Shoes for Flats

andhr

A bit of advice or at least opinion please gents. I'm no fan of SPDs or cleats, having tried them once I fell out with the idea of being attached to my bike when my foot wouldn't move when I wanted it to; so on the new ride I opted for a decent set of flat pedals - DMR V8s to be exact.

I'd appreciate some recommendations for MTB shoes which will be very grippy. Is it worth investing in specific MTB shoes - i.e. 5.10s; or are skate shoes - like Vans, just as good? Anyone know of any special offers going anywhere, would be great!

Thanks!

Long_Time_Lurker

They may work for you - in an emergency I have used DCs in the past - fine for a short 12 mile blast through some trails. But any longer or on something more technical and I would go for an MTB specific shoe.

MTB specific shoes have a much stiffer sole, making it easier to get the power down, and they are a lot grippier (so a lot better in the wet).
And vans are not in any way waterproof or dirtproof, so they will die quicker than a MTB shoe.
(I am still using a 3 year old pair of Shimano AM40s that have been ridden constantly, through mud rain and snow).
I'll probably go to the AM41s next as I am v. happy with the Shimano fit and quality.

ben11

I have a pair of 5 10 freeriders, i personally think they are brilliant, very very grippy, if anything too grippy. They are also very comfy and look good enough to wear casually too.

mcnultycop

Teva Links, I love mine. The Ion Mask technology is bollocks though, they get wet really quickly.

Woody80

510s with the Stealth rubber sole. Stickier than a sticky thing

YeehaaMcgee

Long Time Lurker wrote:

They may work for you - in an emergency I have used DCs in the past - fine for a short 12 mile blast through some trails. But any longer or on something more technical and I would go for an MTB specific shoe.

MTB specific shoes have a much stiffer sole, making it easier to get the power down, and they are a lot grippier (so a lot better in the wet).
And vans are not in any way waterproof or dirtproof, so they will die quicker than a MTB shoe.
(I am still using a 3 year old pair of Shimano AM40s that have been ridden constantly, through mud rain and snow).
I'll probably go to the AM41s next as I am v. happy with the Shimano fit and quality.

Huh? I didn't think 5:10s were waterproof either. Nothing's "dirt proof", is it?

Anyway, to offer a balance to this, 5:10s are grippier and stiffer, but a good quality pair of skate shoes are fine, for any mileage.

andhr

5.10 freeriders looks like the most recommended, worth the money?

YeehaaMcgee

andhr wrote:

5.10 freeriders looks like the most recommended, worth the money?

Only you can really make that decision.

andhr

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Only you can really make that decision.

I need the little red man on my shoulder to tell me to spend it though...

YeehaaMcgee

andhr wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Only you can really make that decision.

I need the little red man on my shoulder to tell me to spend it though...

In that case, they're probably overpriced.

Woody80

Everything is overpriced. They are brilliant though

YeehaaMcgee

And yet, whilst so many people buy things at unreasonably inflated prices, there's no incentive to sell them any cheaper, eh?

Woody80

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

And yet, whilst so many people buy things at unreasonably inflated prices, there's no incentive to sell them any cheaper, eh?

True, might need a significant shift in consumer behaviour rather than one man choosing a cheap pair of Vans over an inflated price set of 510s to change that though.

YeehaaMcgee

Everything starts with one man, or woman.

cooldad

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Everything starts with one man, or woman.

I'm sure, based on my recollection of high school biology, you need one of each.
But science might have moved on since than.

paul.skibum

cooldad wrote:

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Everything starts with one man, or woman.

I'm sure, based on my recollection of high school biology, you need one of each.
But science might have moved on since than.

You are mired in the past. The world has moved on. Its so much less fun these days.

I rode for a year in DC's - they were fine and gripped well. I now have 510's (Karvers) and they grip almost too well, make pedalling a little uncomfortable unless you are very careful about foot placement. With V8's they would eb a good bet though (as V8's arent very grippy).

YeehaaMcgee

I don't understand where this V8 hating comes from. Sure, they're overpriced, but I recently rode my old bike for a while, which has wellgo V8s, and they were perfectly trippy. They're just a bit small.

Privateirony

i wore skate shoes (duffs) for ages, but found that after a long ride (5-6hrs) my feet were pretty sore, they gave good-ish grip, and at the time i thought that nothing could better them. Then i bought a pair of 5.10s, these gave me much more confidence as the grip i got from these (combined with superstar nano flats) was absolutely amazing. Although this grip can be a little too much at times especially if you suffer from "bad foot placement syndrome". Another caveat is that they soak up water like a sponge, and seem to take forever to dry off, so if you are going away for a few days , or more and one of them is going to be a wet one, prepare to have wet shoes for the next day or so, that is unless you microwave them or put them in the oven (I definitely do NOT recommend that you do this), but seriously, you will need to take an old newspaper with you to stuff inside them to try and soak up some of the excess moisture. Putting on wet/sodden shoes really can put you off going out for another days riding though... BUT having said all of that the five 10s are very, very good shoes, and to ease the sodden feeling you could invest in some over shoes or failing that some sealskin socks...