Anyone use these shoes/brand for pulling?

[Ryan Bracewell]

I bought these shoes yesterday for next weekends competition, but I wanted to make sure they would work before I go break them in. They only have the soft rubber on the front of the foot, but I figured if I am on my heels I am in trouble anyway. My only concern is these shoes were designed with a toe down flex, and truck pulling will put it in the extreme oposite position.

Shoe at REI (http://www.rei.com/product/746020)

[Paul Neuhaus]

Honestly, I wouldn't compete in shoes that I haven't trained in for a while. My shoes are oart of my "comfort zone".

Here's a good example......
Since you own a supp store, I'm sure you know it would be a bad idea to try new supps on contest day, without using them on your training days to see how your body reacts. For me, then same goes for my shoes.

[Ryan Bracewell]

I completely agree. The reason I am going to use these is because I have not had success with other shoes during practice truck pulls (only done it twice) so I dont have a comfort zone in that event yet. When/If I break them in I will be pushing my 1-ton truck working on my footwork.

[Paul Neuhaus]

Pretty much all rock climbing shoes are good for truck pulls. Just make sure you wear them a few times and get a feel for them, because they are unlike anything you've ever had on your feet.

Personally, I wear Bufo Weapons. http://www.rockshoes.com/shoes/weapons.asp
I prefer them because they're hand made, and they have a product guarantee inlike any other company. If any of the seams start to split just the slightest bit, I can send my shoes back and get them replaced for free.

[Chris Dwyer]

Pretty much all rock climbing shoes are good for truck pulls. Just make sure you wear them a few times and get a feel for them, because they are unlike anything you've ever had on your feet.

Personally, I wear Bufo Weapons. http://www.rockshoes.com/shoes/weapons.asp
I prefer them because they're hand made, and they have a product guarantee inlike any other company. If any of the seams start to split just the slightest bit, I can send my shoes back and get them replaced for free.

Thanks for this info. I want to order a pair. How did you choose the size in comparison to your normal shoe size? I hear you're supposed to get these smaller.

[Ryan Bracewell]

Thanks for this info. I want to order a pair. How did you choose the size in comparison to your normal shoe size? I hear you're supposed to get these smaller.
you want them to fit tight, but you will probably need to get a size bigger than your tennis shoes. I wear a 13 or 14 in running shoes, and I could not even get my foot into the 13 climbing shoe. i ended up going with the 14 or 15, cant remember.

[Paul Neuhaus]

Thanks for this info. I want to order a pair. How did you choose the size in comparison to your normal shoe size? I hear you're supposed to get these smaller.
Everyone is different, but they should fit so tightly that they're uncomfortable to wear for more then 10 minutes. Your toes should even curl up a little bit when they're on, and this will ensure that your feet don't slip at all inside the shoe, so you get the most out of each stride.

If you go to that link, and email the company, they'll work with you on sizing. Address your email to Jenness Shortreed. Hopefully she's still working their. She's a really nice lady, and very helpful. Their customer service is awesome!

[Chris Dwyer]

Thank you!

[Kurt Hessenbruch]

Everyone is different, but they should fit so tightly that they're uncomfortable to wear for more then 10 minutes.

I actually disagree with that, but as Paul said, everyone's different. In my opinion, they should be tight enough so that your feet don't slip, but not to the point of discomfort. That's what rock climbers strive for, but for pulling, I think it makes more sense to have them fit like a very snug athletic shoe. This way, they won't slip, but the larger size will give you slightly more surface area coming in contact with the ground.

That said, it's just my preference. If you're inclined to look up last year's Fox Cities results, you'll probably decide that Paul's advice carries quite a bit more weight than my own.

[Stu Christensen]

I actually disagree with that, but as Paul said, everyone's different. In my opinion, they should be tight enough so that your feet don't slip, but not to the point of discomfort. That's what rock climbers strive for, but for pulling, I think it makes more sense to have them fit like a very snug athletic shoe. This way, they won't slip, but the larger size will give you slightly more surface area coming in contact with the ground.

That said, it's just my preference. If you're inclined to look up last year's Fox Cities results, you'll probably decide that Paul's advice carries quite a bit more weight than my own.
I agree with this... when used for their engineered purpose (climbing), they should fit very tight... but when used for strongman... I would recommend a snug but comfortable size.

[Rus Mandery]

http://www.rei.com/product/743743

[Derek Poundstone]

Just saw this thread and figures I'd give my $.02. When I picked up my truck pulling shoes several years ago, I spent a ton of time researching to find the right ones, I landed on these http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/230. They have a very snug fit if sized correclty and they bite like crazy. I've pulled everything from Tri-Axle Dump Trucks to 50,000 lb Fire Engines with the shoes and they've performed very well. The tow box seems a bit small (contact patch) but the material is very aggressive. I recommend when you pick up a new shoe, you roughen up the bottom of the front tip a bit to aid in breaking the shoe in. Also, a truck push isn't the best way to get used to a new pair of rock climbing shoe. You need to instill confidence with the grip by doing a truck pull and getting your body as close to the ground as possible. It can be a bit ackward to get you body so low that your face is only a foot of two off the ground but this is the most powerful position. If your truck is too light for a good pull, try it up a slight incline or lightly set the parking break!

[Ryan Bracewell]

Just saw this thread and figures I'd give my $.02. When I picked up my truck pulling shoes several years ago, I spent a ton of time researching to find the right ones, I landed on these http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/230. They have a very snug fit if sized correclty and they bite like crazy. I've pulled everything from Tri-Axle Dump Trucks to 50,000 lb Fire Engines with the shoes and they've performed very well. The tow box seems a bit small (contact patch) but the material is very aggressive. I recommend when you pick up a new shoe, you roughen up the bottom of the front tip a bit to aid in breaking the shoe in. Also, a truck push isn't the best way to get used to a new pair of rock climbing shoe. You need to instill confidence with the grip by doing a truck pull and getting your body as close to the ground as possible. It can be a bit ackward to get you body so low that your face is only a foot of two off the ground but this is the most powerful position. If your truck is too light for a good pull, try it up a slight incline or lightly set the parking break!

Thanks for the advice Derek. I agree the push is not the same as the pull. I have done both with my truck(F-350) and the push is does not feel the same. The only reason I was going to push it to break in the shoes was because I will not have access to a harness until the day of my contest. The harness I have been practicing on is owned by the Ortmayer's and I have not had a chance to get to the Unit in the past week to use it.

[MarshallWhite]

You should contact Pete Konradt about what shoes he uses to pull in (5-10 I think) apparently they invented some new type of rubber that is wicked sticky.....he even has a commercial he did for them in which he just sticks the bottoms of the two shoe together by slapping them against one another! They seem to be good shoes and they sponsor strongman which is always good!

[Dave Bernreuther]

You should contact Pete Konradt about what shoes he uses to pull in (5-10 I think) apparently they invented some new type of rubber that is wicked sticky.....he even has a commercial he did for them in which he just sticks the bottoms of the two shoe together by slapping them against one another! They seem to be good shoes and they sponsor strongman which is always good!

Yep, http://www.fiveten.com/ - he's on there as a featured athlete. They don't look the same as the other rock climbers I've seen but if they're that sticky they must be good.

[Kurt Hessenbruch]

You should contact Pete Konradt about what shoes he uses to pull in (5-10 I think) apparently they invented some new type of rubber that is wicked sticky.....

Yes, Five Ten uses Stealth rubber, which is the known by climbers as being the stickiest around. This is what I use:

http://www.spadout.com/images/shoe/ft_altia.jpg

They're awesome, but unfortunately, they're also discontinued.

[Jared Enderton]

dang. these have been so expensive. i love the advice from anyone. are there any cheaper rock climbing shoes people have that work really well? or is it pretty much you get what you pay for...?

[Chris Dwyer]

Lots of great feedback on this thread. If anyone's interested, I ended up purchasing these and got them a 1/2 size smaller than I typically wear. http://www.rockshoes.com/shoes/unbreakables.asp

I used them at Chicago's Strongest Man for the truck pull and the sled drag and they worked great, though they are not at all comfortable! :)

[Wayne Lam]

I used the exact pair of shoes the original poster listed. It was also my first time using them and I didn't have any trouble with them. They didn't slip when I was doing the truckpull at the Golden State Competition. Now, all I have to do is break them in and maybe start using them to Rock Climb since my gym has a wall.

Oh yea, and on size, the sales clerk said to get them to fit snugly but not cramping tight. I normally wear a size 10.5 and sometimes I can fit a 10 comfortably, so I got an 11. I know this is 3 weeks late, but whatever. :)

[Ryan Bracewell]

I loved the way my shoes worked. Dont think they would work well for a drag, but for pulls they are great. I got 1st on the Truck pull the very first time Iused them. Must have been the Shoes! :D