Airwalk Skate Shoes for Platform Pedal Riding?

McNab_79

Anyone out there wear Airwalk Skate shoes for Platform pedal riding and if so, what are your thoughts?

I've just purchased some Moove pedals for my RR 8.1 (pedals are in Electric Blue of course) and I'm looking for some shoes that'll offer some grip, be comfortable, somewhat durable and are of a reasonable price.

There are the obvs brands for MTBing, but these don't come cheap. I popped into my local Sports Direct the other day and had a quick browse at the Airwalk shoes (a brand I've never looked at before) and was surprised that a pair can be picked for anything between £12 - £30.

I probably don't really need to post, as I did try a couple of pairs on and thought to myself "self, why not get a pair and try them out" and I probably will, but I thought I'd see if anyone out there has anything to say about them before I do go and buy.

So, anyone....

PhilDafOrce

don't bother as the AW's i bought i found the soles to be too flexible.

my experience is you need soles which are pretty rigid and i currently use DC's (paid £30) which are much better.

Cookeh

Airwalks do indeed tend to have flexy soles. Ive been using an older pair of Etnie skate shoes for my mtbing so far, they have slightly stiffer and heavier soles than equivalent AW counterparts as AW are the more budget brand.
DC/Etnie are the ones to look at, along with the 510 range which do occasionally go on sale!
Motel6Skate shop on eBay has some good discounted DC/Etnies, and as you pointed out, SportsDirect always have a sale on.

rockmonkeysc

MTB Specific shoes are more expensive but will last a lot longer if you ride in wet, muddy conditions.

CitizenLee

There are a few companies that can apply Stealth / Dotty soles to any trainer. I was thinking about getting it done on some Etnies as I'm not a fan of Five Ten styling.

Let me know if you want the links as I'm posting via my phone right now and they're bookmarked on my PC

Cookeh

RockmonkeySC wrote:

MTB Specific shoes are more expensive but will last a lot longer if you ride in wet, muddy conditions.

Admittedly Ive not owned a pair of MTB specific shoes, but my Etnies have lasted two years, countless excursions in mud, rain, cement, withstood numerous bashes from logs and bricks in various diy jobs. Any 'quality' shoe will stand up to adverse conditions.

My understanding of specific shoes just means the sole is designed to be most compatible and grippy with flats/platforms and their build is no different to other shoes.

rockmonkeysc

Grippy, stiff sole. Covered laces. Less absorbant (except 5.10's).

Kowalski675

I agree re the Airwalk soles being too flexible, but I used a pair of these through summer, which were great - much stiffer sole than the Airwalks, comfy on bike and off bike, really grippy on my Wellgo B54s (can't reposition my foot without lifting it off the pedal) and an absolute bargain if they've got your size (I paid £20 for mine, but they're £12 now, for the remaining sizes).

http://www.sportsdirect.com/no-fear-cor ... e=24202041

You would't want to wear them in foul weather, but they were great for summer (and shrugged of splashes from stream crossings, since I applied some Nikwax waterproofer to them when I got them). I've bought some half price (£45) Teva Links mids from JE James recently (still on offer on their site), but I'll still be using the No Fears too, for local rides.

gt-arrowhead

I bought these in the boxing day sales to wear when MTBing http://www.sportsdirect.com/everlast-fo ... e=15801003

Ive worn them only once in seriously muddy and wet conditions, and they were fantastic. I never slipped at all, and they kept my feet really warm and dry for the most part. Only got wet when i got bogged down in mud and had to walk out of it. They have a nice thick and sturdy sole so no flexy business

Because its got a leathery surface its pissy easy to clean aswell. Just get the hose on it and wipe off the crap with your hands. They do take a while to dry though as the inside has alot of padding.

Cookeh

Kowalski675 wrote:

-snip- http://www.sportsdirect.com/no-fear-cor ... e=24202041

Got to be worth a punt for £12! Thank God for small feet! Might pick a pair of these up myself

CitizenLee wrote:

There are a few companies that can apply Stealth / Dotty soles to any trainer. I was thinking about getting it done on some Etnies as I'm not a fan of Five Ten styling.

Let me know if you want the links as I'm posting via my phone right now and they're bookmarked on my PC

Yes, please!

Kowalski675

Cookeh wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

-snip- http://www.sportsdirect.com/no-fear-cor ... e=24202041

Got to be worth a punt for £12! Thank God for small feet! Might pick a pair of these up myself

I'd buy another pair or two for that price, if they had any 8.5s left.

rockmonkeysc

It's not actually stealth rubber you can get any shoe resoled with. I had my 5.10 climbing shoes resoled and they were grippy but not as grippy as the original rubber.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It's not actually stealth rubber you can get any shoe resoled with.

It is 'stealth' but it's C4 rather than S1.

McNab_79

Kowalski675 wrote:

Cookeh wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

-snip- http://www.sportsdirect.com/no-fear-cor ... e=24202041

Got to be worth a punt for £12! Thank God for small feet! Might pick a pair of these up myself

I'd buy another pair or two for that price, if they had any 8.5s left.

Nice one! I'll grab a pair of these I think and give them a go. How wrong can you go when you're picking them up for £12!

I do already have the 2013 Suplest Supzero Offroad that I picked up from Evans in August for £50 and they really are absolutely superb and will continue to be through the winter and whenever I ride clipped in, but they just don't feel right with the Moove's because of the soles. When it's not P'ing it down (fat chance of that any time soon!) and when we move into Spring I wanted some traditional flat soles, so hopefully these No Fear will do the trick!

Kowalski675

For summer they were great (probably not for hard riding downhill types, but fine for my attempts at trail riding). Durable too - the uppers are good as new (apart from a layer of dust) and soles still look pretty healthy:

Angus Young

CitizenLee wrote:

There are a few companies that can apply Stealth/Dotty soles to any trainer. I was thinking about getting it done on some Etnies as I'm not a fan of Five Ten styling.

I'd be very interested to see how you get on with that as I, too, don't like five ten styling and have been looking at Etnies. Post up a thread if you go ahead.