Review: Mad Rock Flash Lace Up

I recently defended the price rises instigated by Italian footwear manufacturer La Sportiva – who are not alone in upping prices – to an outraged consumer on a well known climbing internet forum. Said customer felt £100 was an unfair sum for a semi-handmade piece of technical equipment, constructed in Italy, I didn’t and still don’t. I’d fancy you’d struggle to find a pair of handmade Italian leather brogues for under £100, let alone something that’ll get you up F9a+! If you still think purchasing climbing shoes is a bum rap then consider your self lucky you’re not into football... The Addidas Predator Power Swerve football boot is a Far Eastern (not to mention mass) produced sports shoe retailing at a staggering £135! Sorry Mr. Beckham but I’m going rock climbing, it’s far better value for money.

The previous rambling anecdote was a loosely disguised attempt to show what excellent value for money a synthetic £60 performance rock boot is. So when that rock boot is reduced to £30 it’s such good value it wouldn’t matter if some idiot had painted black and red skulls all over it…

Overview
The product summary for the Mad Rock’s Flash Lace Up goes thus:

A proven performer with a redesigned twist. The Flash Lace Up is a superb shoe that can tackle face, trad and multi-pitch climbs with equal aplomb. Traditional construction allows for a comfortable, sensitive all-around shoe. Technical enough for competition climbing, yet comfortable enough for the rest of us!

This is a pretty fair assessment of the Flash Lace Up. I used the shoe over a varied array of styles, including limestone sport climbs, Lakeland traditional routes and some bouldering. The shoe proved an adequate weapon on most terrains, and excelled on vertical terrain and the angles either side of this gradient.

Fit
I have seen the Flash Lace Up compared to the Anasazi Verde/Lace Up and whilst not identical in its fit this is not an unfair comparison – this in itself makes the Flash Lace Up an even more attractive purchase. The precision toe box, narrow forefoot and well fitting heel are the main areas one can draw favorable similarities to the Five Ten models, the differences lie in small but important nuances. The Flash has a lower profile throughout and less volume in the toe box, making it a better option for the mainstream climber, who does not need/want to attain an optimum fit by crushing their toes into the front of the shoe. It also makes the shoe a more viable prospect for men with lower volume feet or women. The overall last of the shoe is also a little flatter and the heel less aggressively sling shot in style, again making for a more comfortable and easily accessible shoe. Sticking with the Five Ten comparison, the sizing is around half a size larger than the equivalent Anasazi’s. For example I use a UK7.5 in the Verde and a UK8 in the Flash Lace Up.

Construction
Despite not being constructed from leather this is a well honed animal. The upper is a 2mm SupaSuede synthetic – very similar to Five Ten’s Cowdura. This holds its shape extremely well, and even after a multitude of sessions the shoe stretches very little, a point worth considering when initially sizing the shoes. The lining is a “breathable” meshed synthetic fabric which also helps hold the shape of the shoe and improve overall comfort, although it can get a bit smelly with time. The sole is a 5.3mm Mad Rubber FX5 unit, Mad Rock’s stickiest rubber and an excellent performer with decent longevity. The rand and heel use a slightly more resilient compound which compromises a small amount of “stickiness” for higher levels endurance – ideal for those climbers who are prone to wearing holes in the front of their shoes. The heel is a pre-molded unit, so no need to fear the dreaded de-lamination, common in some shoes. It offers a good fit with little in the way of ‘dead space’ and the base of the heel cup is treaded to offer a little extra purchase on descents. As a general point the overall the build quality of Mad Rock shoes is one of the best in the business and we see very few stitching, fabric or de-lamination issues.

Summery
As I alluded to above this shoe is best suited to the climber seeking a comfortable all-round performance shoe for trad VS to E5 or sport climbs up to F7c. That said, if the route suited the shoes I’m sure they would perform well above these suggested grade ranges. Importantly the Flash Lace is very versatile due to the fact it can be fitted comfortably, snuggly or tight, whilst retaining relevant performance levels. Finally, these shoes had an original retail price of £60, which was a bloody bargain… at £30 quid they’re a giveaway!

Teddy Teach’s Shoe of Choice
Let’s not prevaricate about the bush; if you’re a dower chap like me the Mad Rock Flash Lace seems like a funny looking beast, decorated as it is with skull emblems. But fear not accomplished bargain hunter, if the skulls are causing you to hold off purchasing these top notch boots then we have a couple of tips for toning down the graphics.

1. Marker Pen or Tipex* – The standout feature on the upper graphics is the red eyes on a few of the skulls, with these covered the skulls merely look like black patches at anything other then close scrutiny. The eyes can be easily subdued with the aid of a couple of dabs of Tipex or a black permanent marker.
2. Rub-on Shoe Die* – A less easy solution, but still a cheap option, is to buy an externally applied shoe die. Simply rub on a dark colour and render the skulls invisible, without colouring the lining and ending up with blue (or whatever colour you deem suitable) feet every time you use the shoes.

*It goes without saying that you must make sure you are happy with the fit of the shoes before undertaking either of the previous tips. We cannot accept returned shoes once they have been altered in any way.


Purchase the Mad Rock Flash Lace Up at the DEAL price of £30 here.


There is another excellent review of the Mad Rock Flash Lace Up at UKClimbing.com, researched and written by top Yorkshire activist Kev Avery. Image: The Flash Lace Up in use at Malham Cove, Yorkshire. © Kevin Avery.

Read Kev's review here.