I have an old pair of North Face approach shoes with a Gore-Tex lining that I use for all my MTBing. They are over 10 years old now and starting to fall apart, but the Gore-Tex membrane is intact so my feet stay warm and dry.

When they get too muddy I sling them in the washing machine and dry them on the radiator then they're ready to wear again.

When they give up the ghost I'll definitely get another pair 🙂

I have a pair of Haglofs Vertigo II GT Shoes which I use a lot for hill walking but can't comment regarding biking. However, I have found them extremely comfortable to wear & would probably be fine with flat pedals.

I got into mtb seriously a couple of years ago and decided from the off to ride flats. When buying shoes I wanted something that I could trail run in, walk the dog in, and ride in. I bought a pair of adidas terrex approach shoes as they are pretty good for all those things.

They have a solid base and good ankle support so they are brilliant for running in. They have some cushioning so they bear up okay for walking longer distances, and the sole has excellent grip levels (the toe on this particular sole also has a slick gripper apparently designed for bouldering) which is great for hiking on the rocks in the Lake District.

All these features to me seem great to cross over into mtb. The rigid sole performs just as an mtb specific shoe would for pedalling, the cushioning is great when you are in them for hours on end, and the grip levels help for security and confidence on the pedals, and also are great for hike-a-biking, especially the slick toe on the steeper climbs. Most of all, I even picked up a bargain, £45, where most mtb specific shoes will cost a load more than that (as an aside, I believe fiveten are now owned by adidas, so are likely sharing tech).

When I read the title I thought you'd lost the plot, why would anyone need a pair of special shoes just to walk to their bike

I've got welgo cnc trekking pedals, not as big as mtb pedals but still plenty of grip and use a pair of 9 year old gore lined approach shoes. All good in most situations.

Any of Salomon's Goretex trainers work well. I've always used them for riding but mostly as I used to get them at trade price through my old job. I guess other manufacturer's shoes would work just as well, but over eight years of Salomon gear they tend to fail very slowly and predictably. I've had other boots suddenly shed their sole in the middle of nowhere which is problematic...

Use a pair of 5:10 tennies and find them great on flats. Sole is nice and stiff but you can still walk fine in them and the stealth rubber grips well.

Five Ten Savant - as all of the above and £22 at Rock and Run 😉

Just avoid those cheap karrimors from Sports Direct.
Truly useless.

Salomon here.
They work ok, but only use them really for riding with the kids.

What last is the norm for 5:10?

Salomon are Figure-8 shaped, and quite narrow. My feet are much wider across the toe-knuckles* than the heel - Salomon don't fit very well but the quality just about lets me get away with it. I keep hearing about 5:10 - but will they fit me or not?

Personally the best approach shoe I used was a Montrail, but ye gods they were ugly, clearly very corrective. But the midsole was a blast on the bike with DX's.

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*I had a WTF moment here, but I don't know a better word!

EDIT:Karrimors that looked good destroyed both my girlfriends feet, and, her trust in my ability to choose shoes.

Don't use Inov8's. 🙂
Destroyed a pair in two weeks on flat pedals.
NOT a happy sausage.

As to the Karrimors, some have a nice thick Vibram sole and are as suitable as any other 'sports' shoe.
The cheaper ones have a sole as thick as paper and are not.

Cheap Karrimor boots here, with waterproof membrane. Works great through the winter. Rest of the year, whatever happens to be on my feet, but if it's a bit muddy or slimy out, some trail running trainers I got cheap from TKMaxx are most likely. V8 or similar pedals do me fine.

When I read the title I thought you'd lost the plot, why would anyone need a pair of special shoes just to walk to their bike

😀

This question has been on my mind as well after a hideously muddy mid week ride where a seething mud hole swallowed my front wheel and I couldn't stand up to pull it out. I'm not saying it would have been easy in approach shoes but a bit of grip would have been useful compared to the complete lack of from my flat shoes.

Boreal flyers here - waterproof, tough and reasonably sticky.

Just avoid those cheap karrimors from Sports Direct.
Truly useless.

Don't use Inov8's.
Destroyed a pair in two weeks on flat pedals.
NOT a happy sausage.

I used a pair of Inov8s for years with no problems, including some very long rides. I now use those cheap karrimors from Sports Direct; much heavier and chunkier than the Inov8s, but warmer and waterproof.

I often wear a pair of goretex north face hedgehogs on the bike, great for hike a bike and also get used on occasion for hill walking and some trail running as well. Keep my feet warm even when wet.

If I recall correctly they were billed as multi-activity shoes or suchlike and have to say they were money well spent.

Use them on the bike in winter with sealskinz socks and carry a pair of kahtoola micro spikes in case I encounter some ice and need to push (especially uphill).

now please don't laugh at me, but in a senior moment, I bought a pair of these.
my train of thought was, they will wipe clean, the tongue will leep the worst of the wet out, the sole looks flat and grippy.....and I have a balaclava to hide my shame...... 😆

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-am41-mtb-shoe-2014/rp-prod55371

*disco*