Evolv Astroman?

I took about 9 months off from climbing and now my wife and I are getting back on the rock.

But I realized a couple things:

Firstly, I don't care about *trying* to climb hard any more. I just want to have fun.

Secondly, I'm not interested in squeezing my fat feet into any more tight shoes!

I've been reading that the Astromans fit wide feet quite well and are very stiff. Any real world experience with them, and with sizing compared to street shoes would be very helpful.

Loved my Astromans. Probably gone though 3 or 4 pairs over past couple years. I size my Astromans same as my street shoe size; However the Astroman is no longer in production, so you might have trouble finding your size. Another shoe you should look into is the Butora Altura in Green. The green is a wide fit and is comparable to the Astroman. I might even like them better than the Astroman. Good Luck!

Thanks Ryan. I was just looking for a size 13 and having no luck, which made me suspect exactly that. I'll try the other brand.

Yeah check them out. South Korean made shoe but the North American headquarters is in Longmont, CO. They make sizes all the way up to 13.5 and 14. I think Rock and Resole sells them too.

Hello Mathias. I have a pair of them and I like them a lot. They are definitely stiff and they are great for cracks and edging. My street size shoe is 10.5/11 and I wear them in an 11.5. That size is snug for performance but not unbearably tight. If you haven't worn Evolvs before, try on a flat lasted pair at REI or somewhere before you get them to see what size you like. Evolvs are sized similarly between their flat models.

Also, if you haven't had really stiff shoes, they might be a bit uncomfortable at first, but once they soften up a tad from use and mold to your foot, they will be very comfy. I definitely reccomend them.

Rock and Resole sell them? That might be worth a trip to Boulder. Thanks!

Yeah we sell them. I work there also so I had to do a little R&R plug(sorry!!). Come check em out!

Hey thanks for the input guys! I really appreciate it.

I feel my feet are pretty abnormal at 11" long but 4.75" wide. So I think I'm going to have to try before I buy from now on, considering the differences between brands and models. I'll try and track down some Butora Alturas.

They fit tight.

I'm a street size 42

41.5 tc pro that are broke in feel great, my size 9 Astros feel tighter.

Good stiff shoe and they look old school.

If you are in the LA Orange County California area, go to the evolve outlet store in Biena Park.  They have some Astroman's left for $44.00.  I got them for $39.00 because they price matched Sierra trading Post's price for the shoe.  But the Evolve outlet doesn't charge shipping.  Great she.   The outlet also hd other shoes like the Demato, Addict and Defy.  Plenty of older models but brand new approach shoes as well for only $25.00.  If you are looking for another comfortable shoe go to the Five Ten Outlet store in Redlands were they have the Stoneland lace and VCR for between $20 and $30 dollars as well as some rock climbers for $10.00.

Second that emotion on the Butora Alturas. I love that company. I have a pair of Endeavors that rock and I'm saving for Alturas. The rubber is proprietary but great. The most comfortable shoes I've owned. 

Keep in mind that the Astromans have been discontinued for a while.  If you want them and can find your size, grab them.  I size up from my street size for Evolv since Iam a huge comfort enthusiast, but I don't have a pair of Astromans.  There is a new hightop Evolv is going to be releasing, with a slight downturn.  

Matt Himmelstein wrote:

Keep in mind that the Astromans have been discontinued for a while.  If you want them and can find your size, grab them.  I size up from my street size for Evolv since Iam a huge comfort enthusiast, but I don't have a pair of Astromans.  There is a new hightop Evolv is going to be releasing, with a slight downturn.  

Any links to where you found that?  Saw the videos for their new shoes for 2018 but didn't see anything about a high top.

bkozak wrote:

Any links to where you found that?  Saw the videos for their new shoes for 2018 but didn't see anything about a high top.

I talked to the Evolv guys at a demo about the Astroman. Because I have a pair of the old, gray ones and love them. They showed me photos of the new version Astroman. If I'm remembering correctly it looks like a high top version of this shoe.

http://www.evolvsports.com/shop/all-around/spark/

Hmm. A slightly more asymmetrical astroman? That would be pretty neat. The embarrassingly poor edging ability of the shoe once broken in is probably my main complaint with the old one. Obviously there's more to it than just the shape of the last, but fixing that problem could actually make it a legitimate competitor with the TC pro...

Mathias wrote: I took about 9 months off from climbing and now my wife and I are getting back on the rock. But I realized a couple things: Firstly, I don't care about *trying* to climb hard any more. I just want to have fun. Secondly, I'm not interested in squeezing my fat feet into any more tight shoes! I've been reading that the Astromans fit wide feet quite well and are very stiff. Any real world experience with them, and with sizing compared to street shoes would be very helpful.

I own a set and use them exclusively for crack climbing. They are indeed very stiff. Quite possibly the single stiffest shoe I've ever tried actually. Cant say much about the wide feet as I dont have wide feet, but they certainly are not narrow. Just know that since the shoe is very stiff it is also quite insensitive. You wont feel the holds very well compared to softer technical shoes which is why I really just use them for crack climbing.

bkozak wrote:

Any links to where you found that?  Saw the videos for their new shoes for 2018 but didn't see anything about a high top.

They were at an event at Sender One and had one at the table.  Not sure when it is going to be released.

AndrewArroz wrote:

I talked to the Evolv guys at a demo about the Astroman. Because I have a pair of the old, gray ones and love them. They showed me photos of the new version Astroman. If I'm remembering correctly it looks like a high top version of this shoe.

http://www.evolvsports.com/shop/all-around/spark/

The Spark does not look like it has a downturn, the Evolv guys refered to it as down camber for the new hightop, so I don't think it is just a hightop of the Spark.

Matt Himmelstein wrote:

The Spark does not look like it has a downturn, the Evolv guys refered to it as down camber for the new hightop, so I don't think it is just a hightop of the Spark.

Given you've got a picture of the actual shoe above I'd say you're correct. Thanks for posting that. They didn't have a demo model when I saw them last. 

Did you have any impressions as to how stiff it is compared to the astroman?

I'm not sure why I'd want so much downturn in a high-top shoe intended for cracks and all-around climbing. Seems at odds with the intended use of these kinds of shoes.