I have a pair. Great for grip on flat pedals but the thin flexible soles make pedalling rather inefficient.

I tried 5:10s once but they were a terrible fit. Is it worth getting bike specific shoes for flats? Thinking of going to BPW.

Not for years, my old vans used to hold a stupid amount of water, they weighed kilos each when wet!

Rode in Teva Links for the last few years, I think they’re bloody brilliant- but they’ve discontinued them 🙁

Cheap pair of waffle-soled Vans from a discount store. Very comfy, and have a sort of velcro effect on pins. I reckon I have about 15kg of other efficiency gains to make (ie lose) before I worry much about the pedalling.

AM45’s are great if you want specific flat shoes.
Or just use SPD shoes without the cleats – Mrs S has done this for years and I don’t recall her ever losing a pedal.
She uses Lakes.

Not tried 5 10’s as the last time I looked (about 4 years ago!) they still had cardboard footbeds.

AM45`S look like they should have calipers attached though

I skate in riding shoes.

Vans gravel shoes, seem discontinued now tho sadly

Bit of both. Vans Gravels. Not sure they still do them?

Used to in a cheap pair of Vans. Far grippier than the various five tens or shimanos that ive had over the years but the sole gets ripped easily as its a lot softer, they aren’t as stiff as mtb specific shoes and soak up water like a sponge (although the five tens weren’t any better at that)

Things I noticed about using skate shoes:
Soles aren’t stiff enough for me and not dense enough either, so after a couple of hours my feet would ache almost like being bruised.
If im just going for a pootle up the towpath to town or perhaps the pub, then they are fine. Probably ok for just messing about sessioning stuff too, but hate em for anything longer or more sustained.
Like others, I wish Teva hadn’t discontinued the Links. Hopefully 5.10 won’t turn out to be as awful as they look.

i’m currently on the last few weeks of a pair of etnies, but have a pair of giro jacket flats to replace them, and also just got a pair of specialized 2FOs as well. the extra stiffness in the sole of both of these over the etnies makes a massive difference in comfort…

Xherbivorex ! Thanks , not seen those Giro shoes before, my look into those.

AM45`S look like they should have calipers attached though

He means AM41

Etnies do Bmx specific skate shoes. Stiff soles, good grip, comfy like slippers too!

another user of teva links here, check ebay as thats where i got mine from.

Yes. always have.
Not all skate shoe soles are the same. some are too thin and some are too stiff.
lack of stiffness does not necessarily mean inefficienct pedalling either. pedalling on flats requires a different technique to pedalling cliped in. (I do clip in plenty too)
I like my soles thin enough for good feel on the pedals but thick enough that the pedals don’t ever hurt my feet.

TEVAs aren’t skate shoes, neither are 5:10s

Pretty much all Vans waffle soles are shit for riding in nowadays. I tried on every pair in the local Vans store this summer. they were all basically old skool soles (which have always been too thin for pedals) and the even pro-skate models were exactly the same just with a thicker insole.. For me that was a very sad day 🙁

I use AM41 on my commute. good stiff sole but I find they lack the grip of fivetens.

Mine are etnies. I should probably use them because.. I have them… I wonder if I can put something in the sole to make them stiffer?

Not all Etnies are the same molgrips.

I’m sure.

My 2FOs arrived the other day.

Mmmm. Yum!

Used Etnies, DCs, iPath, Adidas.
All good, but then I am a fair weather cyclist. 😳

I have a friend who sells shoes for a large skate shoe manufacturer, hes recently bought some 5-10s after lots of us telling him they were better, he now wonders why he spent so long wearing his free skate shoes.

I use an old pair of C1RCA’s skate shoes which are nice and stiff but don’t soak up as much water as my old Vans. They’ve discontinued them now though

Friend of mine rides in 5:10 bouldering shoes

Vans Gravel, AM41s and Teva Links here 😉 The Gravels are my favourite for riding, with the Links not far off. AM41s definitely in 3rd place – soles are thinner and more flexible and very little cushioning in the heel for when I come off (probably not a significant issue for most people in the way it is for me) – though they come into their own in grotty weather with the extra protection.

I’ve also ridden in normal skate shoes, and the softer sole is actually nice when messing around, but I’d probably choose the Gravels even for this.