Thoughts on the new 5.10 Aleon?

Doug Chism wrote: I should have a pair showing up tomorrow night according to FedEx. Anyone want an 'unboxing' video, lol. 

Yeah hahaha

Got mine on sale from Bananafingers UK @ around $156 (shipped). Hope I got the sizing right lol

Couch thoughts:

Easiest shoe to get on I’ve ever tried on.

Most comfortable upper of any shoe I’ve ever tried on.

Heel is weird. It’s kinda stiff in some parts and more shallow than other Five Ten.

I wear a 9.5 Hiangle and 9.5-10 street shoes. Prob keep the 9.5 Aleon. I could get the 9 on but it was tiiiiiight.

Definitely wider and higher volume. I feel more midfoot volume than the Skwama. While the PrimeKnit is nice feeling, I don't know if I will like it. You have to tighten the strap down to get midooft tension whereas most other shoes provide some from elastic material.

They really did just copy the Skwama.

They seem stiffer than the Skwama, no? Very similar to the Hiangles (same size in both for me too). The Prime Knit is extremely comfortable and great for high volume feet. I find the toe shape a bit more uncomfortable than the Hiangle, but they feel lighter and more breathable and the upper is so soft and dreamy. And the heel is perfect for me, excellent suction cup fit. Can't wait to climb in them!

hows the sensitivity compared to the skwama. i personally find the skwama pretty sensitive and enjoy that aspect of the shoe

No, they're not stiffer. I have brand new Skwamas and lightly used Hiangles sitting here and the Skwamas definitely start out feeling the same as the Aleon with a softer midsole. Maybe they're a bit closer to the Testarossa toebox than Skwama in shape and stiffness/feel.  The heel is great!

As for sensitivity I can't comment yet. The Skwama are my favorite shoe and fairly sensitive, but I honestly find the Hiangle to be a bit more sensitive. The Skwama is something I can set and go and not really microadjust as well. By that I mean the translation of the rock nuances to my big toe. To me the Skwama has never rivaled how the Testraossa or Scarpa soft line felt in this regard and are a bit more sensitive than the Instinct line. The soft Five Ten rubber always feels more sensitive to me, but the thicker rubber and stiffer sole of the Hiangle makes it feel less precise if that makes sense. I separate the two concepts a bit with sensitivity coming entirely from feedback from the rock and precision being the ability to microadjust and place the contact point exactly where it needs to be. It's part toebox shape, part rubber, and part midsole/forefoot stiffness.

You guys really think that your skwamas were more sensitive than your hiangles?! Man I must have some weird feets

J T wrote: You guys really think that your skwamas were more sensitive than your hiangles?! Man I must have some weird feets

I was thinking that too. Hiangles are about as sensitive as I would want. They are the perfect balance of support and sensitivity, and IMO they're the best slab shoes of all time, and pretty much every other style of climbing. Everytime I am on a tiny pebble, Im always happier in Hiangles that my Genius.  I'm really curious how the split sole of the Aleon translates to sensitivity and support. As far as split soles go though, I do love the LS Genius for overhung. They are stiff in the forefoot so they feel supportive on small features, but with the split sole, they bend up to enhance friction on smeary feet. I assume this is how the Aleons will feel. Probably won't be switching anytime soon, unless they are just all around much more comfortable. Too many good shoes now a days!!!

Oh I do not think the Skwama are more sensitive. I was arguing the opposite.

On the baseboard in my house, the Aleon feels much softer due to midfoot flex, which is better for toe'ing in and generating power on a lot of steeper holds and pockets. It feels identical to a Solution.

The more I wear the Aleon the less I think the toebox shape is for me. It is almost identical to the Instinct toebox shape moreso than the Skwama. I compared all 3 this morning and the radius of the outer foot on the Instinct and Aleon is a 100% match.

Got mine in. Here are some pictures compared to the Quantum VCS.

First off, the last is wider and more asymmetrical.

Secondly it appears as though they are sized about 1/2 smaller than the Quantum. Some of this is being more down-turned, but they def feel smaller.
Not sure I can wear them, they are crazy tight, probably return for 1/2 size up.

Finally it looks like they have less edge rubber, maybe 0.5-1mm less

They look like Instinct VS' with c4. Dang! 

Yeah, that sounds great.  How’s the heel?

Ted Pinson wrote: Yeah, that sounds great.  How’s the heel?

Probably the best heel of any shoe I have tried. Super tight but not in the least bit painful, no hot spots. 

Tried some on in a shop today. It fits just like a skwama. Almost an exact copy. It has a better heel, so i may stop buying that particular lasportiva

I have 4 pairs of Skwama and it really is more of an Instinct. I’ll edit and post a sole comparison later but the Skwama is more blunt and has a less asymmetrical shape.

The heel and upper are the best of any shoe I’ve used. It just rolls on and sticks. The Five Ten rep is claiming 0 stretch and recommended a half size up from Hiangle. On the fence about which to keep but the 9.5 match the length of my 9.5 Hiangle perfectly

I climbed in mine today and have no qualms about sizing issues or shallow heels. I sized exactly the same as my hiangles (which I am a huge fan of) and the Aleons feel slightly more aggressive. Haven't put in a full day yet but the half hour or so of bouldering I did felt promising. Only thing I didn't like was having to strap down tight to counter the stretchiness of the "tongue" (there really is no tongue, just adidas prime knit basically), but as others have said this tongue makes the Aleons one of the easiest shoes to get on I've ever tried without sacrificing tightness of fit. Excited to try wearing these on the project outside this weekend.

I was talking to a friend about it last night and he noticed the same stretchiness, which I think is going to be their weak point. Other super stretchy shoes like the Teams or Scarpa soft line still have more structure there. The result is that the sock like fit is less comfortable and way less supportive of the foot.

I sport climbed in them yesterday, they are more comfortable and supportive than Teams. I found the pointed toe box uncomfortable at first, though they broke in well after only a few pitches. I wasn't in a hurry to take them off by the end of the day.

They edge well, smear well, heel hooking is super solid and comfortable, worked fine for vertical climbing and they were excellent on steep terrain. The midsole is less flexible than Teams or Testarossas. Very similar to the Instinct VS, but the midsole is slightly stiffer on the Aleon (maybe this will change as they break in) and I find Aleons more comfortable (I have a wide forefoot and Testarossas are my favorite for comfort and performance). I don't feel that support is compromised by the soft upper, I appreciate the added comfort.

I am 10.5/11 street shoe, 10.5 Hiangle, 43.5 Instinct, 42.5 Testarossa, and I am happy with the 10.5 Aleon. Could go down a half size which would help them feel more sensitive, but I enjoy the fit and think they perform great without toes being painfully knuckled.

My review:

First the sizing: I am a size 9.5/10 street shoe, 9.5 Hiangle, 10 in Teams and Dragons. I wear my shoes fairly aggressive/tight. I am a size 40/40.5 Skwama and a 41-41.5 in Scarpa.

The new upper and Primeknit are very comfortable, however, I don't think Primeknit makes sense the way this shoe is designed. It is a bit too soft and stretchy to really hug the shoe to the foot and, when combined with the super high volume/low arch midfoot, requires a pretty tight strap.  Even the you can see the stiffer red fabric buckle and "fart".  The midfoot volume is one thing myself and every person I know with this shoe has despised the most.  We all bought multiple sizes and all had space under the ball of the foot and on the top of the foot. If you go up a half size from your Hiangle size there is less volume under the midfoot, but more on top of the foot. The opposite if you go down.

If you are coming from Dragons, Teams, Hiangles, etc you might not like the toebox. I have Morton's toe so the rounded Five Ten toeboxes are always awesome for me. Dragons are almost perfect and very asymmetrical, but taper less on the outside of the toebox.  Myself and all friends are getting raw knuckles on the top of our outer toes. Also, the toebox is fairly pointy/low volume over the big toe, which either decreases how knuckled your toe is or rubs the top of the knuckle if you downsize.

The only thing we all like is the heel. It is super awesome and sucks onto your foot. The shoe is also incredibly easy to get on thanks to the Primeknit.  I would keep the Primeknit here an use normal elastic OR a similar tongue to the Solution/Futura which have more tension.

As for performance they're a good shoe. I personally found them super sensitive, but not as precise as an Instinct, Solution, or any of my other shoes due to the way my big toe filled out the toebox. I think if you're coming from the more asymmetrical Scarpas it might work better. The rubber is great, as usual, like a slightly less sensitive Dragon. They just didn't fill a niche for me that my existing shoes do not already perform. If I wanted edging I would use an Anasazi or Quantum. If I want to pull with my toes on overhangs I would use a Dragon or Team. Same for smearing. Hiangles fit me better and are all around more comfortable.