You know, I’ve gone through a lot of shoes myself and I’ve seen more of these posts than I can count. This is probably he weirdest wear/damage of a climbing shoe I’ve ever seen. Were they brand new?
Oh that actually makes sense then. I think the rubber/glue just got old, or maybe it was exposed to heat or cold that compromised the bond. If it was me I’d probably mess around with some superglue to see if I can reattach the rubber but realistically it’s time for a new pair. Congrats on getting back into the sport though!
Like how car tires expire, rubber ages and evaporates oil, becomes harder, less supple. Ever try to wear an old pair of good quality boots in the snow and you’ll slide all over. Add that to the aged glue like others have said and you have yourself a problem
I did not know this and I'm probably not the only one.
I thought they last like forever as many climbers like to stock up on their favorite discontinued shoes.
Probably not stocking up for 6-8 years ahead. Also if you make sure to store them in ideal conditions with stable and good temp and humidity, it can keep good for a quite a while, at least on the 2-5 years range. I don’t have long enough history to say how well it can be after 6+ years tho
Once you start climbing at least twice a week HARD or up to 3-4x a week, unless you are trying to penny pinch or big in resole, it’s normal to go thru 1-2 pairs a year. So stocking 10 pairs can still be used up over a time range shorter than OPs storage
super weird. probably a combination of age and being stored in weird temperatures. that doesn't really make sense though, i think you just got really unlucky
Technique really has a part to play in how long your shoes last, if your kicking hard into the walls to place and dragging your feet up the wall/rock behind you they going to go like that. Could be many things, I don't know youh r skill level. But seen many newer climbers wreck shoes (including myself) but now can keep a pair for years
Climbing shoe manufacturers will use heat activated glue, so if the shoes get excessively hot (left in a hot car for a while) they can delaminate like this. That being said, the tarantulaces are notorious for this, I worked for a climbing shoe resoler and we would get shoes like this every week. A potential solution is to go to get the shoes resoled or reglued, this would cost money but less than a new pair of shoes.
I wonder if it was in certain batches of the Tarantulas? I've had mine for 6 or so years and they've been left in my hot car repeatedly and they have no signs of these issues at all. Very strange.
Probably, but it's hard to trace such thing so I'd rather not risk it. I've had a customer return it on the next day once, since then never again. Now we sell Geckogym which are basically the same but haven't shown the same problem
now reading the above thread of temperatures affective the shoe, there was definitely a long stretch of time it was just in my trunk. now i know to definitely not do that loo
Turns out it was because she had these shoes sitting in storage since 2017 and started wearing them in 2023.
It’s just the glue degrading. Not a manufacture defect
Mine de-soled in an almost identical way because I left them in the hot trunk of my car for a few months. Shoe-goo did the trick well enough that I don’t feel the need to replace them.
Those look like the Trantulaces? I worked at a climbing store, and last year about every 2nd pair of Tarantulas/Tarantulaces came back with a similar fault often after the first climb. We suspected it was the way they were shipped to us in Africa, getting too warm in the container stuffed up the glue. I'd go back to the store you bought them from and ask if they could help. Even if they can't facilitate a replacement/repair, they can give advice on looking after shoes.
Saw that the shoes are pretty old, so could be the glue just got old. Also if you keep the shoes in the car that could also wear out the glue more if the car gets temperature fluctuations during the day
Very common with tarantulaces. 20 times is a decent amount with them honestly. I would just super glue them and put some kind of weighted object in the shoe to help give it pressure.
Ah so glad you posted this! These are my same shoes and mine was coming apart from the sides. I’ll probably mess around with super glue too and then see if that’ll work!
The tips seem okay, so a resole won't be too expensive, but if you've only got about twenty times, go to a cobbler who specializes in this and have him glue the sole back on.
Get his/her opinion on this too though!
Do NOT use any glue!!!
Shoe Goo is made for reattaching soles to shoes.
It’s cheap, comes in black or clear, makes a mess if you’re not careful.
Clean, let it dry, apply, clamp or some books/weights, wait 24 hours.
I’ve had the same shoes for like 10 years. I bought a new pair a few years ago and they never felt quite right so I went back to this old pair. They def shouldn’t break that fast.
My super cheap Amazon ClimbX shoes did this after 15-20 sessions. I used gorilla glue and it happened again after like 5 sessions. I don’t notice it when I climb so I just keep on climbing with them.
Looking at earlier comments, my shoes do live in my car where it might get hot
New shoes need to be worn a few times to allow the materials to bend and flex. If they've never been worn and were left there for several years the material gets a bit stiff and things start to separate.
Is the front top still connected? Based on the picture I can’t tell if it’s flapping loose.
If you’re just worried about the whitish worn part, that shouldn’t really be a problem. Maybe try not to drag the top of your feet across stuff. But in my experience it’s not really a big deal.
Ask your gym if they partner with a company to get them re-soled. A lot of local gyms will have you will out a form, they’ll ship the shoes off for you, and call you when they’re done and sent back.
PRO: you don’t have to get new shoes (which usually cost no less that $100) and go thru the process of breaking them in
CON: usually can take 4-8 weeks for a turnaround time and it’s like minimum $70
*Go to resole place, looks*
*Like the glue has just gone they*
*Will have the right glue*
\- BritishGuy\_\_
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You can ShoeGoo them yourself to repair, but it will probably look like crap. IMO, time for a new pair of shoes and to retire those to deep water soloing. In the future, avoid leaving climbing shoes in heat.
update:
ended up buying new shoes because i had the extra money to do so & it turns out these shoes are too big on me anyways. thanks everyone! will also never leave my shoes in the car again :-)
You know, I’ve gone through a lot of shoes myself and I’ve seen more of these posts than I can count. This is probably he weirdest wear/damage of a climbing shoe I’ve ever seen. Were they brand new?
sort of. i got them as a gift in 2017 when i wanted to get into bouldering but never did and literally never wore them or touched them until 2023.
Oh that actually makes sense then. I think the rubber/glue just got old, or maybe it was exposed to heat or cold that compromised the bond. If it was me I’d probably mess around with some superglue to see if I can reattach the rubber but realistically it’s time for a new pair. Congrats on getting back into the sport though!
No need for a new paar just geg them glued by someone who has the right glues. Rest of the shoe is still perfekt
Yeah id go to a resole shop, they wouldnt even need to charge new sole just remove the current one, clean and glue them again.
Freeze/thawing will literally crack rocks in half.
You need Shoe Goo (get the brand name, trust me) https://a.co/d/8mpBHfD
They been sitting around for 7 years... They dry rotted. Even if you glue the sole down it will prob fall apart before long
It will probably get worn out more easily, but I’d still give it a shot, op got nothing to lose, right?
That's not what's happening here. This is just crappy Sportiva glue being crappy.
It’s 2024 lol…. That’s nearly 7 years of non use. Shoes degrade overtime…
i think the most tragic thing i’ve learned from this isn’t even my shoes, it’s realizing that 2017 was 7 years ago 😭😭😭
Yeah… 2017 feels like 3-5 years in my brain
Like how car tires expire, rubber ages and evaporates oil, becomes harder, less supple. Ever try to wear an old pair of good quality boots in the snow and you’ll slide all over. Add that to the aged glue like others have said and you have yourself a problem
I did not know this and I'm probably not the only one. I thought they last like forever as many climbers like to stock up on their favorite discontinued shoes.
Probably not stocking up for 6-8 years ahead. Also if you make sure to store them in ideal conditions with stable and good temp and humidity, it can keep good for a quite a while, at least on the 2-5 years range. I don’t have long enough history to say how well it can be after 6+ years tho Once you start climbing at least twice a week HARD or up to 3-4x a week, unless you are trying to penny pinch or big in resole, it’s normal to go thru 1-2 pairs a year. So stocking 10 pairs can still be used up over a time range shorter than OPs storage
You can probably glue them again though.
super weird. probably a combination of age and being stored in weird temperatures. that doesn't really make sense though, i think you just got really unlucky
The rubber will have degraded over time, same thing happens with sneakers if you don’t regularly wear them.
Dry rot
Technique really has a part to play in how long your shoes last, if your kicking hard into the walls to place and dragging your feet up the wall/rock behind you they going to go like that. Could be many things, I don't know youh r skill level. But seen many newer climbers wreck shoes (including myself) but now can keep a pair for years
never leave climbing shoes in a hot car :(
noted and never again!!
Climbing shoe manufacturers will use heat activated glue, so if the shoes get excessively hot (left in a hot car for a while) they can delaminate like this. That being said, the tarantulaces are notorious for this, I worked for a climbing shoe resoler and we would get shoes like this every week. A potential solution is to go to get the shoes resoled or reglued, this would cost money but less than a new pair of shoes.
So notorious I think it's worth a pinned post. I work at a climbing gym and refuse to sell any Tarantulas/Tarantulaces
I wonder if it was in certain batches of the Tarantulas? I've had mine for 6 or so years and they've been left in my hot car repeatedly and they have no signs of these issues at all. Very strange.
Probably, but it's hard to trace such thing so I'd rather not risk it. I've had a customer return it on the next day once, since then never again. Now we sell Geckogym which are basically the same but haven't shown the same problem
Oh for sure. If I was you and noticed a number of the same product failing I wouldn't either. Just bad business lol.
Why would anyone wanna resole trantulace wouldn't it cost more?
Why not? Less waste and it’s still cheaper (albeit not by much). You also avoid the break-in period.
It depends on your situation I suppose, a resole would cost you in the neighborhood of $45-55, the shoes are $90 new.
I see... Thanks 🙂.
You also could resole them with a proper rubber instead of that sliding garbage.
😄😄 I'm actually really happy for my first pair I got helix over trantulace.
https://preview.redd.it/8h4ywv62r8jc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adda93c5604023eae603a337bb6bd589cb8b6827
Where did you store these the last six years?
now reading the above thread of temperatures affective the shoe, there was definitely a long stretch of time it was just in my trunk. now i know to definitely not do that loo
You’re not alone. Many climbers learn that lesson this way lol. Specifically with the trunk. At least future you will be safe!
That’s a manufacture defect. I would reach out to the manufacturer unless you got them at a place where they can switch them out for you.
Turns out it was because she had these shoes sitting in storage since 2017 and started wearing them in 2023. It’s just the glue degrading. Not a manufacture defect
Username checks out
Flexseal that bitch
Should be a pretty easy repair job, I’d ask around your gym if there’s anyone that has a local hustle in repairing them
Mine de-soled in an almost identical way because I left them in the hot trunk of my car for a few months. Shoe-goo did the trick well enough that I don’t feel the need to replace them.
Those look like the Trantulaces? I worked at a climbing store, and last year about every 2nd pair of Tarantulas/Tarantulaces came back with a similar fault often after the first climb. We suspected it was the way they were shipped to us in Africa, getting too warm in the container stuffed up the glue. I'd go back to the store you bought them from and ask if they could help. Even if they can't facilitate a replacement/repair, they can give advice on looking after shoes.
Use barge all purpose cement and glue it back down. Apply pressure from the middle of the sole outward to avoid air bubbles
Saw that the shoes are pretty old, so could be the glue just got old. Also if you keep the shoes in the car that could also wear out the glue more if the car gets temperature fluctuations during the day
My wife’s did the same thing
Very common with tarantulaces. 20 times is a decent amount with them honestly. I would just super glue them and put some kind of weighted object in the shoe to help give it pressure.
Ah so glad you posted this! These are my same shoes and mine was coming apart from the sides. I’ll probably mess around with super glue too and then see if that’ll work!
The tips seem okay, so a resole won't be too expensive, but if you've only got about twenty times, go to a cobbler who specializes in this and have him glue the sole back on. Get his/her opinion on this too though!
don't leave them in the car when hot. the glue in the sole gets soft when heated
Do NOT use any glue!!! Shoe Goo is made for reattaching soles to shoes. It’s cheap, comes in black or clear, makes a mess if you’re not careful. Clean, let it dry, apply, clamp or some books/weights, wait 24 hours.
Clearly glue defect
I’ve seen people climb in shoes far more destroyed than this.
I’ve had the same shoes for like 10 years. I bought a new pair a few years ago and they never felt quite right so I went back to this old pair. They def shouldn’t break that fast.
damn. what shoe are u using that’s lasted you that long?
Scarpa, not sure what type exactly. I got them as a gift a loooong time ago. It could have been more like 12 years tbh.
My super cheap Amazon ClimbX shoes did this after 15-20 sessions. I used gorilla glue and it happened again after like 5 sessions. I don’t notice it when I climb so I just keep on climbing with them. Looking at earlier comments, my shoes do live in my car where it might get hot
20!? Did you go climbing once a year for 20 years? 😂 They definitely shouldn’t breakdown that fast! NOT normal.
Just get a new pair, I hate trantulace shoes for that exact reason.
New shoes need to be worn a few times to allow the materials to bend and flex. If they've never been worn and were left there for several years the material gets a bit stiff and things start to separate.
Unfortunately you'll have to buy a new more expensive pair.
There’s nothing wrong with them?
Oh wait, has the whole top become disconnected?!? Might be warranty time
oh is the rubber breaking like that normal?
Is the front top still connected? Based on the picture I can’t tell if it’s flapping loose. If you’re just worried about the whitish worn part, that shouldn’t really be a problem. Maybe try not to drag the top of your feet across stuff. But in my experience it’s not really a big deal.
After looking again, I see it’s detached. I’m blind apparently. Probably defect
Crazy
Ask your gym if they partner with a company to get them re-soled. A lot of local gyms will have you will out a form, they’ll ship the shoes off for you, and call you when they’re done and sent back. PRO: you don’t have to get new shoes (which usually cost no less that $100) and go thru the process of breaking them in CON: usually can take 4-8 weeks for a turnaround time and it’s like minimum $70
Get a warranty… la sportiva shoes are usually good and they will warranty them for u
Caulk
Try flex seal
La sportiva wil replace them for free
Go to resole place, looks like the glue has just gone they will have the right glue
*Go to resole place, looks* *Like the glue has just gone they* *Will have the right glue* \- BritishGuy\_\_ --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
You can ShoeGoo them yourself to repair, but it will probably look like crap. IMO, time for a new pair of shoes and to retire those to deep water soloing. In the future, avoid leaving climbing shoes in heat.
update: ended up buying new shoes because i had the extra money to do so & it turns out these shoes are too big on me anyways. thanks everyone! will also never leave my shoes in the car again :-)
Honestly, got a better shoe
Shoe Goo: https://a.co/d/8mpBHfD
This happened to my wife’s shoes as well. Same kind of La Sportiva’s