Rock Shoes: Acopa B3
1st Mar 2006
£75.99 | Velcro | size reviewed 9.5 (foot size 10) | weight 569g | medium asymmetry
The B3 is a beefy, solid shoe that looks like it is going to last. They are fairly old fashioned in general appearance, having dark leather uppers with contrasting red Velcro straps, but when you look closely you see they have some interesting features. The main thing that stands these shoes apart is the way they have an upturned outside edge. Effectively the section of edge under your little toe area has been curved upward into what Acopa call a “true anatomical outside edge”. Unfortunately the benefits of this were somewhat lost on the testers as the fit of a 9.5 shoe was very short indeed, making the toes on the outside sit awkwardly. These shoes are also very wide meaning that a longer length might not fit narrower feet. You would be well advised to try these shoes on before buying. The other feature of these shoes is the varying rubber thickness over different areas which seems an eminently good idea. Although they still come out very stiff, they will undoubtedly soften with use as they are unlined.
If you can get the fit right, these boots should be very good in steep terrain on small edges where Egyptians are the norm.
This review was carried out as part of a massive comparative review of 25 pairs of Performance Rock Shoes. We think that this could be the biggest review of such shoes ever undertaken. You can read the whole review here.