What flats and shoes to get

[manthem]

Having ridden with SPD clipless for however many years I need to change to flats. 2 weeks ago had a front wheel slide out resulting in busted ankle as foot got stuck in pedal.
I'd appreciate any advice about best shoes and flats to get as have no experience with them. I ride mainly XC/AM. Hoping to not spend too much over $200.

 

[JTmofo]

Having ridden with SPD clipless for however many years I need to change to flats. 2 weeks ago had a front wheel slide out resulting in busted ankle as foot got stuck in pedal.
I'd appreciate any advice about best shoes and flats to get as have no experience with them. I ride mainly XC/AM. Hoping to not spend too much over $200.

Shoes - Loads of options but I have Five Ten with Stealth MI6 soles and they are awesome. I have Impact VXi but there are various models. Nice and sticky without being too soft.
Pedals - Again, heaps of options and various prices. I bought cheapies to try out, which wasnt a bad option. You can get wellgo or similar for $50 or less, Shimano Saints for a little more. I wouldnt expect longevity from the cheapies tho (Shimano should be too bad, cant comment on grip or feel). I use Hope F20's but they are exy. Most decent sealed cartridge, grippy, light flats are $150+.

 

[Beej1]

I have Five Ten Freeriders and Five Ten Freerider VXi's. I honestly bought the former dirt cheap just for casual wearing before I'd ever considered switching to flat pedals.

I got a set of Deity compound flats for $50, and found that the Freeriders really bit into them hard - really grippy. Fine for all instances except where my foot would come away from the pedal (drift attempt, or just plain stuff up) and I was trying to re-position it while trying to also pedal.

Also, on long days in the saddle, my feet would be more sore than my old Northwave clip-in MTB shoes.

Switched to Freerider VXi's, and they're better in both those areas: stiffer to hurt feet less on longer, pedally rides. Smoother sole under ball of feet for pedal re-positioning.

The only downside to the VXis is when you have to walk/carry bike up a wet slippery/muddy embankment. There's zero grip.

Once I was convinced flats was the way to go, I found Fire Eye compound pedals for the same price as the Deity pedals for my hardtail. The actual composite platform is identical - I'm convinced they come off the same production line. The Fire Eye's have one more pin centre fore & aft (4 more per pedal). Can't say I prefer one of the other. EDIT: The poodle has linked to these Fire Eyes below

I'd recommend the VXi's and my pedals. I'm sure more expensive pedals are better, but I've had zero problems with mine in over a year.

 

[pink poodle]

Having ridden with SPD clipless for however many years I need to change to flats. 2 weeks ago had a front wheel slide out resulting in busted ankle as foot got stuck in pedal.
I'd appreciate any advice about best shoes and flats to get as have no experience with them. I ride mainly XC/AM. Hoping to not spend too much over $200.

Now there is a fresh question if ever I've seen one! I think the answer to the issue lies with what you have in your ride pack. Search through it and you'll find loads and loads and loads of answers...

But since searching isn't a thing anymore, I'll humour you. I'm a five ten wearing five ten hater. The shoes are ok, but not worth the massive hype associated with them. If you're mainly doing xc/am riding steer away from the heavy duty dh/fr oriented shoes (five ten seem to have poor breathability, my feet are always wet after a big ride in the line kings) and look at the lighter stuff like the dirt bag and spitfire. I have both and they are lighter, more comfortable, almost stylish, grippier etc. Sadly teva seem to have stopped making mtb shoes, they deliver on all important fronts (comfort, durability, grip).

For pedals try these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/au/en/fire-eye-hot-candy-pedals/rp-prod119683
Im running them on all my bikes at the moment (Street, dh, dj, fr, and sometimes I even pedal up the hills) and they just keep working, even after a few big pedal strikes. Feel excellent under foot as well. But the most important thing for your xc/am focus word be the weight. Both pedals weigh about the same as a good sized single alloy flat pedal.

 

[jarrod839]

I think we need a sticky for this question.

If your coming off clips i would suggest in investing in good quality shoes and flats with a concave or your experience might be shit and you will go back to clips straight away. Can be a bit of trial and error finding the right combination to get the best results.

I run chromag contacts $110 and fiveten freerider contact shoes $200 and its basically like riding with clips my feet never move and stick to the pedals like shit to a blanket.

 

[Boom King]

This question, along with those around grips, saddles etc, has no specific answer. It's all personal preference.

In the words of Ty Webb:

"*I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.*"

 

[Brow]

I went to flats a little while ago after being clipped in on all bikes for the last 25yrs. I wanted to have more confidence off road to push things knowing I could get my foot "out" of the pedal easy. I have had a few "oh shit" moments and not had time to release clean and get a foot down and got blood escaping.

Nukeproof Electrons were half off (or may have been more) during my search and they work well for me matched with Specilised 2FO flats.

I was able to try on the 2FO's to see how they fit and liked them. They are still quite stiff in the sole, not for everyone but I like it. Not too bad to walk in when I hit the wall and have to walk uphill.
I did read a bit about how Five Ten were grippier but also may wear quicker and a few reports of not too good quality recently. Also I could not try any on as no one seemed to stock them or not many of the models.

Probably any of the pedals mentioned by the long termers on here will be fine, just match them to your budget.

As for shoes, gotta try some on to feel what they are like, just like with any shoe. My 2Fo's were sized exactly the same as my Shimano XC31.

 

[Art Vanderlay]

This question, along with those around grips, saddles etc, has no specific answer. It's all personal preference.

In the words of Ty Webb:

"*I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.*"

"Your uncle molests collies"

 

[safreek]

( and sometimes I even pedal up the hills) .

sorry, you need to wake up to yourself, who does that sort of stuff in the real world :loco:

 

[Boom King]

"Your uncle molests collies"

"I guess you'll just have to keep beating yourself."

 

[manthem]

Many thanks guys....gives me plenty to go on. A couple of months away from riding but what better way to spend sitting on arse time than buying bike stuff online...Reckon I'll go for the fire eye pedals and five ten spitfires. Fits the budget and when funds start heading back in right direction probably look into the freeriders, seems wrong to just have one pair of shoes.
Adelaide seems to only stock the shimano am's so chainies it is. A good tip I only just found out is paypal will fund up to $45 to send stuff back which is pretty much what it costs to return a pair of shoes to UK. Sounds like five ten and shimano size about the same though.
Looking forward getting back on it and appreciate the advice

 

[jarrod839]

Many thanks guys....gives me plenty to go on. A couple of months away from riding but what better way to spend sitting on arse time than buying bike stuff online...Reckon I'll go for the fire eye pedals and five ten spitfires. Fits the budget and when funds start heading back in right direction probably look into the freeriders, seems wrong to just have one pair of shoes.
Adelaide seems to only stock the shimano am's so chainies it is. A good tip I only just found out is paypal will fund up to $45 to send stuff back which is pretty much what it costs to return a pair of shoes to UK. Sounds like five ten and shimano size about the same though.
Looking forward getting back on it and appreciate the advice

Have a look at pushys.com.au and mountainbikesdirect.com.au might be a fraction more in price but free post and a less pain in the arse if you need to exchange. Five tens are pretty spot on in sizing so if u are a US10 its the same in five tens for memory shimano is slightly smaller so u need to go up a size.

 

[pink poodle]

Many thanks guys....gives me plenty to go on. A couple of months away from riding but what better way to spend sitting on arse time than buying bike stuff online...Reckon I'll go for the fire eye pedals and five ten spitfires. Fits the budget and when funds start heading back in right direction probably look into the freeriders, seems wrong to just have one pair of shoes.
Adelaide seems to only stock the shimano am's so chainies it is. A good tip I only just found out is paypal will fund up to $45 to send stuff back which is pretty much what it costs to return a pair of shoes to UK. Sounds like five ten and shimano size about the same though.
Looking forward getting back on it and appreciate the advice

I feel so good right now. That combo works very well.

A quick note on the pedals though. Nothing big, just remember to tighten up the bolt on the outside of the pedal body regularly. One of my mates lost one, so I'm paranoid about it now.

As jarrod just mentioned, check out Pushys. I picked up a pair of teva from there a while back for ~$50. I followed his link and...they still have some. They are a good shoe, but not as light as the spitfires due to some rubber patches to protect the shoe from crank rub.

 

[ChrisJC]

Evans Cycles has some great prices on 5 10s. Heaps cheaper than CRC.

 

[Beej1]

Wow, that is the cheapest I've seen in over a year. I got my VXi's for $90 from some shop in Spain just over a year ago. Then they became the 'Freerider Contact' and have been hovering at around a deuce for most of that time.

 

[manthem]

Thanks again guys....pushy's yeah but nah, teva out of stock, dunno why they do that. Appreciate advice re buyng from oz but am pretty sold on the poodles advice and would hate to mess with that vibe (also helps bit cheaper). Can't find the spitfires anywhere but chainies. Will stick with plan A then look at the freeriders from evans down the track I reckon.
Cheers to all who have taken time for this, provided much needed clarity

 

[pink poodle]

Thanks again guys....pushy's yeah but nah, teva out of stock, dunno why they do that. Appreciate advice re buyng from oz but am pretty sold on the poodles advice and would hate to mess with that vibe (also helps bit cheaper). Can't find the spitfires anywhere but chainies. Will stick with plan A then look at the freeriders from evans down the track I reckon.
Cheers to all who have taken time for this, provided much needed clarity

Doesn't happen often enough, you're obviously brushing the upper percentile for intelligence. Make a good search as first option next time and you'll be into the elite level...

Now enjoy the shoes and pedals. Make sure you get a funky colour.

 

[chrischris]

My 2c.

I've been riding xc stuff and rutted moto trails for years. No big doubles or crazy downhills.

Shoes - Salomon trail joggers are great in summer. They breathe well. 5-10 Aescent are great for 9 months of the year.
Pedals - Nukeproof Neutrons on one bike. Xpedo Spry on the other. Both are very affordable & grippy. The spry is lightweight too.

Edit: I also tried a pair of 5-10 Spitfire's. I didn't find them that comfy. The Aescent shoe is much better. Some guys in the bike packing community have taken to them.

 

[JoelFitz]

I'm still rocking composite flats, nukeproof electron I think it is and some diety composite.
Worth upgrading to alloy?

Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

 

[pink poodle]

I'm still rocking composite flats, nukeproof electron I think it is and some diety composite.
Worth upgrading to alloy?

Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

Nope. I've just upgraded from aluminium to fantastic plastic as recommended earlier in thread. They are hard wearing mofos! They are also light, really light. I'm not rushing back to aluminium.