The (Un)Official 2019 Five Ten Grandstone Thread

I've been a long time Grandstone wearer.  I anxiously waited for the new ones to come out as I blew out my last pair of the old ones.  I climbed with the new ones twice in the gym, and then took them to Seneca this weekend for a proper break in.  They seem to be improved in all the ways I'd want, and didn't lose anything from the originals that I would see as a negative.  I suppose the toe rubber on the originals was a little better for cracks, with the full coverage over the toes, but it also could prove to be uncomfortable at times if you sized down at all.  I haven't experienced any discomfort on the gym cracks, or jamming cracks at Seneca with the new toe box like an earlier poster mentioned, they felt great to me.  They also seemed to be more comfortable and easier to get on and off than the old ones.  They certainly edge better than the old ones which was key.  That little bit of extra stiffness, the slight down turn, and the slight change of shape made this seem to perform much better than my old pair.  All in all I'm extremely happy I waited for these.  

Anyone who's been climbing in them for a few weeks or so able to comment on what the break-in/stretch is like so far, if at all?  I have a few pairs right now with a half-size difference, trying to figure out which to keep.  Street shoe size feels good but I feel like if there's any noticeable stretch I'll lose a lot of the edging ability, while half-size down has a bit too much toe curl for my liking out of the box, especially for crack usage.  

I would go 1/2 down. Street shoe sizing has stretched enough to be a little sloppy. 1/2 size down are still a little tight (but good) but I haven't had a chance to wear on a warm, multipitch climb to really break them in.

I wish they'd make em in larger sizes, I like five ten fitting, but this one (like the tc pros I guess) stop at 13.  Only the Maestro's go up to 15.

Hi all, sorry if I offend anyone by putting this here rather than exclusively in the "for sale" area, but I thought if you cared enough to be into this thread you might appreciate some direct marketing.

I've got a pair of size 10 old style ones in basically brand new shape that I've given up on trying to make work (I tried them maybe twice in the gym and couldn't leave them on my feet long enough to climb more than a couple TRs and boulders in them). PM me with an offer if interested. 

Don't forget that Adidas offers 40% off with an AAC discount.
Brings them down to $108 and shipping is included.

Simon Leigh wrote: I wish they'd make em in larger sizes, I like five ten fitting, but this one (like the tc pros I guess) stop at 13.  Only the Maestro's go up to 15.

I hear you, Simon. I'm a 14 and only BD's momentums fit me.

I know other shoes would but I'm vegan so most of them are ruled out.

Alright- finally got my hands on a pair. I only climb in Grandstones.  My old pairs are going on .... WAY too many resoles so I'm eager to find a new shoe.  At first contact I'm a bit disappointed.

Ordered a pair in the same size as all my other pairs and... barely could get them on my feet, so the sizing is smaller.  They seem better constructed, but with the better construction came an edge roll both at the lace area and heel which placed a painful pressure point in both spots when I walked around the house with them. The old flat, un-reinforced  leather edges did not create pressure points. The toe box is a tad narrower and they are definitely stiffer, which is going to make it a bit harder to use it as an all day shoe. 

I'm mailing them back and I'll reorder a 1/2 size larger , but I'm concerned the redesign may be incompatible with my feet. :(

Maidy wrote: Alright- finally got my hands on a pair. I only climb in Grandstones.  My old pairs are going on .... WAY too many resoles so I'm eager to find a new shoe.  At first contact I'm a bit disappointed.

Ordered a pair in the same size as all my other pairs and... barely could get them on my feet, so the sizing is smaller.  They seem better constructed, but with the better construction came an edge roll both at the lace area and heel which placed a painful pressure point in both spots when I walked around the house with them. The old flat, un-reinforced  leather edges did not create pressure points. The toe box is a tad narrower and they are definitely stiffer, which is going to make it a bit harder to use it as an all day shoe.

I'm mailing them back and I'll reorder a 1/2 size larger , but I'm concerned the redesign may be incompatible with my feet. :(

Skip, I had the same concern about size when I got mine.   By the end of a few routes the first day my toes were killing me and I was worried I made a huge mistake.   After a few more days the shoe seemed to stretch out to the point now that I may go down a size in my next pair and keep the one pair for all day routes and the smaller size for cragging.   

Just gotta get a pair in a size I can tolerate on my feet long enough to  actually try climbing in :) 

Thanks for the great review Doug.  I've been a sportiva fanboy for a long time and a general hater on 5.10 but these might actually get me to change my mind.  They look super good!

I find the Size-chart quite accurate.

I just picked up a pair, same size as my tight but comfy quantum's.  Their really comfy, but I worry they may stretch a little to much.  Next pair will be at least a half size smaller then the quantum's.

To add to the conversation, I ordered a pair online on October 13 and have climbed about 50 pitches in them over various weekends since then.

I find them extremely comfortable and the build quality has been impressive. They edge extremely well and the C4 still bites beautifully on the Southern AZ granite we have on Mt. Lemmon. They felt clunky the first few pitches, but I had been climbing in well-worn TC Pros and Miura VSs up until that point. After the first day, I was trusting them on very small edges and they were smearing comfortably. I haven't taken them up any cracks, so I can't speak to that.

They have flattened out a little bit in the arch and toe box, but they still support the mid-foot/arch of the foot very well. No foot fatigue at all in them. I haven't noticed any stretch... yet. I sized them at SS size: 9.5. For reference, with 5.10, I wear the following:

• Anasazi Pro: 9
• Blackwing: 10
• Dragon (old): 10
• Blanco: 9.5

I wear a 40.5 in all LS shoes and a 42 in Scarpa, if the references help. For my intended use with the Grandstone as an all day, comfortable shoe, I would probably stick with a 9.5, if I ordered again.

A brief comparison to the TC Pro - I love the TC Pros, but my pair are pretty haggard at this point and have stretched to where my heel slips if I don't have them super locked down with the lacing, and the arches in both my feet start to burn something fierce after a few pitches. I find the Grandstone hugs my heel and Achilles a lot better and I like the slight downturn for the suction fit it provides against the arch of my foot. In choosing between the two, I would purchased another pair of Grandstones. We'll see if that opinion holds after they've stretched a bit, if they do stretch.

As a bonus, I think they're a solid-looking shoe. The color ascents look pretty sweet, in my opinion, and the inner lining is the most comfortable of any shoe I've worn, save for my Futuras.

Can anyone comment on the sizing difference between the grandstones and TCs? Did you go bigger, smaller, the same?

Nico Buxbaum wrote: Can anyone comment on the sizing difference between the grandstones and TCs? Did you go bigger, smaller, the same?

I went SS size for the Grandstone - 9.5. I could probably go down half a size and it would still be comfortable enough. I'm consistently a size 40.5 for all LS shoes, including the TCs.

Casey Collyer wrote:

I went SS size for the Grandstone - 9.5. I could probably go down half a size and it would still be comfortable enough. I'm consistently a size 40.5 for all LS shoes, including the TCs.

Thanks. I guess what complicates this is the differences in the relationship between US and EU sizes that La Sportiva and 5.10 have. Kinda annoying. When people here are saying go with your street shoe size I believe they are referring to their street shoe in US, not EU size. If you went by EU size you would have a shoe that's way too small. 

Casey Collyer wrote: To add to the conversation, I ordered a pair online on October 13 and have climbed about 50 pitches in them over various weekends since then.

I find them extremely comfortable and the build quality has been impressive. They edge extremely well and the C4 still bites beautifully on the Southern AZ granite we have on Mt. Lemmon. They felt clunky the first few pitches, but I had been climbing in well-worn TC Pros and Miura VSs up until that point. After the first day, I was trusting them on very small edges and they were smearing comfortably. I haven't taken them up any cracks, so I can't speak to that.

They have flattened out a little bit in the arch and toe box, but they still support the mid-foot/arch of the foot very well. No foot fatigue at all in them. I haven't noticed any stretch... yet. I sized them at SS size: 9.5. For reference, with 5.10, I wear the following:

• Anasazi Pro: 9
• Blackwing: 10
• Dragon (old): 10
• Blanco: 9.5

I wear a 40.5 in all LS shoes and a 42 in Scarpa, if the references help. For my intended use with the Grandstone as an all day, comfortable shoe, I would probably stick with a 9.5, if I ordered again.

A brief comparison to the TC Pro - I love the TC Pros, but my pair are pretty haggard at this point and have stretched to where my heel slips if I don't have them super locked down with the lacing, and the arches in both my feet start to burn something fierce after a few pitches. I find the Grandstone hugs my heel and Achilles a lot better and I like the slight downturn for the suction fit it provides against the arch of my foot. In choosing between the two, I would purchased another pair of Grandstones. We'll see if that opinion holds after they've stretched a bit, if they do stretch.

As a bonus, I think they're a solid-looking shoe. The color ascents look pretty sweet, in my opinion, and the inner lining is the most comfortable of any shoe I've worn, save for my Futuras.

So you're a 7.5 in La Sportiva and a 9.5 in a Grandstone?! Damn. I'm a 9.5 in Sportiva and a street 10.5. I was assuming I'd go street size if I bought grandstones... 

Royal wrote:

So you're a 7.5 in La Sportiva and a 9.5 in a Grandstone?! Damn. I'm a 9.5 in Sportiva and a street 10.5. I was assuming I'd go street size if I bought grandstones... 

Actually, an 8.0 in LS, 9.5 for the Grandstone. Sportiva equates an EU 40.5 to a US 8, so a 1.5 size down from my street shoe size. 

I'd say the size 10 grandstones were similar to size 42 TC Pros.  Actually the grandstones are slightly larger but they stretch less.  I'm size 10 street and the grandstones hurt for about a day or two of use before settling into a decent stretch.  Normally I wear 42.5 TC Pros which are darn near perfect size.  I have a pair of 42's that were tight but they stretched out pretty well.