, I have always been a 7.5 UK in Boreal (like 41.5 Euro), but I am apparently an 8.5 UK in Anasazis, and a 6.5 UK in new Sportivas! It totally depends on the lasting of the shoe, and what "standard" the manufacturer is using. Additionally, Five Ten's workmanship is so inconsistent that their sizing can vary both between and within models!
Anasazis will eventually break in and get soft and supple after long sessions (mine eventually did, and now are pretty worthless), but if you get them too small to start with, they're just going to hurt. The moral of this story is be sure to try on the shoes in the store and don't buy ones that are excruciating. Pain does not equal performance.
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connors
May 4, 2005, 8:33 PM
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The only way that I have been able to stretch a shoe with a liner is to soak them in water for a couple of minutes and wear them until they dry (sleep in them). Your feet hurt like a son of a bitch the next day but after doing this my anasazi's molded to my feet like a dream. They have now become my favorite shoe. If you decide to go this way I would recommend not doing it prior to a day that you have to walk a lot.
Good Luck
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tigerbythetail
May 4, 2005, 9:16 PM
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In reply to: I think mine shrunk as well! I wore them for twenty minutes at the store, bouldered around, felt no pain, and purchased. I then wore them a few times and they felt fine. Actually they felt great! Then one day I got to the crag, put em on, and WOW, pain. Same thing the next time. Same again the next time out again. I theorized that as my feet sweat a lot, the shoe got wet, and thus shrunk. I bit the nail, have worn them again and again, and they are feeling less painful now.
One more thing about synthetic shoes - although they don't stretch, they do "give" some. What this means is they "give" or loosen up some as you wear them throughout the day, but they will also "give" or shrink back to that same snug fit the next time you wear them. It's all about keeping the same fit you tried so hard to get for the life of the shoe.
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jt512
May 4, 2005, 9:23 PM
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In reply to: One more thing about synthetic shoes - although they don't stretch, they do "give" some. What this means is they "give" or loosen up some as you wear them throughout the day, but they will also "give" or shrink back to that same snug fit the next time you wear them. It's all about keeping the same fit you tried so hard to get for the life of the shoe.
Ah, so that ever-so-familiar pain on first wearing of the day is actually stragetically designed into the shoe. Thanks, guys.
-Jay
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tigerbythetail
May 4, 2005, 9:26 PM
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In reply to: Anasazis will eventually break in and get soft and supple after long sessions (mine eventually did, and now are pretty worthless)
Don't confuse the midsole breaking down with the shoe breaking in to fit your foot. As a shoe gets older the misole (the insert which gives the shoe some degree of stiffness) breaks down and becomes softer, which makes it harder to hold the same edge you could before. This is very obvious and can occur quickly in slippers and sport shoes; much stiffer "traditional" shoes can take a very long time to break in.
In reply to: but if you get them too small to start with, they're just going to hurt. The moral of this story is be sure to try on the shoes in the store and don't buy ones that are excruciating. Pain does not equal performance.
Exactly! Don't confuse tight shoes with better climbing performance.
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bosterson
May 5, 2005, 4:40 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Anasazis will eventually break in and get soft and supple after long sessions (mine eventually did, and now are pretty worthless) Don't confuse the midsole breaking down with the shoe breaking in to fit your foot. As a shoe gets older the misole (the insert which gives the shoe some degree of stiffness) breaks down and becomes softer, which makes it harder to hold the same edge you could before. This is very obvious and can occur quickly in slippers and sport shoes; much stiffer "traditional" shoes can take a very long time to break in.
Sorry, I wrote that poorly; Anasazis do break in, but yes, the sloppiness now is because they're so worn. Basically, at first they were a bit tight, then they broke in and were great, and then they started to suck (but are good for thrash sessions at the gym). To be honest though, my real problem with the Anasazis (and this is for all Five Ten shoes as well), is that the stitching in the back of the heel rips up my achilles tendon. Can't they make the stitching less obtrusive??
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