La Sportiva TX4 EVO ST

Has anyone tried the new TX4 EVO ST? I am looking for a new approach shoe and these look to be the replacement for the TX3s. How do they fit and durability concerns?

From looking at the picture. (No experience!)

Sole stiffness: Rigid, because they look like the other “evo’s”.

Probably way narrower then the original TX2, 3 and 4. (The product designer of La Sportiva has narrow feet, hence all new LS shoes are narrower than before.) So, we have to wait it out, hopefully the next product designer has normal feet and will bring narrow and wider shoes. Hopefully they at LS realize that resoling is most of the time not an option because the top and the inside already has holes. (LS, please  go back to the original TX4 TX2 last).

Robert T Hjerte wrote:

(The product designer of La Sportiva has narrow feet, hence all new LS shoes are narrower than before.)

Staaaaawp. Please I beg you.

i loved the original tx4's, and have several pairs of them. they fit great straight out of the box, are super comfy, etc.  the tx4 evo has been a pretty big letdown.  they run smaller. the toe-box is more narrow and a bit uncomfortable (and i have skinny ass feet).  the heel cup is more shallow and they feel like they want to fall off. i can't wear my usual superfeet or it makes the problem even worse.  there is some sort of hard spot that drives my ankle nuts.  a pretty big swing and a miss by lasportiva. not sure why they had to mess with perfection :(

FWIW, the difference in fit between the TX4 and TX4 EVO was not significant for me.  I have relatively low-volume feet (D width, as measured on a Brannock device) with pinky toes that like to splay out wide and the new fit seems to work well enough for my feet.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

However, I will put in a plug for the TX2 EVO Leather.  I think that people who have a good fit in the old TX4 (but do not have a good fit in the TX4 EVO) will likely be able get a good fit in the TX2 EVO Leather.  It feels wider and roomier than the old TX2 and TX2 Leather (i.e., more similar to the TX4).

Karl Henize wrote:

FWIW, the difference in fit between the TX4 and TX4 EVO was not significant for me.  I have relatively low-volume feet (D width, as measured on a Brannock device) with pinky toes that like to splay out wide and the new fit seems to work well enough for my feet.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

However, I will put in a plug for the TX2 EVO Leather.  I think that people who have a good fit in the old TX4 (but do not have a good fit in the TX4 EVO) will likely be able get a good fit in the TX2 EVO Leather.  It feels wider and roomier than the old TX2 and TX2 Leather (i.e., more similar to the TX4).

Did you size the same? I've been on the fence since nowhere local has a pair to try on.

 Been wearing the new evo ST for about a week now and really like them. The tx3 has been my go to approach shoe for a few years because I like how they breathe and the ST seems to breathe just as well if not better. I wear a 43.5 in the tx3 and a 44.5 in the ST and wear a 44.5 in every other sportiva shoe as well (climbing, running, boots). I haven’t climbed in the ST yet but they seem to have a really great platform and fairly rigid sole. Will report back!

ST looks like a slightly lighter, more breathable TX4. Cool, might have to get a pair after my current TX4s wear out.

The dude saying the designer has narrow feet and designs em basically for his own feet. Hot take.

I have old TX4's and EVOS. Not a super wide front foot, but enough narrow shoes don't fit well.
IME the TX4 EVOs break in to be just as comfy/roomy as the OG TX4. Not quite as comfy out of the box, but I pull out the EVOs over the OGs when I go out these days.

Karl Henize wrote:

However, I will put in a plug for the TX2 EVO Leather.  I think that people who have a good fit in the old TX4 (but do not have a good fit in the TX4 EVO) will likely be able get a good fit in the TX2 EVO Leather.  It feels wider and roomier than the old TX2 and TX2 Leather (i.e., more similar to the TX4).

The 2 evo leather is indeed very comfy/roomy, but keep in mind it is made for proprioception, not stiffness. They climb wonderfully and are super comfy in general - but don’t expect much support, such as the support you might want on a longer approach/walkoff and def don’t expect to jug comfortably in them for more than a few pitches.

As Mr Rogers said (we have similar size feet), the new 4 evo does indeed seem to break in, to a large degree. Def still not as roomy as my 4yr old og 4’s, but the slight narrowing at the great toe joint is not bothersome after this period (month or so?), imo.

Bring Back the Ganda

The presumption that Pietro of LS designs shoes for himself goes quite far. My assumption he takes his own preferences and feet as a reference. He has a very good understanding what he is doing and what he is designing. I tried to express that I do not agree how he approaches approach shoes for longer approaches. He is a very good sport climber (and besides that a very nice person as well) who has the idea, I think, that tight and narrow shoes perform better, what is also basically truth hence he designed the TX Guide, etc. A climbing shoe is not an approach shoe and vice versa. My idea is that the TX4 and the like (heavy shoes) can be comfortable (wider) for longer approaches, while the TX Guide and the like are better for steeper approaches, that’s why people who loved the Ghanda and now the TX Guide.

I would be very pleased if LS would keep shoes of the TX4 last in production as well as … offer something in between climbing shoes and approach shoes. 

Anyway with a smile I like long approaches and TX4.

TX Guide. A painful experience and I don't have wide feet. Got rid of them after using them once. Never again.

TX4  - TX4 Evo. About the same except a bit narrower toe box in the Evo and a more rigid outsole which it means they climb a bit better. No issues with them either.

TX4 Evo ST. I'm keen but probably will get them 1/2 size smaller as fabric in the TX3 stretched a lot after use. Same here I suppose, anyone?

I have had lots of issues with the lacing system chewing up shoe lacces.  It seems like I'm constantly replacing them.  Anybody else have this problem?

Eliot Hack wrote:

Bring Back the Ganda

Still have my Gandas.  Nothing else as good as them for climbing performance.

Adam Pequette wrote:

I have had lots of issues with the lacing system chewing up shoe lacces.  It seems like I'm constantly replacing them.  Anybody else have this problem?

Yes.  I replaced my laces with paracord.  The slippery sheath doesn’t hold knots very well, but the paracord is much more durable.

Adam Pequette wrote:

I have had lots of issues with the lacing system chewing up shoe lacces.  It seems like I'm constantly replacing them.  Anybody else have this problem?

The first thing I do with every LS approach shoe, straight out of the box, is pull the stock laces and replace them with durable flat laces. The stock ones suck.

The lace system is my one beef with the old Tx4s, I hate how tearing the string that comprises the "eyes" and the clip-in loop compromises the other eyes. 

Robert T Hjerte wrote:

The presumption that Pietro of LS designs shoes for himself goes quite far. 

Pietro has been a designer at LaSpo for many years. If Pietro has narrow feet (no argument, seems as if he does), why would the TX Line now be narrow, but when it was introduced in ~2016  wasn't so much? 

Did Pietro design the TX line, or did someone else? Given the line is kinda half in the climbing cat, half in the hiking cat -- as well as being designed like a hiking boot and produced in China rather than Italy where the climbing shoes are made, I don't know who designed this line. I remember the introduction feeling more inspired by climbing shoes AND running shoes, but ultimately a hiking shoe,

I would also argue that many new products in LaSpo's lineups are actually wider than previous. Try out the Prodigio Pro, which is almost on par with other shoe companies when it comes to how voluminous the toe box is (compared to the Bushido, a legacy model), or the Otaki/Skwama climbing shoes. I find those two much more wider than the Miura VS (pre-Pietro) or Futura (def. Pietro).

(And not arguing the TX line hasn't gotten narrower -- seems it has. But perhaps it's independent of Pietro's influence).

Karl Henize wrote:

Yes.  I replaced my laces with paracord.  The slippery sheath doesn’t hold knots very well, but the paracord is much more durable.

I'm interested in trying kevlar laces on mine - I split both recently.

Noah L wrote:

I'm interested in trying kevlar laces on mine - I split both recently.

I wouldn’t.  If the laces are more abrasive, they will destroy the lacing system faster.  On a lot of La Sportiva shoes, both the laces and parts of the lacing system are relatively fragile. So it is better to have laces made from softer materials to avoid destroying the lacing system.  Laces are more easily replaced than the lacing system.

Broken lace knotted.

Karl Henize wrote:

I wouldn’t.  If the laces are more abrasive, they will destroy the lacing system faster.  On a lot of La Sportiva shoes, both the laces and parts of the lacing system are relatively fragile. So it is better to have laces made from softer materials to avoid destroying the lacing system.  Laces are more easily replaced than the lacing system.

That's a good point I hadn't considered, thanks!