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evolv Pontas Rock Shoes

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Product Description,
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Part of the Chris Sharma Signature Series, the high-performance evolv Pontas rock shoes feature a glovelike fit for your feet that inspires confidence on technical climbs.

Ideal for sport climbing, bouldering and gym climbing, the Pontas shoes fuse precision, power and responsiveness
Grippy 2.2mm TRAX® rubber duro-rands surround lower part of uppers, protecting feet and enhancing friction; extended toe rands enables toe hooking
High-performance 4.2mm TRAX XT-5 high-friction rubber soles stick tenaciously to rock
Equipped with 3/4-length semi-stiff midsoles that balance edging power with responsiveness from the toes through the arches
KA-1 lasting delivers an asymmetrical toe profile that gives comfortable sensitivity and edging power
Flexible and durable Synthratek synthetic suede uppers resist stretching and dry quickly for long life
Cotton fiber lining adds comfort by managing moisture inside; lining limits stretching, providing an accurate and predictable fit

Average weight specification is per pair, based on size 9.

Made in USA.

Item 782890

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evolv Pontas Rock Shoes Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

evolv Pontas Rock Shoes

4.5

(based on 20 reviews)

90%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (16)
Versatile (13)
Rugged (9)
Sticky rubber (4)

Cons

Best Uses

Bouldering (19)
Outdoors (18)
Indoor (17)
Long climbs (14)

- Sizing:
- Feels full size too small
  
  Feels half size too small
  
  Feels true to size
  
  72%
  (13 reviews)
  Feels half size too big
  
  Feels full size too big
- Width:
- Feels too narrow
  
  Feels true to width
  
  94%
  (17 reviews)
  Feels too wide

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid climber (10), Casual/ recreational (6), Climber (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (4)

Reviewed by 20 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Feb

2009

(5 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Favorite Shoes!

By changorang

from Davis, Ca

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Rugged
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Long Climbs
Outdoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

So, these were my first Evolv shoes, and so far my favorite! They are great all around shoes! My first rock climbing shoes were from Mad Rock, then I got the Pontas. I also own the Optimus Prime, Kaos, and La Sportiva's Katana. I am personally more of a boulderer, but they are also very comfortable for longer climbs once you've owned them for sometime. I got these guys extra tight (8.5 where I usually wear a 10 in casual shoes).

Jul

2009

(3 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

...

By Infinity

from Albquerque, NM

About Me Competitive Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Poor Endurance
Uncomfortable

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Long Climbs
Outdoor
Sprint Climbs

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

If you are at all familiar with Evolv, you understand that they use an extremely soft, sticky rubber, which for smearing is good, but I wore out my last evolvs in three months. That said, these have a decent design. The toe hooking is wonderful, but there is a lot of dead space in this heel unlike the optimus. Also, these shoes are a little painful if sized for performance because the big toe area will not flex due to the thick rubber. Now for the good. These shoes have carried me up the hardest boulder problems I have ever touched, and they edge like freaks. The smearing is excellent and the heel, though huge, grabs anything. These also do not suffer from the stinky problem because they are not synthetically lined like the Defy. As well, these shoes are EXTREMELY soft feeling and are likely very comfy if sized for comfort.

Sep

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great shoe

By Just Push Forward

from San Jose, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Aggressive
Lightweight
Rugged
Versatile

Cons

Takes time to break in

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Long Climbs
Outdoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

My last shoes were the Mad Rock Phoenix, they were decent. I recently upgraded to these when I tore a hole in the Mad Rocks. I love these shoes so far. Had em about a week and they work very well. They are a bit stiff and seem to be breaking in rather slowly but surely. I'm guessing thats because of the rugged quality of the shoes to begin with so I'm not complaining. I went down a full size to 12 from my street shoes of 13, but seem to be true to the fit. They are real tight but very aggressive on overhangs when bouldering. I never could have done overhangs in my old shoes. If you get these, be patient to break them in because it does take some time but I think they will last quite a while after they are broken in.

Feb

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Not perfect, but a solid shoe

By Lowgone

from San Diego, CA

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Great edges
Lightweight
Sticky rubber

Cons

Loose fitting heel

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

I bought these after returning a pair of Evolv Defys I hated. They have an extra patch of rubber on the heel compared to the Defys so I figured they'd have what the Defys were missing (the Defys hurt to heelhook in).

Overall, a good shoe. They're uncomfortable, but so are any other climbing shoes that you buy small enough to perform well on tricky footwork. The rubber's good, they look cool, and are great for edging.

My one complaint is that my heel tends to start slipping out of the shoe during heelhooks, a complaint I've heard from other people at the gym I go to that also have the Pontas. I had the same issue with the Defys, but it's not as bad with the Pontas. Still a bummer though. I didn't have that problem with my Mad Rock Flashs I used before.

Other than the heel issue I occasionally encounter, I love these shoes!

Jun

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

YEEEE

By Seveance

from SoCal

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Sticky rubber
Versatile
Weather Resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Long Climbs
Outdoor
Smearing

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

So I just finished these shoes off, Lasted about 4 months of climbing 3 days a week min, with a outdoor day every other week. So pretty durable I would say. As far as performance these things are GREAT I'm buying a new pair tomorrow. The toe is stiff enough to where u can stand on a little chip, yet sensitive at the same time, Great edging and great toe hooking, Mine were to size so unfortunately on a HARD heal hook they would tend to slip off! So next pair shall be 1 size smaller and i should be set

Dec

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

my go to shoe

By shlindrat

from Asheville, NC

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Powerful
Precise
Rugged
Sensitive
Sticky
Versatile

Cons

High volume

Best Uses

All Around
Bouldering
Long Climbs
Outdoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

If I had to only climb in one shoe, this would be it. Great on technical face or slab, yet the pointy somewhat stiff big toe digs into pockets and little foot chips on overhanging terrain. These shoes are a great value, very durable, and super comfy - an all around performer suited for the intermediate or expert alike.

Mar

2009

(1 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

didnt disappoint me

By hychu

from irvine, ca

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Reliable
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

Technique

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

these were the first pair of shoes i got, and i didnt realize how great they were in terms of performance until later on. rubber on the shoes are great and solid. you can edge very well, weight is well distributed all over. mine are a size too small, so they are very tight, and responsive to whatever my feet do. pretty much, these shoes has never failed me.

Feb

2009

(1 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

we aren't chris sharma

By chris sharma wannabe

from tacoma, wa

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Rugged
Versatile

Cons

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Long Climbs
Outdoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

well its washington so mostly indoor use for me! but i cant wait till summer! it takes the breaking in but once you have then well...... i dont have to take it off right after a route! well it keeps an edge, and the rubber it quite sticky!
id say the only thing thats bad is it dyes your foot yellow when showered with. lol!

Mar

2011

4.0

Pretty good bouldering shoe

By Diver_Doug

from Cucamonga, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Doesn't stretch much
Lightweight
Rugged

Cons

Ugly
Uncomfortable

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor
Outdoor

Comments about evolv Pontas Rock Shoes:

I used these for several months bouldering (mostly indoors) and found them overall to be a quality shoe.

Pros: Velcro, sticky rubber, pretty durable, and they don't stretch much. There were very few footholds that I had these slip off of and they seemed to do everything from smearing, to edging, to heel-hooks, very well.

Cons: These things are hideous! Seriously, if these weren't climbing shoes, you could get beat-up for wearing them. Okay, them being ugly isn't really important, so here's the stuff that matters: it was fairly difficult to get the velcro really tight and since this shoe has a "split tongue" it can be difficult to get one side to tuck under the other. Also, I think opposing velcro straps (one strap pulls one way, one pulls the other way) is the way to go. With opposing straps the shoe doesn't feel like it is being pulled in one particular direction, it feels more balanced...not a big deal, but something worth noting. Also these shoes are really narrow. Although I have big feet, I don't have wide feet, and I still found that my big toe wanted to tuck under the toe next to it even though I only downsized 1/2 size from my street shoe.

Overall, this is a quality shoe. If you have pretty narrow feet then they would be an excellent choice, but if you have a foot that is even just average width, you'll likely find this shoe uncomfortably narrow. As a side note, I recently upgraded to the La Sportiva Katana and have found it to be a superior shoe in every way. The Katana is comparable in price to the Pontas, so that is definitely a shoe worth checking out.

For sizing the Pontas, I would go with your street size for comfort, or 1/2-1 size down for performance.