Flat Pedal Shoe (Flats) recommendations for Cyclocross (CX)

ctp046

I ride CX on flat pedals. That’s not going to change for a while. Personal preference (just want to avoid people suggesting I go clipless).

I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations for shoes. My priorities would be:
Grip (Where FiveTen seems to have the advantage)
Weatherproofing (riding with a shoe full of water isn’t fun, Spec 2FO looks like they have potential here)
Minimal Bulk (lets be real, full lycra plus my current MTB shoes [FiveTen Impact Highs] looks like garbage)
Black (If I’m not going to ride fast I at least want to look fast, the rest of my kit is all black)
Price (I’d like to keep it under $200, ideally on sale for like $100 CAD)

Does anyone have recommendations? Info on grip and bulk is generally pretty easy to find online. Info on how weatherproof these things are seems to be somewhat scarce.

fenix

Are you doing the cyclocross where you have to run with your bike ? As you need a bit more of a grippy shoe then.

The shoes you're talking about are MTB ones - not Cross suitable.

robertpb

These are the pedals I have on my CX and MTB, https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/ ... pedals.htm

Footware is FiveTen Freerider Pro. I also have clipless shoes for the CX with Shimano 520's, I don't find any advantages in using my clipless setup, in fact I prefer the flats.

ctp046

Fenix wrote:

Are you doing the cyclocross where you have to run with your bike ? As you need a bit more of a grippy shoe then.

The shoes you're talking about are MTB ones - not Cross suitable.

As far as I can tell no one makes flats that are designed for cross (extra grip for running) so I'm stuck with MTB shoes.

We don't have a ton of running here (most of it is to get over barriers) so I survived last season in Reebok cross trainers (didn't have a ton of grip for running which didn't seem to be a problem but the soles got eaten by my pedals).

robertpb

Have you looked at Salomon speedcross trainers like these, https://www.salomon.com/uk/product/speedcross-4.html

imposter2.0

CTP046 wrote:

As far as I can tell no one makes flats that are designed for cross (extra grip for running) so I'm stuck with MTB shoes.

Nobody is ever going to make a CX-specific shoe that you can't clip into.

tgotb

Imposter wrote:

CTP046 wrote:

As far as I can tell no one makes flats that are designed for cross (extra grip for running) so I'm stuck with MTB shoes.

Nobody is ever going to make a CX-specific shoe that you can't clip into.

I think I must be missing something here. Why not just use a normal CX shoe (of which there are gazillions on the market) but don't attach a cleat to it? The vast majority have a decent tread, and a platform that will work fine with flat pedals.

Edit: Be wary of some of the MTB flat pedals with more aggressive spikes. They're fine on MTBs, where the mantra seems to be to never ever get off your bike for anything, regardless of how long it takes you to inch your way across it. In a CX world, where getting off your bike and running isn't treated as a sign of failure, it's only a matter of time before those spikes lacerate your calves and/or shins...

roger_merriman

TGOTB wrote:

Imposter wrote:

CTP046 wrote:

As far as I can tell no one makes flats that are designed for cross (extra grip for running) so I'm stuck with MTB shoes.

Nobody is ever going to make a CX-specific shoe that you can't clip into.

I think I must be missing something here. Why not just use a normal CX shoe (of which there are gazillions on the market) but don't attach a cleat to it? The vast majority have a decent tread, and a platform that will work fine with flat pedals.

Edit: Be wary of some of the MTB flat pedals with more aggressive spikes. They're fine on MTBs, where the mantra seems to be to never ever get off your bike for anything, regardless of how long it takes you to inch your way across it. In a CX world, where getting off your bike and running isn't treated as a sign of failure, it's only a matter of time before those spikes lacerate your calves and/or shins...

Equally though admittedly this is MTB/CX trail experience but generally the reverse seems true in that, the riders with the less aggressive pedals would get attacked by them, mostly due to slipping on the pedals.

I’d agree that MTB SPD shoes are probably the best bet, though I’d advise decent MTB pedals ie spiked, as the rubber on Clipless shoes is hard, and quite slippery once wet.

MTB shoes for flats tend to have tread designed for sticking to the pedals less running up muddy slopes.

Moonbiker

I used Salamon speed cross with theese pedals



MKS lite^


Worked fine feet never slipped off pedals & Salamon very good grip running up muddy banks.

cougie

You could look at Trail Running shoes. Good tread and stiff enough for pedalling.