Discussion
Morning all,
I've always been against spunking a load of cash on 510's, currently I'm using and old pair of Reebok skate shoes which were my last trainers and they're dying, was going to move my current Nike airs onto my riding shoes and buy myself some new day to day trainers.
I'm off to the Alps in a few weeks and was wondering if it's worth the investment in some 510's. My usual riding is Bedgebury once a week and 8-10 trips to other trail centres a year in the UK.
I've always been against spunking a load of cash on 510's, currently I'm using and old pair of Reebok skate shoes which were my last trainers and they're dying, was going to move my current Nike airs onto my riding shoes and buy myself some new day to day trainers.
I'm off to the Alps in a few weeks and was wondering if it's worth the investment in some 510's. My usual riding is Bedgebury once a week and 8-10 trips to other trail centres a year in the UK.
I was off the same opinion as you til I bit the bullet and bought some. It's well worth it IMO and they're waaaay better than the Vision skate shoes I was using before.
The grip the soles give on the pedals is uncanny and even more impressive when you notice that the pins seem to leave no mark on the sole, wheras my skate shoes were chewed up in no time.
The grip the soles give on the pedals is uncanny and even more impressive when you notice that the pins seem to leave no mark on the sole, wheras my skate shoes were chewed up in no time.
They're good, nothing else will give you the same amount of grip, but they have drawbacks:
Some are better than others, but the Impacts and Sam Hills at least have no concession to weather protection at all, and can soak up an unholy amount of water, which makes them uncomfortable and make them weigh an absolute tonne, it's like wearing ankle weights all day. Takes 2-3 days to dry out in my experience.
The soles are made of a thin layer of very sticky rubber glued to a foam base, if the stealth rubber tears, which it will as they wear, it pulls off in huge chucks within a few rides.
They can be a little too grippy at times, if you misplace your foot, you've got to lift it off again and re-plant it, not the end of the world, but it means you have to carefully choose when you do it, you don't want to be going over a rock garden with a pedal down. If you try to turn your foot too forcefully you'll tear the rubber, see above.
I still think they're great shoes, if grip is your be-all-and-end-all none are better, but they're not laced-up-perfection.
I've had 3-4 pairs of 5tens and loved them, but on balance I prefer Teva Links, they're 80% as grippy which is enough for me, but in all other areas they're much better - they're also the most comfortable bit of footwear I've ever owned, on or off a bike.
Some are better than others, but the Impacts and Sam Hills at least have no concession to weather protection at all, and can soak up an unholy amount of water, which makes them uncomfortable and make them weigh an absolute tonne, it's like wearing ankle weights all day. Takes 2-3 days to dry out in my experience.
The soles are made of a thin layer of very sticky rubber glued to a foam base, if the stealth rubber tears, which it will as they wear, it pulls off in huge chucks within a few rides.
They can be a little too grippy at times, if you misplace your foot, you've got to lift it off again and re-plant it, not the end of the world, but it means you have to carefully choose when you do it, you don't want to be going over a rock garden with a pedal down. If you try to turn your foot too forcefully you'll tear the rubber, see above.
I still think they're great shoes, if grip is your be-all-and-end-all none are better, but they're not laced-up-perfection.
I've had 3-4 pairs of 5tens and loved them, but on balance I prefer Teva Links, they're 80% as grippy which is enough for me, but in all other areas they're much better - they're also the most comfortable bit of footwear I've ever owned, on or off a bike.
I have a pair of Karvers (impacts but with a little more ankle support and a lace cover.
IMHO they are excellent, very comfy and supportive - I have never suffered from hot spots with them, can wear them all day without getting uncomfortable and the soles are extremely grippy on flatties, I have found they work really well with V8's.
Actually they are not that expensive if you do a like for like comparison with other well made MTB shoes, you can't compare them with trainers or hiking shoes, because they aren't!!
IMHO they are excellent, very comfy and supportive - I have never suffered from hot spots with them, can wear them all day without getting uncomfortable and the soles are extremely grippy on flatties, I have found they work really well with V8's.
Actually they are not that expensive if you do a like for like comparison with other well made MTB shoes, you can't compare them with trainers or hiking shoes, because they aren't!!
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff