|
Arrogant_Bastard
May 21, 2008, 10:14 PM
Post #1 of 62
(8333 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 31, 2007
Posts: 19994
|
What do you guys think the best holds are? I prefer SoIll holds and if I am trying to decide between two routes and one has SoIll holds and the other has a different brand like Metolius I'll climb the SoIll route because I think its a better route. My friend John likes Crater holds because he thinks their better and will make you a better climber than most the other holds. I don't really know how one type of hold would make you a stronger climber than another type of hold but I guess that's the question that I'm trying to ask. Also I have a friend that has a small wall in his garage and uses wooden holds because he says its a more natural feel. Have you guys tried these wooden holds?
|
|
|
|
|
artm
May 21, 2008, 10:30 PM
Post #2 of 62
(8324 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 22, 2001
Posts: 17990
|
Climbing on wooden holds just trains you how to climb wood not rock so I think it's useless to climb on wooden holds.
|
|
|
|
|
jbroom
May 21, 2008, 10:47 PM
Post #3 of 62
(8310 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 31, 2008
Posts: 55
|
So Ill holds are hands down my favorite out there. Their holds are great with unique shapes, designs and colors. Above and beyond all of that the Chancellor brothers are two of the nicest, most humble down home boys you'll ever meet. I urge you to buy their shit! It's quality and you won't regret it.
|
|
|
|
|
Valarc
May 21, 2008, 11:16 PM
Post #4 of 62
(8301 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 1473
|
I'll agree that so ill make some kickass holds, but if you're picking which route to climb based on the amorphous blobs of plastic, you need to open your mind a bit. Quality routesetting means far more than the brand of plastic you're pulling on. That said, pulling on plastic in general sucks. I do plenty of it, and I even enjoy it, but the texture of plastic, no matter the manufacturer, is like grabbing onto greasy ass. I would MUCH rather climb on Synrock holds than any other texture out there - the only downside is the shapes aren't that creative and they can tend to be kind of ugly, but Jim at Synrock makes hands-down the most realistic rock-feel holds you'll ever touch. However, my home woody has synrock, metolius, contact, rock candy, slap, etch, revolution, so ill, 3 ball climbing, and probably some I've forgotten. I'm a member of so ill's monthly hold program, so I obviously love the grips, but I like pretty much every hold that's on my wall. The only company whose holds I truly detest is "groperz" - the cheap-ass, no-texture polyester resin pieces of crap that get sold to unsuspecting gyms. I want to cheer when I see one of those break, because it means the gym I'm setting at will have to replace it with a hold that doesn't suck. As far as the wood holds - they might not be rock realistic, but neither is plastic. Both can still help you get stronger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
jh_angel
May 22, 2008, 2:26 AM
Post #6 of 62
(8244 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 12, 2004
Posts: 232
|
Those Nice holds look pretty sweet. When I'm setting I tend to favor e-Grips.
|
|
|
|
|
jdefazio
May 22, 2008, 3:11 AM
Post #7 of 62
(8224 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 29, 2007
Posts: 228
|
|
|
|
|
|
acorneau
May 22, 2008, 8:14 PM
Post #8 of 62
(8169 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 6, 2008
Posts: 2889
|
Arrogant_Bastard wrote: What do you guys think the best holds are? We have lots of the regular resin/plastic ones up at the gym, but my favorites are the Nicros Z-Roc holds because they're much closer to real rock that anything else we have. http://www.nicros.com/products.cfm?CatID=29
|
|
|
|
|
dlintz
May 22, 2008, 8:32 PM
Post #9 of 62
(8157 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 9, 2002
Posts: 1982
|
I've never understood the need for climbing holds to feel like real rock. Indoor climbing is indoor climbing. My holds choices are based upon shapes and texture rather than their approximation to rock, and that's not to say I like cheap greasy grips but there's a difference between holds that have good texture and ones that feel like real rock (i.e. quartzite). d.
|
|
|
|
|
Valarc
May 22, 2008, 9:00 PM
Post #10 of 62
(8143 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 1473
|
Good point dlintz - I wouldn't want indoor holds to simulate nasty crystal-laden skin-ripping granite, but just about the perfect texture for climbing is sandstone - so stuff that feels like sandstone, or even better yet, is made from a synthetic sandstone, is awesome in my eyes... and to my hands too.
|
|
|
|
|
Valarc
May 23, 2008, 2:14 PM
Post #12 of 62
(8060 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 1473
|
Of course it's a troll, but I ain't gonna let that stop me from pimpin my favorite hold company! And sadly enough, I have run into very similar attitudes as a route setter. "Why did you put that big blue hold on that route when everything else was green???"
|
|
|
|
|
jermanimal
May 23, 2008, 2:31 PM
Post #13 of 62
(8053 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 7, 2007
Posts: 200
|
dlintz wrote: I've never understood the need for climbing holds to feel like real rock. Indoor climbing is indoor climbing. My holds choices are based upon shapes and texture rather than their approximation to rock, and that's not to say I like cheap greasy grips but there's a difference between holds that have good texture and ones that feel like real rock (i.e. quartzite). d. Good point. SoIll are my favorite holds in my garage. They have a great texture, but not a finger grinding over the top texture. This is not unique to their holds, but they are a softer material then some and thus hold to the wall a little better then say a hard Metolius hold. Besides the high quality of their products, they guys there are super cool. I am a big fan of the wooden holds though. You can't fake a little crimp on one, only a solid pinch will keep you there...and zero loss of skin, meaning the day after you shredded your fingers, the bouldering wall still looks like fun and not torture. My garage has a lot of slops, pinches and the wooden holds. Then have a hang-board for finger strength. (if you are new to this stuff, careful with mixing the handboard stuff with late evening bouldering, not that your drunk dumbass is going to hurt yourself, it is just that the hangboard can sneak up and reck a finger if you don't know what you are doing and are tired, etc..) I think that holds that are trying to be natural are just kidding themselves. If you accept that a big mac is just a tasty treat and not a fine aged t-bone steak, you will be happier with your tasty tasty treat. You will finally come to terms that your big mac will never become fine food.
|
|
|
|
|
acorneau
May 23, 2008, 5:45 PM
Post #14 of 62
(8033 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 6, 2008
Posts: 2889
|
dlintz wrote: I've never understood the need for climbing holds to feel like real rock. Some of us don't have real rock close by (3 hours away for me) and so we do the majority of our climbing in the gym. I like having holds that are closer to real rock in addition to the nice, comfy plastic. It helps keep my calluses up for when I do get out to the crags.
|
|
|
|
|
dlintz
May 23, 2008, 5:53 PM
Post #15 of 62
(8027 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 9, 2002
Posts: 1982
|
acorneau wrote: dlintz wrote: I've never understood the need for climbing holds to feel like real rock. Some of us don't have real rock close by (3 hours away for me) and so we do the majority of our climbing in the gym. I like having holds that are closer to real rock in addition to the nice, comfy plastic. It helps keep my calluses up for when I do get out to the crags. I live 4+ hours away from anything resembling real rock (except for the short pathetic limestone boulders of Swope Park, Kansas City) so I feel your pain there. For me climbing on plastic keeps my calluses built up as well as outdoor climbing. YMMV. d.
|
|
|
|
|
synrock
May 23, 2008, 6:39 PM
Post #16 of 62
(8019 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 17, 2004
Posts: 282
|
Valarc wrote: That said, pulling on plastic in general sucks. I do plenty of it, and I even enjoy it, but the texture of plastic, no matter the manufacturer, is like grabbing onto greasy ass. I would MUCH rather climb on Synrock holds than any other texture out there - the only downside is the shapes aren't that creative and they can tend to be kind of ugly, but Jim at Synrock makes hands-down the most realistic rock-feel holds you'll ever touch. The shapes of synrock holds tend to be what they are for 2 reasons. First, synrock is extremely strong in compression but poor in shear - which means the shapes need to be blob-like and not low profile. This tends to limit the shapes I can make these things in. Although in recent years I've managed to make this stuff much stronger and I underestimated how strong this stuff was - when I made most of these shapes 10 years ago I really erred on the strong shape side. Second, when I made most of these shapes 10 years ago I had really crappy finger tendons. I was always hurting them and my fingers were a chronic source of frustration. I designed these holds to have the largest possible finger contact radius possible. I wanted holds that I could use to strengthen my upper body and endurance (back then my target climbing area was the red). I put absolutely no effort into how they looked or how tricky they were to hold on to. I just wanted holds that were hyper comfortable that I could flow from move to move on - for hours - without hurting anything. Now, 10 years later my finger tendons are bomber and I don't sport climb much but boulder on gritstone. Hence the new rockpods. These babies are hyper-realistic, dual texture or inset holds and my goal is to dplicate the experience of climbing on gritstone exactly. I'm a gritstone addict and I want to duplicate the experience cause climbing on gritstone is the most fun you can have with rock. I have a new system called the 8's that is going to be BOTH the most realsitic indoor system AND by far the CHEAPEST system on the market. I am going to be looking for beta testers who want free holds who can provide feedback and photos for my web site. More details to follow. jim
|
|
|
|
|
snoopy138
May 23, 2008, 6:49 PM
Post #17 of 62
(8012 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 7, 2004
Posts: 28992
|
jermanimal wrote: dlintz wrote: I've never understood the need for climbing holds to feel like real rock. Indoor climbing is indoor climbing. My holds choices are based upon shapes and texture rather than their approximation to rock, and that's not to say I like cheap greasy grips but there's a difference between holds that have good texture and ones that feel like real rock (i.e. quartzite). d. Good point. SoIll are my favorite holds in my garage. They have a great texture, but not a finger grinding over the top texture. This is not unique to their holds, but they are a softer material then some and thus hold to the wall a little better then say a hard Metolius hold. Besides the high quality of their products, they guys there are super cool. I am a big fan of the wooden holds though. You can't fake a little crimp on one, only a solid pinch will keep you there...and zero loss of skin, meaning the day after you shredded your fingers, the bouldering wall still looks like fun and not torture. My garage has a lot of slops, pinches and the wooden holds. Then have a hang-board for finger strength. (if you are new to this stuff, careful with mixing the handboard stuff with late evening bouldering, not that your drunk dumbass is going to hurt yourself, it is just that the hangboard can sneak up and reck a finger if you don't know what you are doing and are tired, etc..) I think that holds that are trying to be natural are just kidding themselves. If you accept that a big mac is just a tasty treat and not a fine aged t-bone steak, you will be happier with your tasty tasty treat. You will finally come to terms that your big mac will never become fine food. yore rong.
|
|
|
|
|
snoopy138
May 23, 2008, 6:50 PM
Post #18 of 62
(8010 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 7, 2004
Posts: 28992
|
synrock wrote: Valarc wrote: That said, pulling on plastic in general sucks. I do plenty of it, and I even enjoy it, but the texture of plastic, no matter the manufacturer, is like grabbing onto greasy ass. I would MUCH rather climb on Synrock holds than any other texture out there - the only downside is the shapes aren't that creative and they can tend to be kind of ugly, but Jim at Synrock makes hands-down the most realistic rock-feel holds you'll ever touch. The shapes of synrock holds tend to be what they are for 2 reasons. First, synrock is extremely strong in compression but poor in shear - which means the shapes need to be blob-like and not low profile. This tends to limit the shapes I can make these things in. Although in recent years I've managed to make this stuff much stronger and I underestimated how strong this stuff was - when I made most of these shapes 10 years ago I really erred on the strong shape side. Second, when I made most of these shapes 10 years ago I had really crappy finger tendons. I was always hurting them and my fingers were a chronic source of frustration. I designed these holds to have the largest possible finger contact radius possible. I wanted holds that I could use to strengthen my upper body and endurance (back then my target climbing area was the red). I put absolutely no effort into how they looked or how tricky they were to hold on to. I just wanted holds that were hyper comfortable that I could flow from move to move on - for hours - without hurting anything. Now, 10 years later my finger tendons are bomber and I don't sport climb much but boulder on gritstone. Hence the new rockpods. These babies are hyper-realistic, dual texture or inset holds and my goal is to dplicate the experience of climbing on gritstone exactly. I'm a gritstone addict and I want to duplicate the experience cause climbing on gritstone is the most fun you can have with rock. I have a new system called the 8's that is going to be BOTH the most realsitic indoor system AND by far the CHEAPEST system on the market. I am going to be looking for beta testers who want free holds who can provide feedback and photos for my web site. More details to follow. jim their is absolutely know weigh I'm reading this.
|
|
|
|
|
jermanimal
May 23, 2008, 7:44 PM
Post #19 of 62
(7993 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 7, 2007
Posts: 200
|
snoopy138 wrote: yore rong. About big mac being fine food, or that I don't know what my favorite holds are?
|
|
|
|
|
synrock
May 24, 2008, 2:51 AM
Post #20 of 62
(7932 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 17, 2004
Posts: 282
|
snoopy138 wrote: their is absolutely know weigh I'm reading this. Which is exactly why you aren't getting any free holds.
|
|
|
|
|
jmvc
May 24, 2008, 8:55 AM
Post #21 of 62
(7894 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 10, 2007
Posts: 647
|
synrock wrote: snoopy138 wrote: their is absolutely know weigh I'm reading this. Which is exactly why you aren't getting any free holds. I read all of it. Shall I PM you my adress?
|
|
|
|
|
lostcauseclimber
May 24, 2008, 4:12 PM
Post #22 of 62
(7859 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 19, 2004
Posts: 23
|
i have franklin, metolious, and crater holds on my wall. they are all pretty decent. but for realistic feel i have been finding real rocks with one flat side and going to work on them with my hammer drill and bolting them to the wall. have found some really great slopers, edges,pinches, and jugs. unfortunately its next to impossible to find a good pocket or small footholds that don't break too easily, but thats why i have the plastic holds. but i find this cheap and fun and i haven't had one break on me climbing yet. have developed a habit of looking constantly for the next great hold for my wall. i'm the guy constantly flipping over rocks on the side of the road looking for a flat side...
|
|
|
|
|
polo26
Nov 10, 2008, 12:13 PM
Post #23 of 62
(7175 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 2, 2008
Posts: 13
|
Check www.hrt.com
|
|
|
|
|
kappydane
Nov 10, 2008, 2:19 PM
Post #24 of 62
(7141 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 22, 2004
Posts: 119
|
VooDoo Hands Down. And I have more than a few from many different companies.
|
|
|
|
|
woodchuck008
Nov 10, 2008, 2:50 PM
Post #25 of 62
(7135 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 9, 2008
Posts: 10
|
Yep, Synrocks are cool; so were the earlier Petrogrips which were total chunks of rock, drilled and smoothed on back to fit on walls. So much of plastic/epoxy wears badly and turns into sharp stuff that really wears your fingers to tender little sausages. If your plastic does this, be sure to wire brush it or file it smooth every now and then. Let the shape determine your grip, not just the texture.
|
|
|
|
|
|