Shoes for Flats

Right, this has been bugging me for a while now. I cant understand why there is such little choice in shoes for flats?? (no its not because SPD’s are better..)

My progress:

AM41 – Look terrible, cant bring myself round to buying them
TX Max skate shoes – All the stores round me don’t seem to have any. (been looking for months)
510 Freerider’s: Put off due to sole coming off issue (not acceptable consider the price)
Nike 6.0: Happy to try these but don’t know where to buy them from – too much choice..?? Nike shoes are typically a bit thin for me (Wide feet). Can the same be said for the 6.0’s?

What else is out there? I dont want to spent anything over £70. Currently wearing some Karrimor shoes but find soles too hard which causes pedal pins to move around slightly in between the groves in sole.

Any advise welcome.

I ride on the older version of the AM41s and they are really good, plus they work well in the wet, lots of other shoes aren’t great when it rains. I would ignore the looks and get the Am41s.
If you really can’t stomach them then Nike 6.0s are good as well, got a few pairs and you can pick them up cheaply if you look around.
Obviously try before you buy.

Look no further than Five Ten Impact 2. Fantastic grip, look alright (I only wear them when on the bike) and you can get them less than £70 these days. Only thing is they take forever to dry, but my waterproof socks have saved me in the past from damp feet.

Have you tried the AM41 shoes on? They do look better in the flesh than in pictures – also, depending on your shoe size you might be able to get a pair of the old AM40 (white/brown) for cheap. 5.10 shoes are super grippy but people have issues with durability, plus they all tend to have a cardboard midsole so not great if they get soaking wet. You’ll find most skate shoes use synthetic rubber which just doesn’t grip as well as natural. You should have a look at the new Teva shoes – there’s one called the links and a cheaper version, I’ve not tried them but they look good.

5Tens.. I wouldnt ride flat in anything else.
when they do get a bit wet I shove Newspaper inside and they dry in no time.

you’ll be happy if you buy some nike 6.0s and the sole comes off on their second wash! – fivetens are the only shoes people on flats should consider if they are wanting to keep their feet firmly on the pedals in all situations.

Teva have just brought out a range of bike shoes, can’t vouch for them myself, but any other Teva product I’ve had has been spot on, quality wise. Colours might not be for everyone.

http://shop.18bikes.co.uk/products.php?plid=m18b112s378p1492&tbv=TEVA_Links_Shoe_CLOTHING_-_Unisex_Shoes

Have the Sam Hill 5:10s myself, would have preferred the plain black bt they were out of stock at the time. No problems with them, and the “like being clipped in” thing is pretty true – took me about 100 yards to forget I wasn’t clipped.

Thanks for the comments, looks like the impact 2’s are in the lead. Do they have the cardboard mid-sole? Heard something about 510’s and cardboard, put me off a bit. Are they shoes that would last over a year? Summer / winter riding?

Mine have lasted ages. Never heard any complaints, and they cope fine with the washing machine

5-10 impacts don’t bother with anything else.

5-10 impact boots … lasted 3 years.. they can still be ridden but have a few holes in the sole. as far as cardboard feeling??? never felt it just felt comfy for riding.

my new 5 -10s are spot on

I’m sure my Five Ten Impacts shrunk!

Had to sell them on to someboduy with smaller feet.

Freeriders been very durable for me. Am41s good too, though they need pedals with decent pins IMO.

It’s not a fashion show you know!

just buy some skate shoes. i got some o neals from CRC.

start from £30 here

The Freeride sole issue was only on very early versions. All recent ones are tip top.

5Tens

DUFFS 4130 bmx shoe. Tacky enough rubber without all the hype and expense and fall-apart-ability of 5.10s.

from £25 @ CRC.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=duffs

If you need more grip than AM40s can provide you’re probably doing something wrong. And they’re very good in the wet, keeping your feet dry for a long time and drying out quickly after the water has infiltrated. I gather the AM41s look better in reality than in photos – I hope so because these AM40s won’t last for ever!

CaptainFlashheart – Member
The Freeride sole issue was only on very early versions. All recent ones are tip top.

Exactly that. I had a very early pair where the sole was separate to the rand and it all came apart. The new ones are fine – mine have been used twice a week for 2 years and still going strong

Been reading reviews of the impacts, put off a bit about the sponge like effect if it rains and the drying times, im looking for a shoe that would be good for Summer and Winter. I really wanted a pair of the AM40’s but none in my size.

The AM41’s have got some good reviews, some people say they look better in the flesh. Are they just trying to convince themselves or is that true?

alexxx – Member
fivetens are the only shoes people on flats should consider if they are wanting to keep their feet firmly on the pedals in all situations.

There are plenty of other makes of shoe that provide good grip and a sturdy sole but cost 1/3 of the price. My current choice is Duffs 4130 hightops for all of £20 from TK max. Probably not as much outright grip as 5-10s, but I like to be able to make slight adjustments while riding so they’re spot of for me.

The 6.0 stuff I have (living near a Nike clearance store has it’s benefits) has a slightly thinner sole but good grip. A few weeks of wear and they widen and shape to your feet nicely. Far cheaper that 5-10s but still over £30.

What size foot do you have? I have a pair of size 47 AM40’s that I don’t need, as I bought too big and have since bought a size 46 pair of AM41’s. They are used but in good nick.

The AM41’s look awful clean but a bit better once dirty.

I’ve used high top Vans for years without any trouble.

Thanks for the offer bigjim but i’m 45/46 so would have the same issue as you. How do you 41’s hold up in the wet?

I like the look of the Duffs (and price) but with the suede / leather I imagine they would get completely ruined in winter with the wet / mud?

5:10s grip great but get really heavy when wet and take ages to dry. My last two pairs have lasted 18 months each. My current pair are still rideable but have holes in soles. I’m going to try shimano next – if you go away for a week riding in the 5:10s and it rains on the first day you’ll ahve wet shoes all week…

Thanks ianpv, that’s enough to put me off. I often do weekend rides and don’t fancy having to put wet heavy shoes on the next day if it rained the day before.

Tempted to just go for the AM41’s and just hope they look better in the flesh.

skate shoes all the way for me..

vans skate shoes are ace because the waffle sole grips like a griiippy thing but some of the retro styles have a narrow footbed..

bmx shoes are often too padded = too hot

I understand that the MTB specific shoes have stiff soles which I personally find really irritating and maybe even a bit dangerous on a flat pedal..

I like the look of the Duffs (and price) but with the suede / leather I imagine they would get completely ruined in winter with the wet / mud?

eh?! won’t they be react exactly the same as any other shoe of half decent (leather) quality??

got two pairs (less than £50) of 4130’s on the go for biking now, a low & high tops no issues with them holding excess water or cracking when they dry out (on top of the boiler).

they are mtb shoes though (or shoes for mtb), so expect them to get wet and beat up at some point. at the end of the day it’s about cost vs hype. i’m a firm believer that you don’t NEED to blow £85 on a pair of shoes for mountain biking, be they 5.10s or the new Tevas. a bog standard skate or bmx shoe will do the job equally as well…if you want it to and especially combined with a decent pedal. some people feel the need to invest in over-expensive shoes & i’m fine with that, not my money, but seen a lot of knackered 5.10s around; soles falling off etc even though they’ve should have plenty of life still in them. i’m not denouncing the (marginally) extra grippy qualities of the stealth rubber, just whether you actually need it.

so i know where is going to get my money every time.

am41’s are decent in the wet, the material is kind of plasticy fake leather stuff and they are more waterproof than the 40’s. it still comes in round your ankles if its proper soaking of course but the flap over the laces is priceless in terms of keeping spray and splashes off your feet. I was going to waterproof them with that spray stuff but the shoe shop man said it would melt off the paint on them.

peachos kind of agree with you but the difference in grip going from nike 6.0s to 5.10s was more than marginal, true the nikes were good enough for a lot of riding but on really rocky terrain the 5.10s are much better

i broke my heel and ankle recently so i went for the impact his on the basis that they offer more protection for your foot than anything else i could find

5 tens , first pair lasted 4 years still got them , only changed because I wanted a change so bought another pair, 😀 2 years ago, both pairs have not shrunk or cracked or fell to bits, both are still really solid, and don’t slip. 😀

Or do what I did and get some M647 DH SPD pedals. After trying flats for a while, I’ve concluded I’m just a lot happier with being clipped in, even when I’m hammering in the Alps.

peachos, I agree with you. For the price, the Duffs do look very good. Im thinking im going to go ahead and give them a go. Have you tried any other shoes? Do you know how the compare to anything else?

It may have already been covered, but it was only the first-gen freeriders that fell apart at the sole.

I had a set and they had the two-piece sole, which did fall apart fairly quickly. Replaced them with the later models with the one-piece sole and they have been fine.

For grip nothing comes close to stealth rubber.

Also have some minaars – stealth rubber AND clipped in, the grip on those is brutal!

Kenneth, how do the freeriders hold up in the wet? Are they like the impacts and soak water up like a sponge? I dont want something which is going to take half a week to dry up. Cheers

Got some am40’s and agree with other users about being surprisingly water resistant. Although they do eventually let in water. I do think the manufactures are missing a trick by not making a goretex flat shoe. They make spd ones afterall.

most of the water that gets into am40s biking shoes has got in through the same hole your foot went through.

i really don’t think goretex would help very much, but maybe gaitors might…?

anyway, the lace-flap on am40’s is ace, i don’t care if it looks weird, it keeps all sorts of crap off my laces.

laces are horrible when it’s cold wet and muddy, and you’re struggling to undo a wet muddy double-knot because your hands are cold and your finger nails have gone soft.

am40’s: single knot, not very tight, close the flap, done.

i really don’t think goretex would help very much, but maybe gaitors might…?

That’s what I was thinking of, like the spd winter boots with the neoprene sock which goes just past the ankle. Alright they might look a bit silly in some people’s eyes but as long as my feet are warm and dry I wouldn’t care. Were mountainbikers, not models on a Milan catwalk.

I wear these:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/airwalk-n-crawler-mens-241188?colcode=24118844

I know a lot of others do too but probably wont admit it on this forum!

Anyway, they’re £20 and skate shoes so the sole is flat and grippy, stiff enough to pedal but soft enough to grip the pins (i use flats)….i refuse to spend top money on shoes that just get wet, muddy, stinky etc….they’ve lasted since April so far with no signs of damage, will likely replace with similar.

i’m a firm believer that you don’t NEED to blow £85 on a pair of shoes for mountain biking,

+1

I hated 5-10s. The sole is so stiff there’s no feel so your relying in faith that your feet are planted securely. I prefer AM40s and vans waffle soles where there is enough flex to feel the pedal. There is another shimano shoe with same sole as AM40 but looks like a tennis shoe, crc and a few places have em cheap in some sizes. I know I’m in the minority but 5-10s were the most disappointing bit of kit I’ve tried in nearly 20years of riding, and they seem to get more expensive every month.