Resoling Evolv Shaman's

I have been thinking about getting a pair of shamans.  Currently, I only wear scarpa, but the heels are always a little loose.  Shamans are the perfect fit, but I never really wanted them because they are no where near as sensitive, and the synthetic material doesn't breathe as well.  Plus I'm not as big of a fan of the rubber as I am of the edge rubber on my instincts.  

What I was thinking about was getting the shamans, and resoling them with edge rubber on the front sole and toe patch, and grip 2 on the heel.  What I was wondering was if they can be resoled easily?  That love bump makes me unsure about how a resole with different rubber would work

It'll be easier to just resole the front end of the shoe - probably not much to be gained from replacing heel rubber as well. 

Reach out to locker (positive resoles), rubber room, Rock & resole, or any of the other major resolers or ones with a presence on MP. I'm sure they've done plenty of shaman resoles and could get you better info.

Thanks.  Rock and Resole is the one I knew about.  And I know they offer different rubber options.  

Most resolers for a choice of rubber, usually vibram and stealth - not just R&R.

So...it sounds like you want a pair of Solutions.  Have you tried them on?  Are you saying that you'll buy Shamans and immediately send them in for resole?  This sounds like a weird plan, as you're effectively raising the price of the shoe by $40-$50 (with such special requests, maybe even more).  I can see wearing the Shamans and living with the rubber until they're due and changing rubbers then, if you're lucky and they last that long (they're not the most durable shoes).

The solutions would never fit on my foot.  I have super wide feet, with a very shallow heel.  I wear a 13.5 4E street shoe.  Scarpa is the only brand that I can try on in a store or local gym that fits my toebox and is leather.  I only know the shaman fits because of a shoe demo recently. 

I was considering resoling right away so that I don't spend the first year annoyed at not being able to feel the rock under my feet.  I know it's extreme, and probably not worth the money.  But if the aren't that durable, wouldn't it be worth enjoying them as much as possible before the rest of the shoe wears out

Have you heard of Butora?  They make a wide and narrow version of many of their shoes.  You might dig the Acro.  If the Shamans fit, you might actually like the old style (black/orange) better, as the rubber is stiffer and more like edge rubber.

Butora was at that shoe demo, and a friend of mine loves the acro.  I was so excited to try them on, but the fit was aweful for my heel.  The only way I didn't have a ton of dead space in the heel was to cram my toes in to the point that I couldn't stand without excruciating pain. And that didn't make the heel snug anyway. They have a new model coming out around June, so I tried that on, and while the heel fit better, the toes was unbearable.  I was really hoping to love them.  

Actually the most perfect fit for me was the scarpa booster s.  But I've only been climbing for about 10 months, and I didn't want to go with a shoe that soft before I've really gotten my footwork better.  The instincts were the best fit in scarpa's line.  

The older shamans are hard to find in my size.  Most sites still selling them are just getting rid of inventory, so the sizes are the more unpopular ones

use yosemite bum. they are affiliated with evolv and do a really good job with resoles.

Yosemite only uses Trax rubber.  Unless I can get my hands on XS Edge somewhere, they wouldn't be able to do what I need

Dude you've been climbing for 10 months, the type of rubber isn't gona change anything. If the shaman fits well then go with that and don't bother with the resole till it actually needs one.

It's not so much the stickiness of the rubber I'm concerned about.  It's the sensitivity.  Trying the same problems in the Shaman's that I climb in my old Vapor V's and Instincts, I could barely feel the holds under my feet.  Maybe I'm wrong (feel free to correct me), but I though much of the sensitivity of shoes came from the rubber.  Hence wanting the Shaman's for fit but Edge for the feel

Edge has all the feel of a 2x4. The only time I want xs edge is when it's over 80 degrees.

skwamas, 4mm grip from the factory. Wider front last and narrow heel. Unlined leather toe that stretches. The booster s and instinct both fit my foot great also, I'm a 41 in scarpa and a 39.5 for the skwamas. They stretch a bit.

Yeah...XS Edge is probably the least sensitive rubber on the market.  It's probably the thinness of the rubber that you're used to, which will happen (to some extent) as the rubber wears down and you break in the shoe.  Edge is good at one thing and one thing only...standing on tiny edges, although it probably is the best for that.

That said, if you like sensitivity (I do), go for a softer shoe.  XS Grip is much more sensitive, though my favorite is still Stealth C4.  I don't see why climbing for 10 months automatically means you're not ready for a soft shoe...I would argue the opposite (after arguing that timelines are stupid).  Climbing in a softer shoe, you will get stronger, as the shoe will do less of the heavy lifting for you, and your footwork will improve, as you will feel the rock better and can develop better proprioception.

Baba,

First off if you send them to evolv you're not getting any rubber resoled on them aside from Trax because that's the only rubber they carry being an Evolv resoler. And Johnny....you know I love you man but if you think that Trax is anywhere in the same realm as a compound such as any Stealth or XS then well.....you're on glue. And that's coming from someone who certainly is on glue. 

The lack of sensitivity you're experiencing between your vapors and shamans isn't as much from the shitty rubber but from the thick plastic midsole in your shamans bud. As far as your question on the heel resole, not many resolers in the states are going to have the right press (bladder) or a run of shaman lasts to do that properly aside from likely Yosemite bum or myself. Like some of the others here said and coming from a resoler, break them in, climb in the Trax until you need some half soles or a split sole job and send them into a reputable outfit. And next time you have any questions on resoling, save yourself the time here with the peanut gallery  and call a professional. 

Ted, you're probably right about me being used to the thinner rubber.  I know that softer rubber  is more sensitive, so I assumed that TRAX must be a little harder since it doesn't feel as sensitive.  But it probably is the thickness.  Not worth me messing my soles up trying to shave them down.  If I do end up with Shaman's, I'd be more likely to just deal with it until it naturally wears.  I don't mean to say that at 10 months I'm still struggling.  But I'm not completely steady on my feet yet.  I climb 6+ at the gym, but I find myself readjusting my feet all of the time, rather than sticking with where they landed.  That makes me feel like I'd shred a softer rubber until I can really learn to trust my foot placement.  Do you really think that a softer shoe would help curb that?  If so, it's definitely worth a try.  

John, I was a little disappointed that Evolv didn't have the Agro at the demo.  I would have really liked to try them.  I work a few miles from an REI, so I might have to stop in there on my way home to try a pair on.  Same for the Skwamas.   I know I'll have to try, but I'm always a little skeptical about LS, since they are known for being narrow.  And until I get all of my toenails removed (longer explanation I have in the injury forum), I'm not trying to jam my toes in too tight.  Unfortunately, REI doesn't have walls set up to really get a good feel of how they'll behave in action

Yeah, that's a feature that is disappointingly rare.  Anyways, as far as the whole soft/stiff shoe wear thing...I'd say it's more complicated than that.  From what I see, there are a lot of people with blown out Miuras, and this often happens in about 3 months.  This is a stiff shoe with edge rubber.  Alternatively, my longest lasting shoes have been Moccasyms, and I know a guy who's had his Anasazis for 3 years and still hasn't gotten a resole.  Both have Stealth rubber, which is pretty soft (Onyx is stiffer, but still gets pretty damn soft).  

I think how you use the shoe is a lot more important.    People typically blow out the front/top of their toes, which is the rand.  When you Edge with downturned toes, the rand tends to rub against the wall, which is often high friction in gyms and DESTROYS shoes.  Same thing outdoors on high friction rock (sandstone, granite).  Alternatively, with a soft flat shoe, you'll maybe rub the very end of the shoe, but a lot of the time you'll be smedging and only the sole will come in contact with the wall.  Doing this, your shoes will last forever.

The only climbing I'm doing right now is in the gym.  I prefer to work on roofs, but there is only 1 at my gym, and 1 45 degree wall.  The rest in mostly vertical with a few slabs.  When I need to give my skin a rest from the really steep stuff, I typically choose slabs over anything else.  I know edging in a gym is no where near as credit card thin as real rock, but for my limited experience, it can be pretty thin.  

The Boostic was the shoe I was the most excited to try.  And Scarpa didn't bring it to the demo (I talked to the guy, and he was actually surprised they didn't pack it for him), and REI doesn't carry them, nor does my gym.  Really annoying.  And it's a pain to buy a few pairs online to just have to return them.  

Less of a pain than sending a brand new shoe in to get resoled just because you don't like the rubber...;)

Lol.  I guess so.  If only I was made of money, and could commission someone to make a pair of shoes to my specifications.  Oh well,  the little people just have to make due