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Black Diamond Momentum review: fit, sizing and what climbers say

Black Diamond's flat, double-Velcro entry-level shoe now uses a micro-suede upper, recycled knit tongue and updated Black Label rubber and midsole. It's a comfortable, affordable first shoe for gym sessions and easy multi-pitch days. Climbers who progress quickly will outgrow its limited precision, and its sizing is unusual, so follow BD's chart.

  • Beginner
  • Beginners
  • Gym
  • Vertical
  • Multi-pitch
  • All-round

Size down about half a size from your street shoe

For a snug all-round fit, a street UK 9 (EU 43) is a UK 8½ (EU 42½) in the Momentum. Go half a size smaller for hard bouldering, or bigger for long days. It's a starting point: feet differ, so try them on if you can.

Your size in the Momentum

Your street shoe size

UK9

Aggressive

Tight, hard bouldering

UK8EU 42

Recommended

Snug all-rounder

UK8½EU 42½

Relaxed

Long sessions

UK9EU 43

Comfort

Beginners, multi-pitch

UK9½EU 44
Your size in all 292 shoes

How the Momentum fits

Medium widthMedium volume
Heel
Molded rubber heel, updated for more consistent tension. Earlier versions felt loose on heel hooks.
Toe box
Blunt, symmetrical toe that's comfortable but imprecise in pockets, with little rubber on top. Some buyers find the toe box tall.
Suits
Medium and narrower feet with average volume. Wide-footed testers found earlier versions tight.

What climbers say

From independent reviews and buyers' feedback; each point is backed by at least two sources.

Strengths

  • Comfortable enough to wear for long gym sessions and all-day routes
  • Tough build and thick, hard-wearing rubber
  • Easy on and off with two Velcro straps
  • Affordable first shoe

Watch out for

  • Sizing is unusual and inconsistent with other brands, so try it on first
  • Thick rubber and a blunt toe limit precision and feel on small footholds
  • Flat shape and little hook rubber make it weak on steep ground; fast learners outgrow it
Stretch and break-in: BD says the micro-suede upper molds to the foot but won't stretch, so buy the final size. BD's chart says to go 0.5 to 1 EU size below your street size for all-day comfort, 1.5 to 2 for all-day performance, and 2 to 2.5 for maximum performance. Several buyers on BD's site say it fits big and went one to two sizes down. Older knit versions had the opposite reputation (Climbing House reports some users sizing up), so don't rely on advice written for the old model.

Black Diamond Momentum size chart

Your street size, then the size to get for each fit. From a standard UK/EU size chart and how this model runs.

Black Diamond Momentum size chart
StreetAggressiveRecommendedRelaxedComfort
UK 4EU 37UK 3EU 35UK 3½EU 36UK 4EU 37UK 4½EU 37½
UK 4½EU 37½UK 3½EU 36UK 4EU 37UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38
UK 5EU 38UK 4EU 37UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 38½
UK 5½EU 38½UK 4½EU 37½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 38½UK 6EU 39½
UK 6EU 39½UK 5EU 38UK 5½EU 38½UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40
UK 6½EU 40UK 5½EU 38½UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 40½
UK 7EU 40½UK 6EU 39½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 40½UK 7½EU 41½
UK 7½EU 41½UK 6½EU 40UK 7EU 40½UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42
UK 8EU 42UK 7EU 40½UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½
UK 8½EU 42½UK 7½EU 41½UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43
UK 9EU 43UK 8EU 42UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44
UK 9½EU 44UK 8½EU 42½UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½
UK 10EU 44½UK 9EU 43UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45
UK 10½EU 45UK 9½EU 44UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45UK 11EU 45½
UK 11EU 45½UK 10EU 44½UK 10½EU 45UK 11EU 45½UK 11½EU 46½

What Black Diamond says

“Highest performance fit: subtract 2-2.5 EU sizes from EU street shoe size.”

Quoted from the Black Diamond product page

Specs

Rubber
Black Label
Downturn
flat
Stiffness
medium
Closure
2 straps
Version
men's
Made for
gym, multi-pitch
Upper
Micro-suede upper with recycled engineered-knit tongue
Lining
60% polyester / 40% suede
Weight
581 g (as listed by Black Diamond; size and per-shoe/pair not stated (probably a pair))
Price
$130 (list price, 2026-10-08)
Released
2017 (updated 2022; current micro-suede version with updated rubber, heel and midsole)

Same sizing: Momentum Vegan, Momentum Vegan Women's, Momentum Women's

Compare with

Sources

  1. Black Diamond: Men's Momentum (specs, price, owner reviews)
  2. OutdoorGearLab: Black Diamond Momentum review (July 2026, knit version)
  3. Climbing House: Black Diamond Momentum review (knit version)

Checked 8 October 2026 (Momentum (current update: micro-suede upper, recycled knit tongue, updated Black Label rubber and midsole)). Gear Loop isn't affiliated with the maker and earns nothing from these links.

More Black Diamond shoes

Black Diamond sizing →

Estimates. Fit depends on foot shape and preference.