Do i really need 5.10's?

jonny2773

Im in the market for some new footware for riding and all i hear is get 5.10's

Are they really so much better than all the rest?

I hear teva links are good but very priceyand not really my cup of tea, the fact they look nice doesnt impress me much, i want practicality.

I dont do proper DH all i ride is trail centres on flats so ive narrowed it down to 2

Shimano AM41 @ £64 the cheaper of the 2 and therefore probably the ones i want
or
5.10 Karver @ £75 obviously the most popular brand.

has anyone had any experience of the AM41's and is there going to be that much difference between the 2 in terms of performance?

Levi_501

Not seen either of these.

I use and have seen a lot of others use Spezilized Sport or Expert MTB shoe.

jonny2773

Levi_501 wrote:

Not seen either of these.

I use and have seen a lot of others use Spezilized Sport or Expert MTB shoe.

Those 2 are for spd's though i thought, i use flats :roll:

Levi_501

Do´h

At least you have a heads up for when you go to spds!

UncleMonty

I've looked at 5 / 10's before and the look well made but I just can't justify spending all that cash on some shoes that never touch the floor.

I have a pair of Globe skater shoes that I got in a sale a couple of years back for £24 ! they have a nice wide, flat, stiff sole which I find just right, they've nearly had it though so I'll be looking out for some more soon, I wont be paying more then £30 / £35 though but, in short I think 5 / 10's are way over priced but each to his own.

paulneenan76

I've got the AM's and they are great. The colour and look might not be everyone's cup of tea, the missus says I've got little killer whales on my feet, but I like how they look and some of the Olympic riders and magazine writers wear them so can't be bad!. You cant beat them for practicality, I just wash them off with muc-off and water from the flowering can. Can be cleat or totally flat but both are grippy. They are warm when they need to be and waterproof.

If you want to go cheaper then try TK Maxx for something skate oriented with a waffle soul. I got some Etnies for £22 and they are great on flat pedals.

Sharker69

I've always had a pair of old skate shoes and recently started looking for something new like yourself. Really can't justify the money on 5.10s so have decided on a pair of waterproof Karrimor shoes at £21 instead. Will spend the difference on a new lid!

b45her

skate shoes and normal daps are ok until you start doing proper DH, that's when the 5:10's start making sense because the soles of your feet won't be bruised and painful. i did 1 morning in duffs skate shoes in morzine this year because my 5:10's were wet and my feet were in bits, i actually went back to the chalet and put them on soaking wet just to safe my feet from further punishment.

Long_Time_Lurker

I use AM41s (and before them AM40s) - ugly as hell, but hard-wearing and super-grippy.

Not a fan of skate shoes. They have worked out to be a false economy in the past.
They are cheaper, but they don't offer the grip, aren't as stiff and my pedals chew them to pieces.
Combined with all of the riding that I do in the mud/wet, they only last 3 or 4 months at the most.
(My old AM40s are still usable 18 months after I bought them.)

jonny2773

Long Time Lurker wrote:

I use AM41s (and before them AM40s) - ugly as hell, but hard-wearing and super-grippy.

Not a fan of skate shoes. They have worked out to be a false economy in the past.
They are cheaper, but they don't offer the grip, aren't as stiff and my pedals chew them to pieces.
Combined with all of the riding that I do in the mud/wet, they only last 3 or 4 months at the most.
(My old AM40s are still usable 18 months after I bought them.)

Thats the kind of advice i was looking for, just needed reassurance that AM41's are good enough for my needs....thanks

cooldad

I use an old pair of Ascics trainers. Used to run in them until they started looking too horrible, then started riding in them. Going on for 6 or 7 years old and still looking horrible. Held together with mud and bovine turd I think.
But I don't do DH.

concorde

In a word YES!

EH_Rob

They're quite good but overpriced. A shoe that is this expensive should be more waterproof than a sponge.

concorde

EH_Rob wrote:

They're quite good but overpriced. A shoe that is this expensive should be more waterproof than a sponge.

Yes they're a mare in the wet to start with, soon get used to it though. Drying them requires lots of newspaper in them they simply don't dry in the winter without using newspaper!

EH_Rob

Yep, right pain the backside. I have pair of DCs I tend to use in preference. Although slightly less grippy on the pedals they don't carry the contents of Lake Superior in them after riding on a moderately wet day for 3 minutes or so.

Its a shame, if they just sorted that out they'd have an excellent product.

davenewcastle1973

I've had a pair of 5 10's for about 2 years now; they've still got loads of life in them after some fairly heavy use.

Downsides as above - they absorb a lot of water and they are a bitch to dry, but I wear a pair of sealskins when out in the wet so it doesn't really matter to me, feet are dry either way .... What does matter is that my foot sticks like glue to the pedals. I don't do downhill but ride in muddy woodland a lot and these have always done the job for me without feeling like overkill.

If you can find them in a sale, that's the way to go...

rockmonkeysc

I have had Five Ten freeriders and they are incredibly grippy and a great shoe in dry weather but they are incredibly absorbant and not good in British weather. I have just replaced them with Shimano AM41's which are very nearly as grippy but much better suited to British weather. They aren't waterproof but not as absorbant. The Shimano shoes are also much better made.

concorde

I can deal with the water, aslong as my feet aint cold I'm fine and that's down to your socks. Give them a bit of a squeeze (stand on your toes) every now and again and a lot of the water comes out. The grip they offer far outweighs that bad point! THey're so sticky, it took me some time gettting used to putting my feet in the correct place to start because I was used to putting it on then shuffling it back, you can't do that with 5.10s, they're stuck solid with minimal down force! Class!

rockmonkeysc

They ara a little grippier than Shimano AM41's but really not a lot. I used 5:10 freeriders & AM41's and I wouldn't go back to 5:10's, it's just not worth it.

EH_Rob

Whilst I do agree they're the grippiest thing out there that I've tried, the practicalities make them a pain in the arse in all but dry weather. In Scotland this is rare.

When I spend the best part of £100 for some shoes for mtb, to then be told you need to spend a) time standing on them to squeeze out water whilst wearing them b) buy expensive waterproof socks to keep your feet dry, it isn't really good enough for me to justify the price. Which is why I won't bother buying any more. AM41s for me next I'd imagine, along with more skate shoes.

jonny2773

Thanks for all the input it been a great help to get constructive critisism instead of get these get those, AM41's ordered, hopefully they are gonna stick to my spank spikes like poo to a duvet.

concorde

I think the AM41s look foul too! Like a cheap plastic shoe you'd buy from Clarks! Not for me, personal opinion of course.

rockmonkeysc

It's all about what works best, not what looks best. They all look the same when plastered in mud.

concorde

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's all about what works best, not what looks best. They all look the same when plastered in mud.

5.10s work best too.

rockmonkeysc

Concorde wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's all about what works best, not what looks best. They all look the same when plastered in mud.

5.10s work best too.

Only in the dry. I think we had a couple dry days last May, only a couple though.

DodgeT

I've used 5.10 impacts, freerider and chase for the past 2 years, in all sorts of weather. Yes they get wet. You have to stick them on the radiator or in the airing cupboard to dry out. They are great shoes for the purpose of giving grip, don't really see what the big fuss about a bit of a wet shoe is.
When the trails are wet, your ar5e is wet, your legs are wet, your shoes are wet etc etc.

plus, you can only ride like this if you have 5.10's http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Five-Ten-Howey-and-Fogelquist-Video-2013.html

Rindle

I use and will continue to use 5.10's because they fit me so much better. I tried shimano shoes but found that by the time they were wide enough there was too much space at the toe end. I find skate shoes have too much flex and are not durable enough.

I've not tried Teva's but I've generally heard they are narrower like shimano.

I'm willing to pay the extra becasue I feel that poorly fitting shoes make everything you do whilst wearing them a misery and I'm over fussy with my contact points on a bike.

I'm currently using Impact Highs with Wellgo B47's

captainfly

I've got some 3 year old %.10 imact 2 hi tops and they are so good if I can remember to degrease the soles, but sometimes wear nike 6.0 bmx trainers in summer they work extremely well and wear converse chuck taylors or nike air max bball boots for the odd bit of commuting when I have to. 5.10s do grip well and protect your feet and I guess it depends on what riding you do.

eskimonumber1

Been wearing 5.10 Freeriders for about a year now.

Fantastic grip - probably too much if thats possible?! You have to physically lift your foot off the pedals to reposition them. Not a problem if your a gnar rad "hit everything right fist time" type of dude, but it is an issue for someone that is liable to not get everything right first time and taking your foot off the pedal as you're approaching an obstacle is an unnessessary hassle in my opinion.

I dont find the water retention an issue, they have always dried quickly overnight and come up as good as new in the washing machine too.

To answer your question: NO - you dont need 5.10's but if you can pick some up in a sale for <£50 like I did or second hand, then they are worth a try.

EH_Rob

eskimonumber1 wrote:

To answer your question: NO - you dont need 5.10's but if you can pick some up in a sale for <£50 like I did or second hand, then they are worth a try.

That's basically it. It they were £40 they'd be a no brainer. £80 is a lot though!

concorde

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Concorde wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's all about what works best, not what looks best. They all look the same when plastered in mud.

5.10s work best too.

Only in the dry. I think we had a couple dry days last May, only a couple though.

And the wet! No shoe grips more in the wet or dry! That's what we're after here ultimately.