Evolv Yosemite Bum: Another failed attempt at the TC Hoes or something to get excited about?

I'm curious what people's first impression of these are. I believe they will be a spring 2023 release to replace the phased out General. I will be getting a pair soon so I can hopefully weigh in with a proper review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0rV_0DhdoI&t=1s

Looks like a TC, but do they climb like a TC???

Ideally slightly wider across the toes/knuckles than the TC, but otherwise alike. 

I’m curious if the upper is synthetic or leather, and how the heel fits. Maybe a replacement for the discontinued Grandstones as well? I like my grandstones a lot, so I’ve been waiting to learn more about the Yosemite Bum. 

Ben Podborskiwrote:

Ideally slightly wider across the toes/knuckles than the TC, but otherwise alike. 

A TC imitator with a wider fit, but otherwise similar, would be a great addition to the market for those who can't quite fit the TC.

The question is whether they are successful in capturing the performance of the TC. The other TC imitators have mostly fallen short.

Evolv has been putting out some good shoes lately. They've upped their game a lot from where they were 5-10 years ago. So I'm cautiously optimistic about this one.

Will have to grab a pair of these and the new BD hightop to compare. Credit card debt doesn’t make itself right?

John Clarkwrote:

Credit card debt doesn’t make itself right?

You are the People's Champion

My feet like Evolv's last. I will be ordering these as soon as possible.

Dave Aliewrote:

You are the People's Champion

Link to GoFundMe Here

That rubber though. Meh.

Peter Funkwrote:

My feet like Evolv's last. I will be ordering these as soon as possible.

Becoming a big fan of how the Evolv lasts generally let the big toe point straight ahead, rather than pulling it toward the center of the shoe. My feet are starting to dislike that aspect of the TC.

I agree, I’ve used SAS on TC pros in yosemite and they are not great for edging

Why is every high-top shoe considered a "TC-Pro" knock off?

I own a pair of Evolv Generals and like them a lot. They are comfortable and edge better than my TCs. The TCs jam better. Both are great. I suspect the Yosemite Bum is just an updated General. 

John Clarkwrote:

I agree, I’ve used SAS on TC pros in yosemite and they are not great for edging

Are they using SAS for this shoe? Would seem like the wrong rubber to use. Too soft. They have a harder rubber though - XE. Is that any good? They used XE on the General, which makes sense. Presumably would do the same for the new high top.

I generally don't buy into the rubber brand loyalty hype. I think its mostly superstition, at least in the current era. I've used C4, XS Grip, and SAS side by side and IMO they all work well in appropriate terrain/conditions for a medium-soft rubber. 

But the selection of a stiff vs soft rubber does make a big difference, in my experience. SAS isn't ideal for thin vert edging on a warm day in Yosemite - but neither is XS Grip. Both are too soft for that terrain and conditions. You really want Edge or Onyxx (RIP) there, or perhaps XE.

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Other note: naming this shoe the "Yosemite Bum" is super confusing since that's already the name of their resole company.

John Clarkwrote:

Will have to grab a pair of these and the new BD hightop to compare. Credit card debt doesn’t make itself right?

Ive got my hands on both and the new BD hightop is absurdly soft. I only got to touch them during a demo but I did a double take because it felt like slipper. The rubber on the YB (SAS I stand corrected) is much stiffer although I guess its coming from the middle because its SAS.

K Lwrote:

Ive got my hands on both and the new BD hightop is absurdly soft. I only got to touch them during a demo but I did a double take because it felt like slipper. The rubber on the YB (XE I’m guessing) is much stiffer similar to the TC.

Interesting. Wonder if they made it softer because they know most people who buy them won’t need the edging performance. Most the TCs I see are on “just bought my first real pair of serious shoes” beginners in the gym.

Been in them for about 6 months now. They have a wider toe box than TCs and a less pronounced toe point.

Definitely softer than TCs but not soft by any means.

Happy to answers questions or show comparisons if people want them

JCMwrote:

Are they using SAS for this shoe? Would seem like the wrong rubber to use. Too soft. They have a harder rubber though - XE. Is that any good? They used XE on the General, which makes sense. Presumably would do the same for the new high top.

I actually got around to watching the video, and I stand corrected. They are using SAS rubber on the Yosemite Bum shoe. 

Seems like a bad choice that will limit it's performance for this application. SAS is great on a downturned bouldering shoe. But too soft for thin granite edging. There's a reason Sportiva put Edge on the TC, rather than Grip.

JCMwrote:

I actually got around to watching the video, and I stand corrected. They are using SAS rubber on the Yosemite Bum shoe. 

Seems like a bad choice that will limit it's performance for this application. SAS is great on a downturned bouldering shoe. But too soft for thin granite edging. There's a reason Sportiva put Edge on the TC, rather than Grip.

They could also be using a stiff midsole to compensate, though of course it'll still be softer than using the harder rubber

Isaac Mann-Silvermanwrote:

They could also be using a stiff midsole to compensate, though of course it'll still be softer than using the harder rubber

I seem to remember that 5.10 still used C4 rubber rather than Onyx on the Blancos despite them being marketed as an extreme edging shoe, so the combination can work.

BD Aspect Pros JCM was mentioning. They look like they have a thinner toe profile for jamming, might need to break out the black sharpie to make them less garish though. 170 Euros so maybe not too expensive in USD