Shebeen Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 got a newby friend who has started mtb, but doesn't want to get cleats just yet. she's convinced that her old running shoes are crap and hurt, and wants to ride with her fancy pants minimal shoes like these: http://www.newbalance.com/images//minimus/big-shoe/minimus_section_trail-large.png i think mtbing will ruin the soles...and they're not cheap either! should i just let her go with whatever is most comfortable?
HowellingWulf Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 Get a pair of Salomon trail running shoes. They don't have any laces since they've got that funny slide thingy, they'll be comfy & grippy enough when pushing uphill and they are tough as nails. Tekkie Town seems to be selling the older models for not that expensive.
Face Plant Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 convince her to get cleats, you can set most pedals to release really easy and once she gets comfortable she can tighten them to a point where she is happy.... tell her she will never be taken seriously as a cyclist wearing trainers lol or tell her its a fashion no-no maybe that will convince her
Motard660 Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 Well......my wife rides a long time and still on normal shoes. I tried to convince her to switch over to cleats but without any sucsess. She refuse point blank and that is that. What ever you do to convince, let me know......want to try the same trick.
TheV Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 Don't try to force her onto cleats - it's just not worth the hassle. New riders should focus on body position, braking and choosing lines, they also need to feel safe and be able to take their feet off for balance or that "comfort" feeling when things get out of control. The VERY best option for this is to get her a pair of flat pedals, DH pedals work great as they offer a great stable platform. To go with these, the best shoes to get is a pair of FiveTens - they are the rolls royce's of MTB shoes for beginners. If you can afford these another great option would be to get Nike BMX shoes, they are awesome and stylish. You can order FiveTens from www.chainreactioncyles.com or www.probikeshop.com - we use both regularly and if you take the DHL/UPS shipping options you can have them within a week. (Get the Minnaar's they are unisex and AWESOME!!!!) mikeMT 1
patches Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 Cleats-schmeats! Convince her to get some decent long pinned flat pedals like these: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Original/53215.jpg Then some Fiveten riding shoes like these: http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/fi/five-ten-baron-flat-bmx-mtb-shoes.jpg This combo will offer exceptional amounts of grip, due to the special Stealth rubber on the 5.10s. The soles are pretty stiff, so her feet wont get sore/cramp. They're way comfy. grippy on gravel and rocks during hike-a-bike... and cost wise, it'll be the same as/less than a decent pair of cleats and pedals (approx. R1500)
patches Posted January 5, 2012 Posted January 5, 2012 Don't try to force her onto cleats - it's just not worth the hassle. New riders should focus on body position, braking and choosing lines, they also need to feel safe and be able to take their feet off for balance or that "comfort" feeling when things get out of control. The VERY best option for this is to get her a pair of flat pedals, DH pedals work great as they offer a great stable platform. To go with these, the best shoes to get is a pair of FiveTens - they are the rolls royce's of MTB shoes for beginners. If you can afford these another great option would be to get Nike BMX shoes, they are awesome and stylish. You can order FiveTens from www.chainreactioncyles.com or www.probikeshop.com - we use both regularly and if you take the DHL/UPS shipping options you can have them within a week. (Get the Minnaar's they are unisex and AWESOME!!!!) Yes! Listen to TheV! and with Minnaars she can run flat pedals initially, then switch to something like Shimano DX clipless or Crank Brothers Mallets. those offer the best of both worlds.
Beer4Recovery Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 Where in SA can you get FiveTens, or do you recommend getting them from CRC? Do you also pay a some sort of tax or import cost because they are classified as clothing or not?
patches Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 Where in SA can you get FiveTens, or do you recommend getting them from CRC? Do you also pay a some sort of tax or import cost because they are classified as clothing or not? All my pairs of FiveTens were purchased form CRC. The first pair I got nailed with duty... but luckily customs has been slack for a while and many other dutyable items of mine have passed under the radar. But they are available locally. Here are 2 local online stores which stock http://dialdbikes.co.za/fiveten.html https://www.mountainmailorder.co.za/index.php?_a=viewCat&catId=283 As you can see though... locally the style options are limited.
HaydenWilson Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 CRC is having a special on them at present so you can pick up a pair of the freeriders for R.635 plus postage. totally worth it!
El Dodgius Bastardo Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 I got Minnaar's from Mike's Bikes in Greenside
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