Tenaya has quietly infiltrated the climbing shoe scene since its founding in 1997. The Spanish model didn’t have the media firepower of manufacturers like FiveTen or LaSportiva. Nonetheless, it has persistently and doggedly developed footwear and put them on the ft of prime rock climbers since its inception. Climbers like Alex Megos and Chris Sharma have been ticking the world’s most troublesome climbs in Tenayas for some time now, however the model stays comparatively quiet.
The Oasi and Oasi Low Quantity (LV) have been within the Tenaya lineup for a very long time, however the attract of a high-performance all-around shoe nonetheless made it an excellent candidate for a evaluate. Our tester, who climbs V7 open air, can also be a youth competitor. She floor out staff practices for a month with the Tenaya Oasi LV.
Briefly: The Tenaya Oasi LV proved to be a wonderful shoe for the “semi-beginner” rock climber. These boulderers and sport climbers might advance out of their first flat and straight newbie footwear, skills advancing sufficient to warrant a extra aggressive, downturned mannequin with a performance-oriented match. The affordable road value additionally bodes properly for these athletes, as they could advance shortly to the subsequent echelon and once more require a higher-spec shoe.
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Higher materials
Microfiber -
Outsole
3.5mm Vibram XS Grip -
Insole
2D multilayer Stretchtex -
Midsole
G1 1.8 and TST 150 double layer -
Closure
Draxtor Velcro
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Patented Draxtor closure system is extremely adjustable and fast to make use of -
Stiff entrance edge and softer center portion of the shoe made the shoe versatile -
Sturdy
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Unfastened match on the arch and heel -
Lack of rubber on forefoot for toe hooking
Tenaya Oasi and Oasi LV Particulars
Like so many rock footwear nowadays, the Oasi fashions make use of a microfiber higher with a stretchy Lycra tongue. Nevertheless, Tenaya graces the shoe with its patented Draxtor closure, which employs an virtually infinitely adjustable multiple-strap, single-tab system. The Oasi has a cotton liner and multilayer insole.
Tenaya builds in a two-layer midsole into the Oasi and makes use of 3.5mm Vibram XSGrip for the outsole. The Oasi line is constructed on a reasonably downturned final, which is clearly seen from the aspect.
On Tenaya’s 1 to five scale, with 5 being the very best quantity, the Oasi and Oasi LV scores 3 for rigidity, 4 for sensitivity, and three.5 for adaptability to foot width.
Our tester’s dimension 37 Oasi LV weighs a verified 14 ounces per pair. The MSRP is $195, however on-line retailers have them for round $140-150.
Oasi LV Match
Our tester felt the match of the Tenaya Oasi LV was a bit unusual. Longitudinally, her dimension 37 matched the identical dimension in different manufacturers of climbing footwear. Her toes had the right stress in opposition to the entrance of the shoe, and the curve of the toebox matched the form of her forefoot.
Nevertheless, the shoe’s arch had a problematic match. Until it was cinched down extraordinarily tightly, there was a niche between the foot’s arch and the shoe’s arch.
The heel was decidedly slim, becoming this dimension of her smaller heel higher than most different footwear. However there was a small quantity of bagginess in any other case.
The Oasi LV took some work to interrupt in and really feel comfy, presumably due to the liner or sturdiness of the rubber. Our tester suffered by way of foot ache for the primary few fitness center periods, however the shoe relented after 5 or 6 staff follow periods. The shoe held its downturn, help, and form properly over the testing interval.
Tenaya Oasi LV Efficiency
Our tester actually loved how dynamic the outsole felt on the Tenaya Oasi LV. The toe space’s super-prominent and inflexible edge reminded her of high-performance footwear aimed toward outside climbing, which was nice for edging, each on the steeps and lower-angle slabs.
The arch and heel had been softer, in stark distinction to the entrance finish of the shoe, making that a part of the shoe really feel extra like a competition-style mannequin. This flexibility made the shoe work properly to interact with and energy off footholds on the dynamic, comp-style boulder issues on the fitness center.
The thin heel made it delicate and made it straightforward to heel hook on smaller edges. Nevertheless, the looseness within the arch and the slight hole within the heel allowed the shoe to squirm across the foot beneath excessive stress, lowering the effectiveness and precision of heel hooking.
This wasn’t a difficulty on bigger footholds, solely smaller ones. The heel of the shoe additionally isn’t aggressively formed or textured, which made it much less efficient when pulling inward on smaller or much less textured options.
The Tenaya Oasi LV’s forefoot has scant rubber, which makes it much less efficient at toe hooking on slopey or much less textured options in comparison with extra competition-oriented fashions.
The tester felt that the outsole rubber high quality general wasn’t pretty much as good as in her higher-spec footwear, nevertheless it was ample for indoor use. Lastly, our tester found that the Tenaya Oasi LV was fairly sturdy, withstanding the extraordinary and frequent use throughout youth competitors staff practices.
The Ultimate Phrase on the Tenaya Oasi LV
Our tester concluded that the Tenaya Oasi LV is a perfect shoe for a newbie who has acquired the talents and talents to maneuver past a pure newbie shoe. Though not a extremely aggressive shoe, it had extra downturn, energy, sensitivity, and precision than most shoe rookies generally buy initially.
In case you are discovering your present newbie shoe limiting as the issues at your restrict develop extra technical, then the Tenaya Oasi and Oasi LV are glorious decisions. The footwear proved sturdy and, mixed with the road value, render them an excellent worth in comparison with different comparable climbing footwear.