As per title really, last ride noticed a rather large split in the sole of my freerider pro’s..

Not exactly sure how old, but old over a year and used, but the uppers are fine…I’ve actually got another half dead pair knocking about I ment to get resoled, but seeing as you can’t get dotty rubber anymore.

So, Giro, Shimano Gr7, ride concepts.. Anything worth a punt? I don’t have wide feet and feel that since addias took over five ten the sizing has got to pot.

Still, a lot of cash to take a punt on something that isn’t as good.

The new Specialized shoes are the first I’ve seen reviews of saying they’re actually as sticky as FiveTens.

Really, really likely my new Specialized 2FO Roosts. As above, seem as grippy as 5.10s, possibly even grippier

I prefer my GR9 to the Impacts I had before.

Got fed up with my 5-10s falling to bits in less than a year, especially for the price.

Bought a pair of Giro flats last year and even with the impact on riding time of lockdown, theyve been great. No sign of any unexpected wear and loads of grip

Specialized 2FO

We’ve had three pairs in the house, all three wear well and are comfy.

We’ve also a few pairs of Shimano SPD and flat pedal shoes currently, a long line of them dating back to mid 90’s when my AXO’s died. They all just work. Good durability, comfy and rarely have any design issues.

We’ve had three pairs in the house, all three wear well and are comfy.

but should be clear that the Roosts have only been out a few months and are a significant leap from v1 and 2

That should read i *do* have wide feet…

Interested in those 2Fo Roosts,.. how do they size up? Ok for hobbits with paddle wide feet?

Doesn’t seem to be any stock of the 2Fo Roosts black ones in a UK8/EU42, not sure how I feel about green.

Yeah wasn’t keen on the green either, I got them direct from Specialized if that helps.

I always find Specialized sizing bang on, I’m a 42 and that’s exactly what I needed from them. Fairly roomy, but my feet are pretty normal width so can’t really say too much there

Got some mk2 Spesh 2FOs and I’d say they sized up a little small then – don’t know what the current crop are like. But they are certainly grippy, have lasted really well and I’d happily buy again.

Yeah I’m a 42/8 in all my 5’10 Freerider pros (or 8.5 for sealskinz use) but my MK2 2fo flats are a 43 for summer use- narrow toebox

Early days, but been really happy with my Crank Bros flats. They’re like a return of the Teva Links.

Vaude Moabs are as tough as, well, old boots. Now they’ve improved the sole they are even more excellent.

There’s some giro flats in go outdoors for around £40.
Weren’t showing on website but had plenty in-store. Took a punt about a month ago and no probs so far.

Early days but I really like my Ride Concepts Hellion Elites.

What makes flat bike shoes different to flat non bike shoes?

Also interested in this, most of the suggested shoes are within a few notes of the 5:10s so do they last any longer? Obviously it’s a bit early to tell with the specialized 2FO v2

I’m really happy with my GR7s having come from Freeriders. Having said that, if you go through Quidco there’s 6.4% cashback and 20% off full price items if you buy through the Adidas app at the moment.

Check out ion_bike flat shoes. Best I have used

Early days but I really like my Ride Concepts Hellion Elites.

I thought that 2 months into my 3 month ownership, refunded after the anti-peel coating cracked and peeled off, replaced them with Freerider Pro’s.

Another vote for Giros, not as sticky as Five Tend but far sturdier and very importantly, quick drying

The reality is, Five Ten rubber is grippier for the reason it doesn’t last as long as other shoes. But nothing was close & I would compromise on grip, so accepted I got maybe 12 months out of a pair & that was it.

Until the new 2FO shoes – they are as grippy, which is great. The old ones were junk, as are most other flat pedal shoes.

They probably will last the same amount of time but I do t really expect more, standing on sharp metal pins for hours at a time 🙂

What makes flat bike shoes different to flat non bike shoes

They need to be stiff enough over the sole that your foot doesn’t fold over the pedal, giving you tired, achy feet.

The sole needs to be tacky and sticky enough to grip the pedals and not lacerate your leg on the pedal pins.

The upper needs to keep water out and not soak it up like a sponge.

Vaudes….

On my 2nd pair in 6yrs….

Had giros and pedals wore chunks of the tread away over 2 years still functional but no longer grip that well. Just got some ride concepts and am impressed so far.

They need to be stiff enough over the sole that your foot doesn’t fold over the pedal, giving you tired, achy feet.

I borrowed a pair of Shimano AM 41s and it just felt like a very grippy block of wood under your foot.
With my Adidas trainers I could “feel my bike” and riding with flats felt fun.
Do all proper flat shoes feel dead or are the Shimanos particularly stiff?
I’d stick with my trainers but the soles are too treaded to move around on the pedal.

“ Do all proper flat shoes feel dead or are the Shimanos particularly stiff?”

They vary a lot. I like stiffer shoes so when I had AM40’s I put in the stiffening insert that they came with. Freerider Pros are a fair bit stiffer than Freeriders. Freerider ELC are a little bit stiffer than Freeriders. Very old Freeriders (that I commute/work in) are pretty damned bendy – fine for shorter rides but not as good for long ones.

The more techy-looking the flat MTB shoe, the stiffer they tend to be, as a very rough guide.

The upper needs to keep water out and not soak it up like a sponge.

5.10 didnt’ get the memo

“ Do all proper flat shoes feel dead or are the Shimanos particularly stiff?”

i cant stand stiff shoes i’ve some addidas terrex (withteh 510 sole) and genuinely cant jump property with them on. they feel like my clippy shoes and i revert to riding like im clipped in i think!

i like to ‘feel’ the pedal on flats. which sounds a bit corny but i like to know where my foot is. i’m quite particular on pedals for this reason too.

i’ll happy ride 30+ miles in my freeriders. (not that i do it often!)

i think i`ll try some etnies crank shoes next time i need to buy bike shoes.

The reality is, Five Ten rubber is grippier for the reason it doesn’t last as long as other shoes. But nothing was close & I would compromise on grip, so accepted I got maybe 12 months out of a pair & that was it.

This.

Try running, I’m lucky if I get 3 months from a pair of £100 running shoes.

I have the Shimano GR7 and several pairs of Five Ten.

Both are really good – the Shimanos aren’t as sticky but are fine for most rides and suit hike-a-bikes quite well. It’s useful to be able to move your foot easier sometimes too.

I’ll just make a point of wearing my Five Tens if I’m gonna be riding particularly challenging stuff, e.g fast & rough or jumpy where I might blow a foot off the pedal.

FiveTens wear a lot better if you don’t move your feet much – a friend on a rigid bike used to chew the soles up super fast. And on my shoes, the right sole wears worse, possibly because it’s my lead foot but more likely because that ankle doesn’t move properly so my foot has to move more.

“ The upper needs to keep water out and not soak it up like a sponge.”

“ 5.10 didnt’ get the memo”

They did with the Freerider Pro.

https://www.unparallelsports.com/product/dust-up/

I’ve just got a pair of these, the company have reportedly taken over the manufacturing facilities that 5:10 had in the US and allegedly took a lot of the people who worked for 5:10 too.
Can’t comment of durability yet (their rock climbing shoe’s are as good as you can get while having sticky rubber not sure it translates to biking shoes though) but the design seems good and the rubber sticky. The outer seems reasonable water resistant and there are the bits on the side of the tongue to keep the water out.

Hard to find stock in the UK but worth seeking out IMHO

SportPursuit have some Pearl Izumi flats, never tried em myself, but the soles are Vibram which tend to be pretty durable. Looks-wise, similar to 2FOs.

I’ve got some adidas terrex which have stiff soles and they don’t feel “dead” at all. It feels better because there’s way more direct feedback through the pedals than if the soles were softer. I tried wearing my vans ultrarange once and they were just mushy and uncertain. Didn’t like that at all.

Do the specialized let your foot float on the pedal or do you need to take them off to reposition?

I will chime in to suggest that not all Five Tens are equal. I’ve been on a pair of Impact Sam Hills for one and a half years and they are almost new. The uppers are pristine, the sole is great, a couple of “dots” have some slight damage and that’s it. Very thick rubber sole, mind. Most people I know running Impacts (Pro or Sam Hill) report great durability. The Freeriders are much much more flimsy.

I also own a mid 2018 vintage pair of Shimano GR7. I used to be quite meh about those on my early flat pedals days as I felt there was not enough grip. Fast forward today and me technique got good enough not to mind the loss in grip vs the Impacts. They are very durable shoes, very comfortable and light as well. I’m starting to use those more again as the weather warms.

I like the mavic deemax pro. Was 170gbp 2 years ago now under 80. Kevlar weave upper which last ages. Also the sole grips about the same as five 10s stealth. Just feels like a better shoe all round. Best shoe I have tried on Burgtec pedals.

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/mavic-deemax-pro-flat-shoes-review/

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zippykona
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Do the specialized let your foot float on the pedal or do you need to take them off to reposition?

Roost are in the more “locked in” category