Hi folks

I'm after some flatties for my Curtis and need some riding shoes to go with them.

What pedal and shoe combo works and what doesn't?

Cheers

Ken

Wellgo MG1's and some decent skate shoes, or 5:10's.
They stick like shit on a blanket.

Wellgo MG1's and some decent skate shoes, or 5:10's.
They stick like shit on a blanket.

Agreed.

About the only serious shoe recommendation that gets made is for the ubiquitous Five Ten, and they are deserving of their reputation and recommendation. I've gone through about four pairs and recently decided to try the Shimano flat shoe equivalent as it was £25 cheaper on CRC. Yes, they are white (at least to begin with) and yes they would not look out of place on a golf course, but they are super comfy and as grippy if not grippier than the Five Ten.
Pedals wise, heck, you've got so much to choos from. Grip is less of an issue these days (shoes take care of that) so it ends up coming down to things like weight, price, profile, maintenance and fashion.
Having used Burgtecs Penthouse flats in Mk2 and 3 guise, Shimano DXs, Straightlines and now Superstar Components, the last of these offer the best balance between weight, price, profile and durability.

The cream of the crop pedal wise are in no particular order – Burgtec MK3, Straitline, Canfield bros Crampon and point one racing podium.

Who is the best I don't know some using bushings others use bearings i think.

I like 5,10s and as for pedals ive had DMR v8s, V12 mags, easton flatboys and canfield crampons and i cant say any one has seemed that much better than the others. the're just pedals. Get ones with the best sealing, bearings etc.

shiamo am40's ,meant to be alot better made than five tens with same level of grip ,and the lace cover is handy.DMR V12's are excellent pedals, ive got the mag versions and they came second hand on a bike i bought over a year ago and looked old then but the bearings are still perfect, new axle nut (30p) every few years when you put some more grease in and they're fine, they're a wierd finish, must be five shades of silver on my pedals now, although they've gone out of fashion now they are still the ones to have.

i tend to rip pins out of my flat pedals (destroying the threads on the way) so I always run v8s with no maintanance, when they're missing more than 3pins/side, i bin em and get some new. Only £18/pop so can't complain really

i too am looking to change my pedals. Just out of interest, when fitting pedals is it universal, or can you get different fits to different cranks?

ken, 5/10s and gusset slim jim mags….awesome

pay cheap pay twice………. 😆

Actually in regards to the burgtecs, rumour has it pro riders are spending there hard earned on them they are that good. Kinda wish I had bought those over the straitlines.

Wow….Burgtecs ain't cheap

Thanks for the advice guys.

It's been ages since I rode with flats so there might a bit of re-learning required 😳

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=129&osCsid=d80f96f6492a2c565f2c8fb5d59b2ea0

and 5.10 freeriders!

5.10s or Vans paired with Crank Bro's 50/50.

AM40s definately better than 5 10s in my experience… Well, 5 10s may be better on day one but it's not long before the british weather gets to them, they're really not well designed for wet weather use as far as I can tell. The build quality's not very good in the first place but winter totally killed mine, basically every part other than the laces started falling apart. The AM40s are just plain nicer to ride in when it gets wet, they don't soak up a whole river, but they seem better put together too, and have almost as much grip- still much more than is needed so the slightly reduced grip isn't really relevant IMO.

Pedals, any decent spiky pedal will do tbh, the Superstar ones are nice… I've got 2 pairs of Wellgo MG1s and love them, but they're quite thick.

Another vote for the Superstar pedals – I ride in nice weather with Five Ten Stealths – much better looking than the regular ones IMO, and if you care about that kind of thing….

Really do feel like I'm glued to the pedals now. Used Wellgos and DMRs in the past and the SS pedals are very tough and hardwearing in comparison.

5 10's or Am40s in the shoe department for sure. Would disagree with the couple of voices above who are saying AM40's are better made than 5 10s. In my experience 5 10s have given much more longevity. Am40s, not so much, though they are still a fine shoe. They are nicer to wear and lighter too, though 5 10s are considerably grippier imo.

Pedals – Anything will feel very grippy when married up with a 5 10, so it's just a case of getting a platform/shape you like and a cost to weight ratio that you can live with. At the cheaper end of the scale easton flatboys are bomb proof and feel great – at the high end, twenty6 rallye with ti axles.

Personally I like a large flat platform and I dislike the concave feeling of some pedals. Point one Podiums are probably the best I've ever tried.

5-10's and kona wah-wahs. Its like being clipless without being clipped in.

I just use cheap Wellgos and Vans. Works for me 🙂

A question about Five tens…..are all the soles made out of the same sticky rubber?

Finding AM40's in a size 47 is proving to be a bit difficult

and I think I'll go for the red with black pins version of these

+1 for 5.10's and Superstar Nano-tech pedals. Been using this combo on two bikes since August last year. Been using my 5.10's all winter and they've held up really well and keep my feet toasty in the cold weather, getting abit hot now though.

Wouldn't touch AM40's with a barge pole though! I had a pair of Shimano shoes with identical tread which got completely torn to shreds when used with Shimano's own DX flat pedals and Superstars Nano-tech's. In comparison, the tread of my 5.10's are barely marked.

Cheap double-sided track/touring pedals and walking shoes with lugged soles works for me.

These pedals are so cheap they can be regarded as consumables, but can last a long time with maintenance. They are usually light.

Like these
, but you'll find something cheaper in your lbs. Just grease them up and adjust the bearing before use and they'll be ok.

I made the same switch last month after 40+ years of riding clipped in.

I bought a pair of MP90 shoes (predecessor of AM40s) and some V8 pedals.

I like the stiff sole of the cycling specific shoe and I'm really enjoying the flat pedals. I had a great long day out in the Lakes, feeling very secure and last weekend i used them singlespeeding and got on well with that too.

Finally binned my scuzzy old running trainers last week and bought a pair of the AM40s. Cheap at CRC, buy them a size up if you're buying without trying. I prefer the dandy brothel creeper look to the special look, although the lower profile 5.10s look alright (sam hill model?) Pretty happy with them so far. Much nicer to pedal in than the scuzzy old nikes and obviously much grippier.

The Point One Podiums look pretty tasty, but my 8 year old V8s show no sign of giving up any time soon. I splurge a syringe full of grease in the grub srew about once a year, no probs so far.

MP90 are the ones i had…..bloody awful considering they were so easily chewed up by Shimano's own DX pedal!

EDIT: I don't get the comments regarding the 5.10's 'special' looks. IMO all cycling specific shoes look pretty 'special' 😀

Do you tend to bang your pedals on rocks and the ground? Do you ride in rocky areas?

If yes, magnesium pedals may not be the best idea as they're pretty soft and seem to fall apart quite easy. I'm basing that on my Wellgo MG1s anyway. Great whiel they lasted but other pedals have lasted much better.

Gusset Slim Jims are my current favourite. The normal cartridge bearing model.

Most of my riding is at Woburn which isn't very rocky so mag pedals should be ok

Finding a pair of size 47's is proving a bit of a challenge so may end up with 5 10's any way

What are 5 10's like for sizing? I normally take an 46 (11) in a shoe and a 47 (12) in a cycling shoe

Weird double post 😯

+1 for the 5:10's, but I use Freeriders rather than the standard Impacts. Same Stealth sole but less bulky and look like a normal skate shoe. Lasted all winter OK so no quality issues. I normally take a 43 but got 44 so there was enough room for thick socks plus Sealskinz in winter

I've been using Wellgo MG1s for the last 3 years with Nike 6.0 Mogen skate shoes. A good combo which I liked and had no issues with (never slipped a pedal).

However, switched to Burgtec Penthouse 3s and 5-10 sticker rubber soled Vans last month, which feels like an even better combo.

Got my Vans resoled at resoles.co.uk in Chesterfield. There was something in ST mag about them last issue.

Hey how thin are the soles on those freeriders, compared to the impacts Captn?
Just replaced my impacts, and I forgot how thick the sole is! Spent cash on the Crampons to get the thinness, but put on the Impacts and it's like Tom cruise in his cuban heels.

What I'd really like is a thin & stiff soled XC type shoe, with stealth rubber, for these thin pedals.

i use mg1 on the hummer recently and are no way near as grippy as aframes.
i like to slide my feet around anyway so its no issue.
grip is about foot position and grippy shoes allow you to get away with it more.

Jedi

by A frames do you mean the Azonic pedal?

yes mate. 🙂

The last flatties I had were A frames 😆

They was fab

ooOOoo – Member
Hey how thin are the soles on those freeriders, compared to the impacts Captn?

Never had the Impacts so can't compare, but subjectively they are a bit thicker than ordinary skate shoes

ok cheers ta