Recommend me Shoes for Flats

Philgr
Philgr Posts: 66
edited February 2009 in MTB buying advice
Hi

Im only one month into the mountain bike lark, and have quickly realised i need some better footwear

I have been using an old pair of walking trainer/shoes, but after a couple of tripe out in the wet with mud & water etc they are wrecked.

Im looking for something that are easy to clean and will stand up to the wet & mud etc... no laces would be good.

My bike is a Specialized Rockhopper Disc 08 and i have changed the peddles for DMR V8 which were a massive improvement

Recommendations Please

Thanks in advance

Phil G
08 Specialized Rockhopper Disc
09 Trek Fuel EX 9.8

Comments

  • 5.10's
  • GT Destroyer
    GT Destroyer Posts: 1,719
    I wear some DC skate style shoes, which have been fine now for over 1 year. Anything completely flat-soled will do, preferable with plenty of holes on the sole to grip the grubnuts on the pedals (not peddles - sorry to correct but it looks awful)

    Mine have been battered to death in all types of weather conditions and are like new - I just stick them in the washer after every ride and they come out sparkling!
  • KonaMike
    KonaMike Posts: 805
    I wear Shimano SH MP55 shoes,got them on E Bay for £15 brand new,tried them with my Wellgo flats at Cwmcarn on a few muddy Sundays and they have been great !

    http://www.tribusbike.com.br/images/Shi ... H-MP55.JPG
  • Depends on your budget really.

    The shoes which come highly recommended by everyone who use them are 5.10 Impacts. They have a very grippy rubber sole, so stick to the pedals really well. The downsides are: They cost £70 a pair. They take an age to dry. They have the laces exposed. They look like an Orthopaedic prescription!

    Another option is Shimano MP66 or AM40. I've been considering these myself, as they can be had for a bit less money than 5.10s, and (IMO) look better.

    The cheapest bet is to get yourself to TK Maxx or similar, and buy some skate shoes for £20ish. As GT destroyer says, you can chuck them in the washing machine to keep them clean.
    Boardman Road Comp '08
    Spesh FSR XC Expert '08
  • GT Destroyer
    GT Destroyer Posts: 1,719
    I forgot about TK Maxx. You will definately find something in there, bargain prices too.
  • Yup TK Maxx for skate shoes, got some nice DC for £30 and some cool green Duffs for £20- too nice for biking in though.

    I'll have to pop in and get some for riding really.
    08 Pitch Pro
    14 Kona Unit
    Kona Kula SS
    Trailstar SS
    94 Univega Alpina 5.3
  • mcbazza
    mcbazza Posts: 251
    Depends on your budget really.

    The shoes which come highly recommended by everyone who use them are 5.10 Impacts. They have a very grippy rubber sole, so stick to the pedals really well. The downsides are: They cost £70 a pair. They take an age to dry. They have the laces exposed. They look like an Orthopaedic prescription!.
    I stick these in my fiveten's after a ride, and they are dry by the morning.
    product_0000000007_0010.jpg
    Stumpy, Rockhopper (stolen!) & custom SX Trail II - that should do it!
  • GT Destroyer
    GT Destroyer Posts: 1,719
    Bazza, £20 just to dry my trainers! I just stick mine on the radiator and they are dry by the morning! Saving me £20!

    Seems a bit excessive. :?
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    I got a pair of five tens recently, I'm back in my old Vans... The five tens have better grip, but the Vans have enough anyway so more is no advantage for me, and that aside they have nothing to recommend them. Mine are just the Basics, which have the same sole material but are much less technical than the Impacts, but since it's the sole that everyone raves about and it does nothing for me I think the same would be true of the Impacts. Overpriced and overhyped, IMO.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • mcbazza
    mcbazza Posts: 251
    Bazza, £20 just to dry my trainers! I just stick mine on the radiator and they are dry by the morning! Saving me £20!

    Seems a bit excessive. :?
    You're right. However, sometimes they aren''t dry (with just the radiator) by the morning. I have Sealskinz for such an emergency. But, I like my shoes dry!!

    Plus, these are passive. No power/electricity. Perfect for when you are camping/etc.

    Bought them originally for my snowboard boots. But, they see more use in my fiveten's these days.

    For those that think fiveten's are too expensive, there is a company (somewhere up North - Manchester?) that will stick a 'stealth' sole on the shoes of your choosing for around £30.
    Stumpy, Rockhopper (stolen!) & custom SX Trail II - that should do it!
  • gettricky
    gettricky Posts: 103
    I just got a pair of Marzocchi Bombers, which are essentially 5.10's. But they're white and black and IMO cooler 8)

    I got 10% discount off them instore, to be honest you should get at least 10% off every bike part you buy at the moment, retailers are all bricking themselves because of the credit crunch, I have negotiated on absolutely everything I have bought for the last three months (apart from online).
    ---

    Pitch Pro 2009
  • mcbazza wrote:
    Bazza, £20 just to dry my trainers! I just stick mine on the radiator and they are dry by the morning! Saving me £20!

    Seems a bit excessive. :?
    You're right. However, sometimes they aren''t dry (with just the radiator) by the morning. I have Sealskinz for such an emergency. But, I like my shoes dry!!

    Plus, these are passive. No power/electricity. Perfect for when you are camping/etc.

    Bought them originally for my snowboard boots. But, they see more use in my fiveten's these days.

    For those that think fiveten's are too expensive, there is a company (somewhere up North - Manchester?) that will stick a 'stealth' sole on the shoes of your choosing for around £30.

    Ahhh - I didn't think about the great outdoors, my bad.
  • skate shoes.

    you will look better for a start.
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    £ 20 quid to dry my 5 10's LOL
    I hose mine down fill with cloth or newspaper and put under
    the radiator.
  • Shimano MP56's and a pair of SealSkinz, you can't really improve on that.
    The velcro flap may make them look a bit strange, but trust me, they do a great job of keeping the water out, protecting your ankle and they are well grippy too.
  • but it will still look as though you got them free on prescription.
  • moggy82
    moggy82 Posts: 726
    Shimano AM40's £45

    I had a pair of the first big over tongue shimano shoes, was impressed with them, MP56's i think, used them with ss mid-lites. They were a VAST improvement over skate shoes. You get better grip for pushing through the mud.

    I still wear skate shoes for trails in the dry, means you feet come off easier if trying to trick. But other than that you cant beat proper cycling shoes.

    The AM40's have a vibram sole, any walkers will know thats the top brand for soles. and they come in a different colour. Not black!



    I do use 5.10's for DH but find the AM40's better for XC and 4X/trails
  • Forget everything else 5-10s and sealskins toasty and super sticky dumped my v8s and got some wellgo mg1s uber light you will appreciate the diiference .........
  • Another vote for Shimano AM40s.

    These are reasonably weather resistant, with a velcro flap covering the laces, and pretty stiff-soled (they come with inserts so you can make them stiffer if needed), and stick like mad to my dmr v12s.

    I hear good things about 510s, but seemed like quite a lot of extra cash for little extra performance.
  • @( No i dont work for 5-10 lol]
  • shin0r
    shin0r Posts: 555
    5.10 impacts