Characteristics and specifics
Adidas Five Ten has now added a professional model to its bestseller “Hiangle”. According to the manufacturer, the “Hiangle Pro” is a “bouldering shoe for professional demands when climbing at the highest levels of difficulty”. So what has this shoe really got on offer?
The Adidas Five Ten Hiangle Pro Climbing Shoe was developed specifically with modern indoor bouldering in mind. I went through all the features on offer, and really put them to the test:
- microfibre upper material for short breaking in time
- Two-part sole for flexibility in the midfoot area
- Extremely grippy and sensitive Stealth C4 rubber compound
- Rounded, edge-free rubber on the inside of the sole
- Circular, round heel rubber
- Strong downturn and stable pre-tension
Sizing and Fit
Before I can form a meaningful opinion about the features of the Hiangle Pro, I must of course find my correct size. Stereotypically, I had wanted to try it on a size one and a half sizes smaller. “After all, it is a performance-heavy bouldering shoe, it has to be tight” – this is/was my broad-minded train of thought…
At this point, I can save you some trial and error: Just try the climbing shoe in your normal street shoe size, that ought to be spot on!
The fit of the climbing shoe is moderately narrow in the forefoot area, but the toe box offers astonishingly much space without an uncomfortable setup and without losing control or sensitivity. My heel is also perfectly framed by the Hiangle Pro, leaving no excess material on the sides, making slippage impossible.
On the wall – can the Hiangle Pro keep its versatile promises?
Already when I found my size, I had a very comfortable feeling and that out of the box! After six weeks of testing, I can say that the bouldering shoe adapts to the foot extremely quickly, and fortunately only widens slightly. This means you can rely on your sizing choice when they are brand new.
So how do they perform: Specially developed for indoor bouldering, three features of the Hiangle Pro stand out in the practical test.
The rounded rubber on the inside of the bouldering shoe provides an enormous contact surface, especially in volume and compression problems. Challenging frictional moves are thus noticeably supported by the climbing shoe. A strong edge on the sole rubber can often lead to an interruption of the tension to the contact surface. This is effectively prevented by the rounded inner side, and thus the transmission of force remains even and predictable. Toehooks feel amazingly solid and simple, and the rubber surface, which is pulled far into the upper shoe, offers awesome friction.
For a precise “grip” feeling with the toes, the two-part sole provides the necessary flexibility in the metatarsus to be able to squeeze the last bit of pressure out of the foothold even on very steep terrain.
The circumferential rubber heel coating is based on the same principle that is also used in the forefoot. An almost edge-free, round heel allows you to roll the shoe from the base of the hook until you have brought it into an upright position, without feeling that the friction has subsided in one place. The climbing shoe provides the surface with even feedback throughout the movement and you can fully rely on the hook once it is in place.
Summary
The Hiangle Pro by Adidas Five Ten is an excellent and well-thought-out climbing shoe, which impresses not only with its specific features but also with a permanently stable fit. I particularly liked the rounded rubber sole during testing and thought this adaptation of NoEdge technology particularly effective, both in the forefoot and heel area. If you feel like getting on it indoors this winter, the Hiangle Pro is certainly a very good choice, but do not forget to bring it to the crag, as its optimized power transmission will not disappoint out on real rock.
The Hiangle Pro from Adidas Five Ten in the Bergzeit-Shop