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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 21, 2015 - 03:54pm PT
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My son works at PG and came home with a pair of shoes that he has been wearing for a month or so. They were made to measure and he is very happy with them. Might be a good option for people with odd feet or something.
Besides, I have a soft spot for people who hand craft climbing gear. I know it's impossible to make a profit and difficult to break even selling to a bunch of dirtbags.
http://sftclimbing.wordpress.com/
I put some photos of his pair here:
http://dammerr.com/SFT/
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Oct 21, 2015 - 04:24pm PT
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Locker...you should want shoes at that price point to sell like hotcakes. People would surely resole them until they completely fell apart.
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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 21, 2015 - 05:21pm PT
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I wonder what the cost in time and materials is to make a pair of shoes.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Oct 21, 2015 - 08:35pm PT
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The cuts, and stitches look ultra rough. Is that meant to be part of the attraction?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Oct 21, 2015 - 10:46pm PT
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looks legit.
If your son is at PG, do you think he would let me sit down while belaying if I played up the "I've climb with your pop at Pinnacles, sitting down, while drinking a beer" angle?
;)
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Banquo
climber
Amerricka
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 22, 2015 - 08:21am PT
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I had not seen the earlier thread nor had I seen the linked article. The article has a lot of background info. I'd say the operation looks very legit. It looks like there has been substantial investment in equipment. The price is high for dirtbag climbers but men pay that much for cycling shoes and dress shoes. Women pay much more than that for utterly ridiculous shoes.
http://www.climbingbusinessjournal.com/bringing-tech-savvy-to-climbing-shoes/
Munge,
I've informed my son that from now on you are only to be allowed to perform hanging belays at PG.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Oct 22, 2015 - 08:54am PT
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Custom sized shoes is unlikely to become a mainstream business but I bet there are a lot of people with feet that don't conform to standard sizing, especially for climbing shoes with fewer options. A well fitting comfortable shoe can make the difference between surviving and enjoying an adventure.
So for those who need it, I think the price is right.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Oct 22, 2015 - 09:46am PT
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A well fitting comfortable shoe can make the difference between surviving and enjoying an adventure.
So for those who need it, I think the price is right.
I somewhat agree, as I always thought custom footwear was the future, but honestly that is why Mythos are so popular....
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Mei
Trad climber
I'm back!
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Oct 22, 2015 - 10:56am PT
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cost in time and materials
I have a feeling that's not how pricing works.
I remember a story from our neighbor. A guy making a living doing odd jobs had a piece of rare antique or art, for which he hoped to consult with a lawyer in that (whatever) field for some advice. (I don't know the details there, so don't scrutinize.) So he called up a lawyer living in the same community. She told him she could do a consult with him, and the neighborly rate would be $500/per hour. Needless to say, he never went for the consult. What's the cost and material for that service? (Yeah yeah yeah... law school cost, whatever.)
Remember the drug that had a 5000% price hike?
In the end, I think supply and demand ultimately rules (in capitalism anyway).
I personally do not think these custom climbing shoes are over priced considering many other over priced goods and services, even though I myself, despite my severe bone deformation in a foot, will always try to make some lower priced solution (e.g. La Sportiva shoes) somewhat work for me. I can get by. But I can see that some people may not have that way out or some people may not flinch at all at the price (after all, the company is San Francisco).
The company is pretty cool. They were one of the sponsors of our recent competition over the weekend, where two people, including my partner, were lucky enough to win in a winners' raffle a certificate to get a pair of custom made shoes. I guess I'll hear my partner's user review someday.
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skitch
Gym climber
Bend Or
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Oct 22, 2015 - 02:26pm PT
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I was just listening to a podcast about Signs of a Bubble in San Francisco. . . but for some reason custom climbing shoes for $350 didn't come up . . .strange.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Oct 22, 2015 - 02:38pm PT
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^ $350 is "only" 10% of monthly rental for a 1 bdrm apartment in SF.
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lcshu
Boulder climber
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Oct 22, 2015 - 05:07pm PT
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Hi all, I'm the person who designs and builds SFT's shoes.
Thanks to locker and fivethirty for pointing out that our cost comparison graphic needs some clarification. I'll have to work on that :). It was supposed to convey that SFT custom shoes fall between off-the-shelf shoes (as fivethirty pointed out, the Genius is around $190) and traditionally manufactured custom shoes (which start at $500 per pair).
All SFT shoes are $350 per pair, and most of the cost is in fact time/expertise and materials. Like Roots said, I believe custom shoes are the future; by using digital manufacturing techniques (like CAD models and laser cutting), SFT has reduced the price of custom shoes by $150 already. And we're working on technologies that will further reduce the cost.
Also, since I know that SFT shoes are currently an investment, if they don't fit you, I'll remake them for free.
OK, I've talked long enough here: if you're curious about how I get the fit right, make each pair of shoes, or anything else, I don't mind getting emails (laura@sftclimbing.com) or, if you see me around a gym, feel free to introduce yourself!
Cheers,
Laura
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Oct 22, 2015 - 08:22pm PT
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Thx Dan, er I think. ;)
More power to you Laura
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Guernica
climber
dark places
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Oct 22, 2015 - 10:04pm PT
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I love it when people carve out a niche in the marketplace, then rock said niche. Best of luck Laura & team!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Oct 22, 2015 - 10:59pm PT
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... that is why Mythos are so popular.... Good point -- un comfort is a deal-breaker right off the bat.
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two-shoes
Trad climber
Auberry, CA
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Oct 23, 2015 - 09:22pm PT
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Best of luck!
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Nov 19, 2015 - 07:30pm PT
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I ordered a pair of SFT custom shoes, which arrived a couple days ago, are very well made, and fit perfectly. Best fitting shoes I've ever owned, though I still have to break them in, and climb in them! The only other shoes I can wear off the shelf, without pain, are Mythos.
Want to say, in an email conversation with Laura, she mentioned SFT can make custom HIGH TOPS.
edit - my feet are the same size. the width is what's hard to fit. the photo skews perspective.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Nov 19, 2015 - 11:34pm PT
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Hi Laura,
I have a buddy who's broken his foot/ankle on one foot repeatedly throughout his life and as a result he requires two different sized shoes, and usually different brands since they're shaped differently as well. Is that something you could offer? Sounds like it should be in your wheelhouse.
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Nov 20, 2015 - 06:06am PT
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That's really not too expensive when you think about the amount of effort and time involved. I have two different sized feet and have been buying two pair of shoes throughout my entire climbing life...
Good luck to them.
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