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After some flat pedal shoes for general riding.
I think it's best by saying what I want by saying what i didn't like about what i tried.
Five Ten Freerider Pro - Good balance of sole feel/stiffness/thickness, great grip. The high support on the outside of the instep was too much, wouldn't let my foot relax, rubber part of sole wore through too quickly, the rubber pretty much cuts up.
Fox union - Hurt the soles of my feet, little toes seem to get rammed into a corner even though there's plenty of space, probably a little too stiff sole/lacking feel. Very uncomfortable in a few ways. Very good sole in terms of grip and life.
Five Ten Freerider - Pretty spot on tbf, however at times sole is too soft so pedal pins puncture through and tear up the sole.
Five Ten Trail Cross Gore-Tex - Sole is too thick and spongey, possibly too much grip. Bit narrow.
Endura Humvee - Pretty spot on, excellent balance of grip, feel, stiffness and wear. Excellent fit for me being wider in foot. Miffed i can't find these at a good price.
So i think i'm looking for something good for wider feet, not ultimate grip, but good, thin sole but supported and cheap.
I am looking at Etnies Camber Pro and Unparallel West Ridge.
I've got 2 pairs of ION shoes. Really comfortable and great grip, the first pair have lasted yonks, but, you know, online sales...
Bought some Dakine ones too, just cos I liked the look of em (and you can't have too many pair of shoes, right!?) and they are a bit wider, slightly less grippy. And look well smart.
Specialized 2F0 are good and can be found at reasonable prices
https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/shoes/flat-shoes/specialized-2fo
I'm pretty much Five Ten for most of my flat shoes
Would be tempted to look at Ride Concepts, but have no experience of them
Powerlines £82 at Merlin
Or Tallac - they also do a Boa version, but can't find/be arsed to find a suitable Jpeg
Add specialized 2fo yo the list I didn't like, sole was too thick a mushy, fit was too narrow.
Similar story with ride concept vice.
Freerider EPS are my favorites, sole is stiffer than a normal freerider but not as stiff as Impact.
Get some Freeriders and file down the pins on your pedals?
BMX Collection | BMX Shoes & Clothing | Vans UK
I have a pair of the peak Van's BMX range, I got them for fathers day, they are very nice, grip well, but not too much if you know what I mean?
Crank Bros Stamp, I really liked them, bought a second pair.
2FO have a grippy sole and are a different shape to free ride pro. The dh versions have a stiffer midsole if you prefer that. Worth a look. Probably on sale on the specialized website or in stores.
from poking the ride concepts in a shop the sole felt quite hard to me, but they seemed like well made shoes.
I had the precursor to the unparallel shoes, teva. they aren’t wide. I believe that all the unparalleled shoes are built on the same last
RC shoes are currently cheap at Evans / SD. Owned by fox so you can bet they have very similar rubber to Fox but Ive found the soles to be supportive, and the D3O ones even more so.
I mention RC as even though you didn't like the Vice, the Vice isn't a real riding shoe by any standard I would care to measure it by, its a going down the pub on your bike shoe. Something like a Helion is a way better actual riding shoe.
Throwing my hat into the ring.
For Riding in Autumn to spring with a high chance of cold or wet I love my Etnies Culvert Mids. The sole isn't the best for feel but you can start to get used to it and I never feel disconnected. Very good grip levels thanks to the Michelin sole but not crazy sticky that it's a pain. Also nice and thick with some insulation in there too and I've never been cold in them. The forefoot strap makes it easy to adjust for comfort levels too, and they seem pretty bomproof.
Tempted to look into their less beefy shoes to wear for summer next year. I'm still wearing some Shimano GR3 or something for really dry which leave a lot to be desired.
Been pretty happy with my freerider pros over the years but opted to try these which are a bargain atm :
https://www.merlincycles.com/giro-latch-mtb-shoes-276352.html
Only been out once but the grip seems the same as freerider pros and enjoying the slightly firmer sole. Seem well made and more weather proof too. Worth a punt at £40
currently using a cracking pair if Ion Scrub shoes. bought cheap on Sportpursuit.
so good i ordered a 2nd pair.
I've got the etnies camber mids and they're one of my favourite shoes. I'm a serial shoe destroyer but they've held up well. I'd say grip is on par with most 5/10's, just a bit less than the freerider maybe.
Ion or fox union shoes ftw. Deals available at Contour Cycles stevenage too
Currently very happy in RC Hellion Elites. Got them cheap, excellent grip and comfortable from day one (which never normally happens with my feet). They come up a bit small, so size up half a size if that's what you choose. Evans have them on sale right now too.
new Shimano flat pedals shoes are very roomy in the toebox and super comfortable and far grippier than previous incarnations.
I have the Brandon Semenuk version of the Etnies Camber, not sure if they're different to the other ones. Mixed feelings about them, they're great in the winter as the material doesn't soak up water like Vans etc, but they maybe feel a bit too stiff to me. They're a bit hot and sweaty for summer riding. Also the toe box is a bit narrow for my feet. I like the level of grip though, it's just right. Considering I got them seemingly brand new off vinted for £15 I'm not too fussed but not sure I'd get them again at new prices.
The best riding shoes I've had were Orchid Cobra BMX shoes, but they don't seem to make them anymore. Lotek BMX were pretty good too but a bit stiffer, again don't think they exist any more.
I currently ride SPDs on the XC bikes, but I’m flat curious.
If I got a cheap pedal to try out like the £14 Nukeproofs from CRC on the other flats thread, what cheap shoes should I use and do I also need shin guards because of the metal pins?
2FO. They don’t soak up much water. They dry quickly. They’re often reasonably priced. Sticky. Nice sole. Mine have lasted a few years now.
In contrast some adidas 5-10 Freerider pros didn’t last a year before the sole wore through. And while they are not as sponge-like as my previous 5-10s they took a while to dry.
I am tempted by RC and unparalleled but will probably buy another pair of 2FOs.
Vans BMX shoes look good (no idea if they actually are but a few reviews rate them)
https://www.vans.co.uk/shop/en-gb/vans-gb/outlet-uk/bmx-peak-shoes-vn0a2z3ucx6
Code OUTLET20 To get them for £54
I was really sold on Freerider Pros, but I bought some Ride Concepts Hellions last Autumn, and they're now my favourite shoes. Grippy, supportive, shrug off the mud. They look dull, could do with a strap over the laces, but apart from that I can't really fault them. I might be tempted by this pair with a strap, though: https://www.studio.co.uk/ride-concepts-wildcat-shoes-140364?gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8--2BhCHARIsAF_w1gwZeI-UG2FKp7Gg6246IDPJMgH-jZP9wbpEWPZm1QFdqTLBd2OHRZMaAp8_EALw_wcB#colcode=14036440
The old five tens seem to hold up better than the Adidas ones, but that said even the Adidas ones haven't fared too bad. Both pairs had plenty of use. The first pair probably a lot more
Still love my old freeriders and freerider dlx, nothing fancy, just a good shoe. Wish the waterproofing was better, could wish for a little more toe protection (because of that time i properly broke my toe) but they're just very very good on the bike and that's what I want the most, everything else is secondary pretty much except in deep winter