Hi guys just got myself a mountain bike with flat pedals and was wondering which shoes are the best for flat pedals any help would be greatful

Etnies/Vans/DC etc.

Even for use at trail centres and natural trails?

I bought a pair of HiTec hiking shoes for 29.99 from Go Outdoors. They’re waterproof, they work well on my flats, and I wear them for hiking as well.

Recommended.

Five Tens if you are happy paying the price. And so the usual argument commences……… 🙂

As David recommends or even shimanos latest offerings of flat pedal shoe. I have 5 10’s and never again…

Vans have always worked for me.

Five tens all the way for me, never had a problem with them

Welcome to STW. I am going to suggest something contraversial: out of the 144,000 threads posted on the bike section, there’s a chance someone else has asked the same question. Towards the right of the screen is a button labelled “search”. Its a bit like Google, but just searches on STW. If you put the words ‘flat’ and ‘shoe’ in there, you will find, amongst others….

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/flat-pedal-and-shoe-recommendations-please

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/weatherproof-flat-pedal-shoes

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/flat-shoes-for-flat-pedals

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shoes-2

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/flat-shoes-your-thoughts

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-less-costly-alternatives-to-fivetens

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/waterproof-shoes-for-flats

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/waterproof-flat-shoes

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/five-ten-shoes-are-they-worth-the-money

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/waterproof-ish-flat-shoe

Happy reading.

[troll]Pretty much owt, flat pedals are the sign of a noob anyway.[/troll]

5-10 are more grippy than any other flat shoe on the market by far. Other brands rely on their solle material AND the tread whereas 5-10s are unbelievably grippy regardless of the pattern. I know people using their trail running shoes, free ride shoes, hill walking boots as well as bike specific ones and they beat the competition by a long shot. I’ve owned/own 2 pairs of Impacts (both died this supper after 6 and 7 years abuse, a pair of Sam Hills (new) and a pair of Minaar SPDs and all are so grippy. I have dabbled with Vans, Shimano, 661 and Helly Hansen and always come back

I use 5-10s and just to give a bit of balance I do find that they have 2 downsides. 1 – They NEVER dry out. 2 – As stupid as it sounds they can be too grippy, sometimes they do get bumped about a bit and you can find yourself in a tricky situation where your feet are absolutely not where you want and you can’t get them back as they wont move on the pedals. Still think mine are ace but they were a gift and I’m not sure I would be able to justify the price if I was buying myself.

^^^^ both the reasons im not keen on mine chvck, that and the price is over the top. much prefer the shimanos i had previously

Lawl.

Thing about Vans (and all skate shoes) is, they’re not all the same. Some of them are pretty crap for riding, some are very good. My ancient Bricks were fantastic, my new Baxters are pretty rotten. And I guess the same applies for approach shoes, outdoor trainers, etc- some will be good, some bad.

The advantage of “proper” cycling shoes is mainly getting away from that IMO, you know you’ll get something suitable.

AM40s were my favourites, but they’re discontinued now. Pretty happy with my 5 10 Freeriders, they’re far better made than my old Impacts were, and adding half a bottle of shoe waterproofer has made them work pretty well.

(they may have improved the Impacts now, but mine were terrible- grippy, but built like a cross between a £10 Tesco shoe and a sponge. The Basics were similiar but at least didn’t soak up as much water)

510’s are good the only downside is that they tend to soak up water like a sponge and are a bit heavy.

The grip is superb.

Some Vans’s are OK the ones with the waffle sole if I remember.

Seem to mixed reviews when it comes to 5 10’s some people like others dont but its like that with everyting i suppose. I was looking at maybe getting a waterproof walking shoe ive sen some at sports direct was wondering if these would be ok?

being told in other forums that walking shoes wouldnt be great as the soles to hard and the tred pattern not much contact with pedal so need a flat bottom shoe like 5 10’s, Teva or Vans

That’ll depend on the shoe tbh. Mine are absolutely terrible for cycling in, the shape of the tread is all wrong. But others might work well.

Nike 6.0 mogans

No mixed reviews from the “experts”. The Five Ten Impact Lo 2 consistently scores 9 or 10 out of 10 in reviews and wins flat shoes group tests every time. I personally would prefer if they were lighter and soaked up less water but they are so comfortable and planted when riding I can get past that. I recently caught my foot on a rogue stump and I am sure the tough toe box on my Impact’s saved me from a nasty injury. Each to there own mind, some would rather have a lighter shoe an sacrifice a bit of protection.

Vans Gravels – designed and made for flat pedal riding.

I’ve had 5.10’s and like others state I found them too grippy and when they get wet they take a lifetime to dry.

Love my 5 10 freeriders. Take ages to dry and fill with dirt but are lovely to ride in.

teva links.

epic shoe!

5-10 Sam Hills or 5-10 Impact II every time for trail riding, have been using both of these for some seasons and find them very very good, no problems with grip, wet weather or pedalling efficiency on my mountain bike

I use Shimano 520 MTN SPD on my commuter and Shimano 105 Road SPD on my road bike as a comparison

would recommend skate shoes like vans / etnies / orchid, etc. for dirt jumping and “freeride” when you need to move your feet more freely about on the pedals; however for trail riding these shoes can lack toe / heel protection and feel very flexible under power promoting cramping in the foot

be aware that within the skate shoes brands, they offer several levels of shoe stiffness, often called “tech” for the stiffer soles or “natural” for the more flexible soles, they are not all the same as skateboarders and bmx riders have definite ideas about what they want from their shoes, and the brands have adjusted their offerings, accordingly

Ive found some Adio Laser 2 skate shoes on Amazon For £10 i was wondering if they would be ok should be £50

Cheers everyone i quiet like the teva links but would like to know what people think of the adio laser 2 ive found on amazon

I’m a Nike 6.0 man myself, but mostly cause nobody else makes shoes big enough other than DC’s, which are too wide. Size UK14.

Don’t know anything about the Adio’s, sorry.

2 pairs of Adio laser 2 skate shoes bought for £20 of amazon didnt think i could go wrong if there no good not lost much

flat shoes for flat pedals

Five Tens all the way – best money spent for gripping flats on my 575

Vans.

5/10 or Teva are suitable candidates

Nike 6.0 skate shoes