Gear Review
La Sportiva Miura VS Vibram XS Edge Climbing Shoe
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By Shane O'Donnell
Ranked #105 - Climbing Shoes
October 15, 2010
I thought for sure I was a 5.10 guy and only a 5.10 guy. I own 2 pairs and they fit me very well. But when the toe blew out of my Jet 7's I decided I would try some Sportiva's. And wow.. These shoes wrap my foot perfectly. I have a higher instep, wide forefoot, and mid-narrow heel. My street size is 8 mens (41), I have size 41 Spires, 40 Jet 7s, and decided to size aggressively into a 39 in the Miura. They definitely hurt for the first week or so of climbing, but stretched perfectly.
I have to agree with a fellow reviewer, they really do feel like cheating. My climbing jumped leaps and bounds with the Miura. The sole under the forefoot is a perfect blend of stiff enough to edge on micro-chips, and flexible enough to grab dexterously with your toes. The slingshot rand keeps your foot in great position even when the shoe is bent, and keeps you sucked into the heel. The stiffer section of the shoe ends right where my foot flexes normally, making smears easy and less unnatural feeling to me. That said, the ultra sticky Vibram rubber also helps a lot with that. The 4mm thickness seems to be a good number, since it gives great sensitivity, while so far lasting 2 months of climbing. Speaking of durability, I was told by a partner that the metal loops for the toe velcro have been rumored to rub a lot against the rock and blow out, but so far just some scuff marks on the finish. Heels you ask? Well they are classic Sportiva awesomeness. Hooking with the ball that is the heel of the Miura is easy, there is no dead space, and it has a good coverage of rubber, without gimmicky (to me) ridges. The only thing I wish is that this shoe had a bit more toe coverage, for tricky toe-hooks, as currently it is lacking compared to its Solution cousin.
Honestly, I don't know if my words could do justice to this shoe. But as one of my climbing partners likes to say: "I can't BELIEVE you are standing on that!". That pretty much makes the bill worth it.
View Details: La Sportiva Miura VS Vibram XS Edge Climbing Shoe
Helpful Votes: 5 Yes
Change me.
3 Comments Last Reply: May 26, 2011 By: zwa4153774
I wear 41 street shoes/41.5 hiking boots, 37.5 fits me great. I went half size down to 37 because they'll stretch a little bit. Just got them this afternoon, very painful so far.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
I go from 45 in approach shoes to 41.5 in these. Size wayyyyy down
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
I've been climbing on my 5.10 coyote's for about a year and a half now and I'm looking to get a really aggressive shoe for overhang bouldering routes since the coyote's simply don't have the ability to edge on V5's like they used to. I wear a size 9.5 street shoe but got the coyote's sized in a 8.5. Any suggestions on what to go with? I was thinking maybe size these at an 41 since I've heard that they stretch really well. Only issue is that I have a somewhat wider toe box, that's in part why I went with the 5.10s since evolv shoes just kill my toes. Basically after reading the reviews of these shoes it'd be worth the discomfort since they seem like everything I've wanted in shoes yet.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes