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ah169405
May 13, 2012, 2:42 AM
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Registered: May 13, 2012
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Hello,
I am currently in charge of ordering equipment for a new climbing gym starting up. I was curious if anyone had any insight to what was a good shoe for gym rentals. I am looking at cost, durability, if the company is easy to work with, etc. Can anyone provide some advice?
Thanks.
-Andrew
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acorneau
May 13, 2012, 4:29 AM
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ah169405 wrote: Hello, I am currently in charge of ordering equipment for a new climbing gym starting up. I was curious if anyone had any insight to what was a good shoe for gym rentals. I am looking at cost, durability, if the company is easy to work with, etc. Can anyone provide some advice? Thanks. -Andrew
We just restocked all our rental shoes with FiveTen (can't find the model on their website but they are specifically designed for gym rentals). Before that we had a bunch from Bufo.
I don't have any idea about pricing, etc., but I think the FiveTens climb better than the Bufo's did. Unfortunately it's too soon to tell how well they will hold up over time.
You might also want to ask over on the RouteSetter.com forum as there are a lot of gym staff/managers that check in there from time to time.
Edit to add: this may be some interesting reading for you...
http://www.rockshoes.com/...ndependant_study.pdf
Edit #2: The website listed above belongs to Bufo so I have to seriously doubt the "independent" part of the paper.
(This post was edited by acorneau on May 13, 2012, 4:39 AM)
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jae8908
May 13, 2012, 7:21 PM
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We use evolv gym shoes which are pretty cheap and durable. They don't perform worth a shit though.
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theextremist04
May 21, 2012, 11:21 PM
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We use the 5.10 rental specific shoes and they're okay. Not too great for climbing but they last twice as long as anything else.
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viciado
May 22, 2012, 4:30 PM
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A couple of the above replies comment on the lack of performance in a rental shoe. The average renter is likely to be less experienced and may neither understand nor need a performance shoe. The regular scrapping and scrabbling of such climbers tends to wear out softer, thinner performance shoes VERY quickly. It is not unlikely that many new climbers will wear through the toes of a performance shoe within a few weeks. Folks will purchase their own shoes if they are going to stick with the sport... this means the primary user is going to be someone who will abuse the shoe, however unintentional that may be.
I have climbed in Evolv, 5.10 and Bufo rentals and can't really recommend one over the other. They are basic, solid shoes that will last a bit longer due to their beefy construction. Call each company for quotes then choose the best price for the long haul. I would warn against over-purchasing in the beginning. Choose a selection of sizes that best fits the demographic of your business plan. These are all decent companies and are happy make a suggestion for sales, but you need to know your target numbers both in terms of shoes and price. You may also want to have an idea regarding the anticipated use of a given pair of shoes during the course of a month. This could help you project how often you will need to re-sole and/or replace stock.
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