Shoe reviews (for flat pedals)

[gabrielle]

Late last year I switched to flat pedals, and have been trying to find appropriate shoes. I've been wearing a pair of old trail runners, which stick to the pedals pretty well, but they have a wide base and I couldn't really put my feet where I wanted to on my pedals. (DMR V8s, which I intend to replace, but that's another issue.) The various 5.10 offerings do not fit me at all; they are too wide and my feet slosh around in them.

First shoes I tried were the Scarpa Gecko Guide Ws. They had a tread pattern similar to the 5.10s: http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/3/6...p-DETAILED.jpg It's a Vibram sole, though, not the sticky 5.10 rubber. It's pretty hard and kind of slick. I threw them back.

Next stop: the Vans store. Where they had no actual womens' skate shoes, only "lifestyle" shoes. As in, not going to hold up to the rigors of mtb. Especially on my crashy feet. So, for S&G, I tried on a few pairs of mens' shoes.

I picked up with a pair of Dockets. They are last year's model, and were on sale for $40 or so.

Since the Vans site doesn't show the tread, here's a photo (pardon the dust, was riding in Bend all weekend) (yeah, I know, sucks to be me):


Despite this being a "men's" shoe, it fits me pretty well. I'm not saying I want to run a marathon in them or anything, but they're certainly suitable for riding. I've worn them for a grand total of 8 or 9 hours (2 rides) so far.

Pros:
- price
- fit
- stick like mad to the pedals (keep in mind I'm only doing small jumps and then only if I'm forced) (though I did clear my first little itty-bitty double over the weekend)
- good padding around the ankles

Cons:
- lacing is weird, it's too high-friction or something & it's hard to get the shoes snug
- these are going to be h-o-t in August
- stuff (pine needles, etc) gets down the collar and into my socks
- your friends yell "off the WALL!" every time you successfully ride a stunt or trail feature

HTH those of you looking for alternatives to the 5.10s.

gabrielle

[connie]

Good to know! 5.10's are just barely wide enough for me, and I love them, but good to know what works for those with narrow feet.

[willsmother]

I'm in the tropics, and these have been my standard riding shoe for years, worn out one pair, and almost through another. You can hose them down at the end of the day, no need for socks, comfy on and off the bike, and really sturdy. Great for wide feet, which I have

[hawkychick]

Hi Gabrielle.

I wear Merrell's Avian Light Ventilator. I have a narrow foot & they fit very well, & stick to the pedals well (I run flat pedals too). Might want to check them out, it's a smaller profile than most skate or bike specific shoes (especially the women's version).

BTW, where were you riding? I live in Bend, & was riding Mrazek last weekend.

[formica]

What flat pedals are ya'll using?

[hawkychick]

Wellgo MG-1 for me. Certainly not the best or lightest, but they might be at their price point ($35ish). You can get a version with the Titanium spindles that's lighter, but that effectively doubles the price.

[Stripes]

I use 5.10 because they make a nice hightop and my orthodics fit in them Just need to find some shim for them because of my overpronation. I might check out the Karvers because they're supposed to be lighter.

BUT-- I might check out some others like the Merrells if they have a wide one and better pronation support. I would prefer to find something in a high or mid top, that's where I tend to run into a difficult time finding shoes.

Pedals for the MTB: Straitline platforms
Platform Pedals

Pedals for the DJ: Animal Hamilton red sealed bearing metal
Animal Bikes : Shop

I love the longer pins in my MTB, not so much in the DJ (still learning to ride that sucker).

[NicoleB]

I was using the 5-10 guide tennies for a while (before buying impacts). only a tad less sticky than the impacts, but i hear ya, i have narrow feet and the impacts feel huge. I ride both flats and clipless, but was using the tennies for a long time (they come in womens sizes) my only issue was, for the longer rides, you might not find the tennies to be stiff enough. Being a hiking shoe, i'd say they're stiffer than a running sneaker, but not as stiff as a mtb shoe. Still a good option though.

[gabrielle]

I wear Merrell's Avian Light Ventilator.

Cool, thanks for the tip! I'll put those on the list.

BTW, where were you riding? I live in Bend, & was riding Mrazek last weekend.

I rode Mrazek on Saturday! I was in a pretty big group.

gabrielle

[gabrielle]

What flat pedals are ya'll using?

Right now I have a set of DMR V8s in the sexy, sexy 'oxblood' color. They are heavy, not wide enough (!!!), and too thick. I bang them on rocks constantly.

My current wishlist for replacements:
- HT AN01s if I can find some on the Bay of E.
- Canfield Bros crampons. I think Connie recommended these a while back. I'm waiting for the new ones to come out; should be any day now.
- Point One Podiums

gabrielle

[gabrielle]

Pedals for the DJ: Animal Hamilton red sealed bearing metal
Animal Bikes : Shop

That's a pretty good price point on those. I'm kind of choking on the whole "I might actually pay over $100 for some pedals" thing.

gabrielle

[NicoleB]

Forte convert flat pedals are HUGE in width, but thin in profile! and only like 60 bucks.
longish pins too.

lots of good reviews on them. FORT� Product Reviews and Ratings - Mountain Pedals - Fort� Convert Platform Pedal from Performance Bike

[gabrielle]

Forte convert flat pedals are HUGE in width, but thin in profile! and only like 60 bucks.

Ah yeah, those look good!

longish pins too.

"How shinburger is made!"

gabrielle

[NicoleB]

funny, i'm more likely to get a pedal to the back of a heel when i go to pedal and miss completely. i find that the longer and sharper the pins, the less likely to slip so you can mostly avoid shinburgers

[fdatx2]

I have narrow feet too and recently got a pair of Teva Fusions. I've done a couple rides in them and they have been great. Those vans are definitely a better price though.

[Catrin]

What flat pedals are ya'll using?

Sun Ringle ZuZu

[mtbxplorer]

Deity Decoy pedals on the MTB (skinny, sturdy, I've knocked off some pins, but was able to replace them). Fyxations (nylon) on the fatbike, figured my feet would be warmer than on metal pedals for snowbiking. Happy with them, plenty grippy which I wasn't sure they would be, really light, inexpensive, but I can't tell you how they hold up on rocks.

If 5.10's do work for you, a sale at shoes MTB | Buy Now at ChainReactionCycles.com now. Discount depends on model, 13-40% off. Have had my Impact highs for 2+ years, love them, had to by another pair at 39% off.

Edit - I see they have other brands on sale too, same link.

[NicoleB]

the teva links mid come in smaller sizes for women. They are even listed under the woman's section, though another page claims that they are mens. who knows, but these have tiny sizes
Teva® Links Mid for Men | Mountain Biking Shoe at Teva.com

the others that come to mind, are adidas berm, and Shimano makes a flat pedal mtb shoe too. its very similar in shape to 510 though.

[hawkychick]

Cool, thanks for the tip! I'll put those on the list.



I rode Mrazek on Saturday! I was in a pretty big group.

gabrielle

Were you in the group with the lady who had her bike & helmet decorated?

[gabrielle]

Were you in the group with the lady who had her bike & helmet decorated?

...NM, PM'd ya so as not to go further OT.

gabrielle

[jaclynj]

Spank Spikes! They are great...until you tag yourself in the calf :/.

I have shimanos (the white ones with the bamboo pattern on the heels).

[gabrielle]

What flat pedals are ya'll using?

The "Platform Pedal Shootout" thread (Platform Pedal Shootout, the best flat is...) has a lot of good info in it.

gabrielle

[hawkychick]

...NM, PM'd ya so as not to go further OT.

gabrielle

G,
I tried to return your pm but am not allowed since I don't have enough posts (guess I need to work on that, haha). Yeah, we met you guys several times on the trail that day, I even commented on your decorations. You looked like you were having a great time.....that was a good day!! Small world, right?

Anyway, did you get some different shoes? I'm curious to see what you end up with.

[Stripes]

That's a pretty good price point on those. I'm kind of choking on the whole "I might actually pay over $100 for some pedals" thing.

gabrielle

Yeah, I went on a budget building the DJ, so I even opted for pedals without centre pins. I might end up getting shin guards though.. I keep tagging my right shin with the pedal, and those Straitlines have long pins.

The problem is my next pedals need to be thin, concave and have short pins. And those don't usually exist under the $100 price point.

Pedals used to be $100 for a good pair of flat pedals, but it hasn't been that way for a long time. Just glad I don't have a pair of clipless anymore. Those seem impossible to keep up with lately with all the different shoes... At least the platform pedal shoes don't hurt to walk in

[mtbxplorer]

If your [replaceable] pedal pins are too short or long, take one out and go to the hardware store and find the set screws. At Aubuchon around here you can buy them by the piece. Make sure you match the thread count (how tight together the screw's spirals are) and the diameter, and then pick the length you want.

If you can't get the old ones out with a hex wrench, just grab them with a vice-grips and unscrew.

I think some of the pricier pedals seem more bIing than performance, and also consider that a less beefy pedal is appropriate if you are not downhilling, freeriding, or 200 lbs.