Are MTB specific flat shoes really taht much better than Skate shoes?

I ride in a pair of old Vans skate shoes (waffle grip) on flat pedals(V12’s) and have never considered my foot to be slipping or loose. However, my trainers are now nearing the end of their useful life.

So in the market for some new footwear I started looking at Five Tens and the such and they are all strike me as being massively over priced. Am I being tight and they are genuinely going to turn me into a riding god pulling off 90 degree tail whips every time I get some air or are they no better than some stiff soled skate shoes and I am never going to qualify for Red Bull rampage no matter how rad I can ride round the ultimate big air playground of Lincolnshire?

Yes. 5:10’s are teh awesomes or something.

But seriously they are really rather good. The amount of grip is quite impressive compared to even a Van’s waffle sole etc.

I even have a more casual canvas style pair I use for work commuting that I just wear at work.

Expensive, yes. Overpriced, no. FiveTen shoes are ace- I’ve had a set since 2009 which are just needing to be replaced now.

The difference I found is in the thickness & stiffness of the sole, not to mention the incredible grip. I tried riding in a set of skate shoes again last summer, but just found there was no arch support. Its fine if you’re just nobbing about, but after a full day riding, you’ll know the difference.
If you don’t want to shell out for five tens, go to somewhere like millets and get a set of trail/approach shoes. They tend to be a bit cheaper, and offer decent support, but they’ll not have the same grip as stealth rubber.

Yes.

I find I only care if it’s wet and/or I’m riding difficult stuff – but there’s a fairly big difference. I’ve only ever bought them on sale though.

If you like vans waffle soles, go freeriders for similar levels of feel, all the other 510s feel like clogs.

Put it this way, i’d get through the useful life of a vans waffle sole in around 3 months, freeriders sole lasts 4 times that at a year.

Value for money compared to a set of vans, the same if not better.

The freeriders are more grippy and you do have to adjust by lifting your foot rather than shimmying it across into the right place.

Right if anyone in Lincoln spots someone in a balaclava and beaten up old vans heading towards Natwest its just me getting the funds together for my new shoes…

I always used to wear nike trail running shoes as they were waterproof, tougher uppers offered foot protection against strikes and the soles offered great grip for scrabbleling up muddy terrain with my bike on sections impossible to ride up.
On the pedals grip was never an issue, sometimes I would find myself descending with my foot quite not where I would like it because the grip meant I would have to lift my foot of the pedal to reposition it.

My last pair just wore out and just replaced them with some five ten freeriders.
The shoes themselves are very strong and sturdy and the soles are super tacky and stick like glue to most surfaces, but I am slightly concerned about the tread as it looks like it will be useless for climbing up muddy slopes.

Now I may be wrong, only time will tell and I wonder should that be a factor when considering mtb shoes. If a shoe offered the ultimate grip whilst riding should that ultimately overide it’s performance on foot.

chip, they are- useless for climbing up muddy slopes. I went flat about a year ago and am really pleased I did apart from that one thing. None of the various makes of shoes I have tried have any traction in even faintly damp conditions let alone mud. I was actually thinking of using some approach or trail running shoes on days when you can guarantee going flat on your face hike-a biking up a slippy climb.

My Sombrios beat 510 clown shoes.

Yesterday I forgot to put my Sombrios on. I rode in adidas beckers. Didnt notice.

I think any thick soled trainer will work. I bought some watersports- kayaking Tevas from TKMaxx. Very grippy soles too.

I picked up a pair of FiveTen Freeriders last week in Keswick for £50 – here’s the website for the shop http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Footwear/Approach-Shoes/Freerider#.U0GGvqhdXUg.

So far they’re dead comfy, the extra grip is great and they offer waay more support than the Supras I was using before. They don’t scream “biker”, so are wearable as normal shoes too which is a bonus.

I have a pair of 5:10 impacts. They are an abomination.

No company that made a mtb shoe with a CARDBOARD midsole will get any more money off me. They are mega grippy on the pedals but weight tonnes when wet and never dry out because of the cardboard.

The only plus I can think of is they are good for training. It’s like having ankle weights on they soak up so much water that my legs need to work extra hard.

I kept away from 5.10s because of the spongelike cardboard midsole issue. Started hearing more positive reviews last year though… So I’ve had some Freerider VXi Elements since Xmas and although they only do a reasonable job of keeping the wet out, they dry out very fast, they’re very sticky and they seem nicely put together. I do quite a bit of pushing up and they’re tolerable for that but (sadly) I seem to be better at finding grip with shoes than MTB tyres…

They’re much stiffer than skate shoes (a bit stiffer than AM40s and Teva Links) and the uppers are quite well protected – I clattered my foot hard into an exposed root earlier this week and although it’s bruised I’m surprised I didn’t break a bone or two – not sure I’d have got away with it in skate shoes!

I used to think Vans + V12s were the ultimate flat pedal combination too.

Then I tried some 5:10s, and it rewrote anything my brain new about pedal grip.

A 5:10 recently

There was a massive discussion on this subject, after l posted the same question on MTBR forums.

I ended up buying a pair of Five Tens and also some Vans.

Here are my thoughts, after using both on my rides.
The FT’s stick like glue to my flats, too sticky sometimes as it is impossible to move your foot without lifting it off the pedal. The soles are firm and give good feedback, but they are not waterproof at all. They are comfortable and keep my feet warm on cold days.
The Vans were half the price. They also grip well on the pedals, although it is possible to move your foot around by taking a bit of pressure off.
The flat soles are not as stiff as the FT but they are still fine in my opinion.

My foot has never slipped off a pedal with either shoe.

The FT’s ARE better. But they are twice the price.

The Vans still give good feedback and are a bit more water resistant. But neither are anywhere near waterproof.

I think next time l will go with Vans. But l have to wear out both pairs first!