[Closed] What shoes do you wear with flats?

maybe clogs or plimsoles ? lol ... sorry couldnt resist..
i have five tens and b4 that specialized shoes for flat pedals, five tens are great (proper sticky)........theres alot of flat shoes to choose from out there... heres just one link

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=1551

Most skate-style shoes work well (I'm using some Vans at the moment), but they don't offer the same support/protection as 5-10's.

Mr MC uses just Vans, Etnies or whatever from TK Max at a super bargainatious discount price. He bought a pair of 5 10's after everyone on here raved about them (expensive!)and he didn't like them as he couldn't feel his feet on the pedals so felt a bit wary! The Vans have a softer sole so you have a bit of feeling underneath the sole.

5/10's

currently using Nike 6.0s which are ok
my faves are Vans with the biscuit coloured waffle sole and preferably the lightweight ones like the Vans Rowley XLTs - shame the sole gets trashed by pedal pins

currently wearing merrell chameleons to ride. I used to wear DC's but got fed up of how heavy they are.

I had been using Nike 6.0's with DMR V8's, but got a pair of DC (Rob Drydek specials) which I tried last night and they seem fine. They are currently on sale at J D Sports for £29.99.

op why will changing shoes help your knees ? Spd's only hurt knees if set up incorrectly

I asked a similar question recently about scate boarding trainers. I got some DC's from TK maxx and they do the job very well. I went for ones that looked like they will dry out quick and mine do and they're nice and grippy. Other good makes too.
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/scateboarding-trainers-on-flat-pedals ]Scateboarding trainers[/url]

niallmb )...dont you find your merrells wear out quicker on the bike as oposed walking in them.. i have merrell walking shoes they are great for walking but id not want too ruin them on the bike ?

Just got a pair of Shimano AM40s today and even on the ride home there was a noticeable improvement over the Gravis skate shoes I've worn for years

DG's the ones with the deep DG type pattern all over the sole, ther pins stick in the holes and they stay put no problems

Elaine, i have used Merrels for biking lots and not had any issue with the sole wearing out due to pins. In fact all my last pairs of Chameleons the upper part have come apart before the sole.

Also got a pair of 5.10s and dont find there is a huge ammount of difference in how sticky they are over the Merrels.

Nike 6.0 at the moment, seem to be a reasonable balance of sole stiffness, stickiness and feel.
Do fancy a pair of AM40s though.

I've got 3 pairs I use... An ancient and clapped out pair of Vans, which are good enough but about as stiff as a burst balloon. Great off the bike, good on the bike, tons of feel but sometimes not too comfy.

Also a pair of 5 10 Ba5ics which weren't great, they worked well enough for a while and had huge grip and decent feel but they were poor in winter, soaked up water like you wouldn't believe and took forever to dry. Then the insole fell apart- it's just cardboard in most 5 10s despite the high price- and they generally started to come to bits with the upper inner sole wearing through all over and some external stitching bursting. Then the stealth rubber sole delaminated off the structural sole and ballooned out. Still got them as spares, they were nice enough shoes but just not well enough put together, you should be able to expect better for the price- they're made about as well as a £20 supermarket shoe.

And lastly, the best shoes I've used, Shimano AM40. Decent wet weather manners, fantastic construction, tunable for stiffness with the removable insole, no bloody cardboard, covered laces to keep the rain out and stop them getting caught... Fully removable insoles for faster drying too. Not as outright grippy as 5 10s but it's a bit of an irrelevance, they're still more grippy than I need. They're just a better shoe full stop.

Both the 5 10s and AM40s look absolutely awful btw 😉

i use 2 pairs of either emerica skate shoes or etnies. stiffish and not too grippy.

When I'm not on a clipped-in bicycle, I've ridden most of this summer in sandals.
It's great if you can live with the risk to catching your toes on things - but when that's been that's too stupid / too likely I've been riding in cycle shoes without cleats, or just bumming around in old skate shoes.

[url= http://flickr.com ]
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> jedi - Member

>i use 2 pairs of either emerica skate shoes or etnies. stiffish and not >too grippy.

so thats jedis secret, he has four legs....

I have some 5tens which are good for riding rough downhill courses with cos there really grippy.

Tend not to wear them for anything else cos they are too grippy, you cant move your feet about and the soles are a bit thick. So for Xc and dirt jumps etc. I use some vans waffle sole shoes or some sort of light weight walking boots

op why will changing shoes help your knees ? Spd's only hurt knees if set up incorrectly

If you have a pre-existing knee problem then SPDs can make it worse, even if they're well set up. You can put more torque on your knee, you can pull as well as push through the joint, and you can pedal over rougher ground without losing your footing. All these things put more stress on your knees.

[url] http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31537 [/url]

Can't fault 'em.

I ordered them from here

http://www.descent-gear.com/index.php?sec=prod&prod=1495

Ordered Wednesday morning, arrived today. Best price I could find and free postage

Elaine, Can't say I've found they wear out that quickly, maybe I'm just not riding enough but I've had the same pair for about a year now, 2-3 rides a week. They look scruffy but soles are still fine and they are comfy.

Some cheapo Karrimor multi-activity shoes

5-10's

had them 2 years - never slipped off the pedal (Wellgo Mag 1's) in that time. nuff said.

Edric 64 - Member

op why will changing shoes help your knees ? Spd's only hurt knees if set up incorrectly

Tore a cruciate knee ligament playing football, so now I can't run, or do anything with impact, or turn/twist on the knee. My foot (on the damaged knee) now has a natural resting position of around 25 degrees. Subsequently, being locked into an SPD irritates the injury.

is it the newer 5:10 impacts that fall apart?

cos I have a pair of the early ones (suede) that get ridden in all conditions and must be four years old now? soles are getting a bit thin now so likely to replace them with another pair.

also got some 5:10 approach shoes that seem pretty good and nice to ride in.

Your injury would prevent you from using 5 10's too IMO as you twist your body position when riding, and your foot would be locked onto the pins with 5 10's.
I'd just go for a pair of Vans Rowleys or something similar from DC, Nike 6.0, so you can reposition your feet without losing grip.
I know this because I also have dodgy knees from years of bad landings on BMX bikes and i can't ride SPD's because i need to reposition my feet to get my hips into the right shape to corner fast.

currently wearing merrell chameleons to ride.

+1 and good for the get off and push bits as well

wot ^ they said about knees and flats, esp with 5.10s - they pretty much lock your foot to the pedal (suppose that's why jedi et al prefer less grippy ones) (I do ride with 5.10 and flats but not v far because of the non-floaty nature)

maybe you want floaty clip-ins like maybe speedplay, crank, etc ... ? (I've some speedplay on a road bike (shitty ankles) and they float LOADS)

I use and have 5 10's which are great, but i do find them a bit clumpy and unweildy(if thats a word).

Recently been using some Salomon trail shoes which feel much lighter and fitted, they are also better on the off bike walky bits.

Jury is out with me on this issue , thinking about giving Shimano AM40's a go as they dont seem so clumpy?

I've had an ACL reconstruction and I haven't had any problems with 5.10s. Mine lasted about 2 years before the soles basically wore through, they grip very well but they are heavy and hard to keep dry in winter. I have AM40s now, they still have a lot of grip but are a bit lighter and stiffer in the sole.

As a few people have said, repositioning your feet on the pedals makes a big difference, on clips you tend to have the axle in line with the ball of your foot all the time. If its rough having the axles in line with the middle of your foot and a bit of flex in the sole puts less pressure on your knees.

I've used Shimano clips which were the best from a functional point of view, but gave me mystery knee pain after more than a couple of hours. Time Atacs gave me less pain but were harder to get out of in a hurry. I ride Look Keo clips on my road bike, I don't get any problems with them unless I push myself too hard and my technique goes to sh1t, but that is my own fault.

got some AM40's yesterday they seem better than the various skate shoes I've been using for years.

I use 2 pairs so if one day its wet I can dry them wilst wearing the others 🙂

http://fiveten.com/products/accessories-detail/4318--stealthr-c4-kit-deluxe

Knock yourself out..

I usually use skate shoes. Have used merrels before but they tend to get stuck in the pedals at times due to the chunky undulating soles. Prefer etnies, vans(Rowleys) and emericas.

Kasper - that barge resole package looks amazing. Reckon I'm gonna get an order in for that. Reminds me of shoe goo from my skating days.