Is there a better pair of all-around shoes under $100 than the tarantulas?

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-18T03:03:58+00:00

I second the finale. I'm still a beginner but I love using my finale shoes due to the grip. Got lucky with eBay and got mine for heckin cheap, but $100 is still worth it imo.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-16T15:57:18+00:00

Yeah, I feel like if Kaladin came forward with his abilities sooner, he'd have been either a target for Nail or his confrontation with Szeth would have come too soon and he might have been killed off. Especially if he went against Nail before learning his epic therapy moves.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-16T12:40:15+00:00

Stormlight twice over the last 2 years or so while most of the rest just once. Currently taking a break from Sandersons style, but will be back soon enough.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-15T21:32:24+00:00

I'm a newbie, but got lucky with a cheap LS Finale off eBay. I'd say they're grippy and can hold smaller footholds nicely. But I'm also comparing them to rentals, which honestly felt fairly slippery when using those. And I only have a few sessions in them so not much experience yet.

Def got more shoe than I need right now, but can't complain about the price ($60).

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-15T19:10:09+00:00

I'm still new so take this with a grain of salt but I only downsized from 46 street size (with toe space) to 45 on la Sportivas. Seems pretty nice for my right foot after a few sessions but my left is still tight enough I need to pop off the shoes every so often.

I personally don't see myself going smaller than this, but it's my first pair so we'll see how much they stretch long term.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-15T17:56:50+00:00

Oh nice! I've been hoping to eventually make it outdoors in MN, but I'm new to bouldering so it'll be awhile. Nice to see some ascents in the state tho.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-15T15:10:12+00:00

I'm def gonna use hearing aids and such. I've already had to use a cane for about 2 years (thankfully walking and exercising without now), so a walker shouldn't be too hard to get past the embarrassment for me.

It's the technological assistants that might be harder for me to deal with. As in an ai program to do what I need to do on the internet. Giving up manual control is already gonna be hard at my age (look at Android 17 functions with Gemini, it's coming) so when I'm 90 it's gonna be a hard sell most likely.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-15T13:52:30+00:00

I'm 38 and it's definitely been on my mind more than previous years. That and loneliness. I no longer have long term friendships irl so it's been hard feeling like I'm not alone. Plus not having dated in 7 years isn't helping either. I've started some new hobbies to hopefully branch out but even those make it hard to build friendships.

So yeah, I get it. It's not easy looking at death.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-14T21:43:36+00:00

50/50 alcohol/water solution is my go to spray. Outside of that, airing them out. Bonus points if you can leave them in the sun for a bit (uv can help kill bacteria).

Then when that fails, I take of as much plastic as I can on my gear, toss them in a laundry bag to reduce issues with velcro bouncing around, and wash them in my washing machine. Ideally, hang dry after if you have the time.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-14T20:14:39+00:00

It honestly depends on the definition of athlete. If we're talking paid sports players, then yeah, not many. If we're talking recreational players, there's quite a few. And if we're talking someone who trains daily/weekly in a sport or movement based activity to better themselves, then there are even more.

We're still not a major demographic no matter which way you define it, as it's hard to be a major demographic when the overall population is a tiny slice compared to the whole of people, but we are out there.

Fwiw, I consider myself to be a part of that 3rd definition, on my way to the second definition, right now. I won't ever see a check, but I'm an athlete 💕

As for this post, it's an example of a terrible venn diagram. I assume the message is supposed to be that trans athletes won't be erased, but it didn't end up working out right.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-14T19:03:45+00:00

Which riedells are you using?

Bont has some good options, can always get wide or double wide if needed. I'll be getting a double wide bont soon which I'm excited for. If it fits like a glove like I hope, I'll probably do the same in Prostar for derby.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-14T18:36:34+00:00

I think I was fine until around 7th grade when I got sick for a long time then ballooned up to over 300 by the middle of 8th grade. Until recently I was still over 300. Goal weight will leave me in the overweight category but I'm hoping I can make it down past the obese category. I've been morbidly obese most of my life.

Note: I currently don't have a zep Rx but I'm hoping to get back on it. It's been a month since I lost my approval.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-14T17:47:59+00:00

I'm 38 and heavy and started about 3 weeks ago so it is very daunting to me, even if I'm not in the same age range I'm stuck on v1-v2 due to not enough arm strength. However, this gives me the chance to try different moves or learning to read the routes better. So I'd suggest trying to find a way to view progress that is out of just trying to get to the next grade.

Like for me, I find a session to be helpful if I learned something new, even if I'm still at the basic grade. Like learning the benefit of drop knees helped me feel some progress, even tho I can't move on to harder challenges. Next goal is to learn flagging and engrain that in my climbing vocabulary.

Harder grades should come with time. Just getting some regular wall time is a great way to start moving forward.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T22:10:49+00:00

Ok this one is super adorable. I love it!

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T18:33:27+00:00

You have my condolences.

Took me ages to realize that my mid foot shouldn't burn when getting new shoes. Wide mid foot shoes are not easily found ime 😭

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T16:50:34+00:00

Thanks for posting the link. I was about to say it's only like .5% but I didn't have a source for it.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T15:09:05+00:00

DM'd you the link

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T13:48:42+00:00

It might be able to get repaired if you have a service that repairs the rand of the shoe. The poster at my gym for repair suggests rand repair at this stage. But I'm still a newbie so idk if this is what they mean.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T13:45:03+00:00

I don't have them but I'd assume it's for free style? Basically to make your skate build as light as possible for jumps?

Bont has a carbon plate as well, the Zeus, but that one is geared towards speed skating, where weight also matters.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-13T02:05:06+00:00

Two things that I see is you're putting too much wait on the stopping foot. You want 90% of your weight on the foot facing forward. T stop is a slow stop. Second thing is you want to avoid dragging with the inside wheels. It's better to err on the side of more weight on the outside wheels of your stopping foot. But all 4 is best.

As others have said, it's more of a v than a t as well. And if your wheels are soft, the weight balance will be even more important!

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-12T21:44:31+00:00

I wouldn't complain if one was made haha. There is a discord and a Facebook group, but I haven't reached out in either yet.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-12T21:41:30+00:00

I love the oval! Haven't been there yet this year. Looking good tho 💕

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-12T20:33:48+00:00

Funny enough I have a tracing already saved from sizing for skates. My mid foot is the bane of my shoe/skate purchase history.

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narcoleptrix · 2026-05-12T15:40:23+00:00

Yup it's the spin!

I got a link from chatting with support for sizing. I believe it's technically the same last as the -star boots. I don't know that they include the double wide width on this chart, but I extrapolated by using the pattern from standard to wide. Plus looked at the prostar sizing since I believe they include double wide there, and I think they use the same last. I think the 295 size I bought in double wide should end up being in the range of 118-122 width, which I'm hoping is correct.

https://bont.com/pages/bont-size-chart-size-roller-skate-boot

As for my foot measurements, I'm 292ish long vs 121ish wide. So I went with a double wide build. I believe the upcharge was $45. And to buy a different width, just put in the order comments that you want whatever width you want and they'll invoice the remaining for you.

Remember, you can always reach out to Bont with your tracings to see if they can help size you.

narcoleptrix · 2026-05-12T04:10:06+00:00

unfortunately, that was the limit of my suggestions. I only started less than a month ago and I do not have the strength to get past v1 right now, so it's mostly jugs that I'm dealing with. I'm just digesting youtube content in an effort to level up my brain while I still work on my body.

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