Best shoes to replace TC Pros?

Rexford Nesakwatch wrote:

Don't waste time cutting the rand to relieve pressure on your Achilles, it helps a little bit but ultimately TC Pros are going to really mess up your heels if they don't work for you now.

I don't know if you tried the rand cutting by yourself, but for me it made a huge difference and I could use the TC Pros without achile pressure problems. YMMV.

Shane Davis wrote:

Acopa fits me better than TC's. I have the Legend (low top) and JB (high top).  No durability issues for me.

Same here, I absolutely love my JB's. Wanted to love TC's but the fit never really worked out for me.

I really like the BD Aspect Pro.  My Achilles was bothered in the TC but I wanted a similar shoe.  I’ve been very happy with the BDs and I can wear them for 5 pitch climbs without taking them off.   Performance seems very similar too.  

If you’re not married to high tops, I think the UpLace is similar but better. Not sure about fit though. 

ubu wrote:

I've found the Scarpa Maestro to be a decent alternative.  Ankle protection isn't quite as good as the TC Pro, and has a bit of a downturn, but is super comfortable and no achilles torture.

I loved the Maestro. I love Yosemite Bums even more now!

Nate Nathanaelson wrote:

Same here, I absolutely love my JB's. Wanted to love TC's but the fit never really worked out for me.

Would you say you have wide, narrow, or average feet width? And volume wise, do you know if you have low volume or high volume feet?

Connor Hale wrote:

Would you say you have wide, narrow, or average feet width? And volume wise, do you know if you have low volume or high volume feet?

JBs are definitely a wider fit, as are most Acopa shoes. They have a moderate volume and a pretty high toe box that flattens somewhat over time but is never as thin as TCs. They're also softer in the sole than TCs, but burly and built enough in the upper to still have good stiffness for edging.

Their return and shipping policy is pretty good if you're patient, allowing you to try on and ship back shoes as many times as you like. You can also email them with other shoes that fit you and they will provide recommendations.

Sorry to resurrect a one year old thread but I thought it would lend to my question as opposed to starting a new thread.  

I love TC Pros and they fit great for me (once I do a few rear rand cuts) and when I got my last new pair 2-3 years ago, I turned my first pair into my gym shoe.

Well, the old pair has now worn completely through and I was wondering if anyone new of an under $100 shoe that fits like a TC Pro.

I have some less-than-comfortable gym shoes but these days I only climb in the gym to keep somewhat fit for outdoor climbing and I want a cheap, comfortable indoor one.  Not worried about top end performance at all, just comfort and some decent ability of the shoe for indoor stuff.

Thanks.  

Buck Rogers wrote:

Sorry to resurrect a one year old thread but I thought it would lend to my question as opposed to starting a new thread.  

I love TC Pros and they fit great for me (once I do a few rear rand cuts) and when I got my last new pair 2-3 years ago, I turned my first pair into my gym shoe.

Well, the old pair has now worn completely through and I was wondering if anyone new of an under $100 shoe that fits like a TC Pro.

I have some less-than-comfortable gym shoes but these days I only climb in the gym to keep somewhat fit for outdoor climbing and I want a cheap, comfortable indoor one.  Not worried about top end performance at all, just comfort and some decent ability of the shoe for indoor stuff.

Thanks.  

If TCs fit you well and you want a cheap/comfortable option, I'd recommend the Finale 

As John Bigroom pointed out already, it's extremely easy to modify TC Pros. I use a leather punch with a hammer to add 3 stress relief holes (left, back, and right) on each rand. You can get a punch set for about $10 on Amazon - I like the 3/32" size punch.

Not reading the whole thread so this may have been said but I have been a Gen 1 TC snob, and recently got 5.10 Grandstones and LOVE them. Softer, TC probably does thin edging better, but love em. 

Unparallel uprise pro! Same price range unfortunately, but they are weapons! Super stiff and high performance

Buck Rogers wrote:

Sorry to resurrect a one year old thread but I thought it would lend to my question as opposed to starting a new thread.  

I love TC Pros and they fit great for me (once I do a few rear rand cuts) and when I got my last new pair 2-3 years ago, I turned my first pair into my gym shoe.

Well, the old pair has now worn completely through and I was wondering if anyone new of an under $100 shoe that fits like a TC Pro.

I have some less-than-comfortable gym shoes but these days I only climb in the gym to keep somewhat fit for outdoor climbing and I want a cheap, comfortable indoor one.  Not worried about top end performance at all, just comfort and some decent ability of the shoe for indoor stuff.

Thanks.  

Have you considered resoling? Even if you’ve worn through the inner lining, some resolers can repair the shoe. I have gym shoes with 3+ resoles. 

Scarpa Generator seems like the best first place to look.

Boreal Ballet

JaredG wrote:

Have you considered resoling? Even if you’ve worn through the inner lining, some resolers can repair the shoe. I have gym shoes with 3+ resoles. 

This is probably the way to go as I'm looking to stay around $100 or less and I am only using them as gym shoes, where I do not care so much about grade as comfort.

I love my new TC Pros for outdoors but do not want to chew them up on indoor walls.

My fear was that I can literally see my toe through the hole on the right so not sure that anyone can really do it but I'll look into it!

Buck Rogers wrote:

My fear was that I can literally see my toe through the hole on the right so not sure that anyone can really do it but I'll look into it!

If you can see toe, I'd say get a new pair and be diligent about resoling on the next new pair (maybe a bit prematurely, as this prevents incurring the charge of toe cap replacements). The cost of adding a toe cap+resole+hand stitching to fix the leather/synthetic lining with a toe hole is approaching the $100 mark by some pricing guides. Once you send in your first pair to get resoled, you can pick up a new pair to use while the first is in the shop. At that point is when you start to see the savings come through, where a resole costs 50-60, and a brand new shoe is 120-210, depending on what ya go with. Of course, I'm a chuffer, not a resoler, and a goofball to boot, so take this advice with many grains of salt. 

I sent in 3 pairs recently. The labor for the 3 pairs came out to $195. To replace all 3 pairs with brand new copies would run me $537. 

I had a pretty serious Achilles injury/recovery ~12 years ago. I found that stretching out my TCs was the best way to go. I used a hairdryer to heat it up, and a wooden spoon handle to stretch out the Achilles area. It took at least an hour, maybe 2.

Just a word from one Achilles injured person to another, make sure to do PT even after you think you’re back to normal-ish. I neglected that, and I ended up causing a lot of damage to other joints from overcompensation. My rock climbing career is pretty much at life-end at this point because of that damage. 

I don’t know if you’re looking for another “trad boot” but the Black Diamond Aspect Pro is a less aggressively tensioned high top offering that’s easier on the achilles. There’s a few other big differences too, like: it has less volume on top of the toe box which I like ; the toe is wide ish with a slight rounded shape to the front compared to the more pointed TC Pro ; I think the rubber might be softer than the TC too.

I think it’s a good fit to address your achilles issue. I don’t know if it’s what you’re looking for ,all differences considered, but I find it to be a nice addition to the quiver next to the TC.

I had a cobbler (Hard Send in Louisville) modify my TC heel rands by putting a pressure-relieving patch that spreads the pressure in that area out enough that my heels don’t hurt while wearing them anymore. Seemed to be a better fix than just cutting my TCs up. They feel better while also aesthetically looking pretty much the same.

While I waited for my TCs to get modified I climbed in the Scarpa Generators and also liked those. They feel even stiffer than TCs while the materials also feel comfier. The heels are a tad loose in the size I got though (street shoe size).