Hi I was wondering if any of you guys know of any shoes that are pretty cheap to buy and offer good grip when riding flats?

All the help much appreciated.

Thanks

Daz

I use some flat Nike trainers. The tread pattern is perfect for flat pedals and allow the pins to sit nicely within the gaps in the tread. Not the best for walking up steep hills but very good on the pedals

When i was just going ’round the block’ after building a bike back up i went in my cheap walking shoes and they were nearly as grippy as my 5-10’s were.

They are trainer-look karrimor ones from sports direct for about 15quid.

I will stick to my 5-10’s but they are expensive.

Depends on your priorities really.
Etnies skate shoes (esp Kingpins) work reasonably in the 40 quiddish and up category. They have a stiffer sole than most fashion oriented ‘skate’ shoes and grip reasonably well. They get SOAKED when it’s wet and may need DAYS full of newspaper hanging by laces in your window to dry without cracking. I rode a lot in a pair of Kingpins last year.

I’ve destroyed a couple more pairs of skate shoes since (Puma etc)

I got a pair of ‘proper’ bike flats and the difference is night and day. The Tevas are so much better in every respect (grip, support, drying, safety etc). While they’re expensive one-off, they’re comparable to 2-3 pairs of cheap skate shoes so if I get a year out of them they’re no more expensive really.

I’m not saying Links are the best as I know there are some who really dislike them. I have mates wearing 5:10’s and clip less also. I’m suggesting bike-specific shoes are a better buy overall and may be cheaper in the long run if you can get them. A good bike shop will have no problem with you trying a few options on and seeing what you think.

How much do you want to spend? Sombrio shoes are ace- I prefer my X-Shazams to my Five Ten Freeriders, and they cost £40-£50. Not cheap shoes, excellent shoes for cheaper than they should be- better made than Five Ten, not quite as grippy but still more than grippy enough, and the best flat shoe I’ve tried for winter.

I’ll be buying some more, can’t see me buying Five Ten again in a hurry, even though I’m pretty happy with my Freeriders. Might get some Floats for summer, £40’s a bargain.

My ancient Vans Bricks were superb bike shoes as long as it was dry, but skate shoes can be a gamble- some are soft, some are plasticky, some will last forever, some wear out super fast… I got a set of Vans Baxters for the bike and it ended up being a total waste of money.

Another Sport direct shopper here.

Bought Airwalk skate shoes/trainers, about £18-£22 depending which ones. Mine lasted 4 years of racing and riding, just bought some more to replace them.
Cheap, not waterproof (seal skinz socks), worked all right for me.

Tuning in pin height and placement, and replacing pins on pedals when they get battered, or cleaning out the mud from the allen key hole will also enhance grip as well.
Use DMR V12s, and vary the pin heights for grip.

Not much touches 5.10s for grip, stiffness and protection.

But find a cheap stiffer skate shoe (try Airwalk) that has a waffle sole and put a stiff insole inside. Pretty good.

+1 on Sombrio shoes. Had Shimano in the past. Some Nike 6.0 shoes are good too and can be had cheaply at outlet stores.

Ideally don’t want to spend more than £40, is it better to buy these in-store or online?

Any old vans… Really grippy sole just not very stiff unless you go for something with a cup sole rather than vulcanised.

I’m lucky in that I have a mountain of knackered skate shoes that are perfect for riding in.

I’ve always just ridden in my old skate shoes once they get tatty or too stinky to wear as good.

I’ve got a pair of old Etnies BMX shoes that I’ve had years, they’re a bit ugly, stink but grip well and have a stiffish sole. I did buy some 5:10 canvass BMX shoes in the CRC last year and quite like them. They have the gripy sole without looking like corrective shoes downside is they’re not that weather proof but they were cheap.