arrivalza Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Hi guys Decided to make the jump to some quality flats. Narrowed it down to three options: Saints - R799Giant sport- R650Nukeproof neutron evo R570 from crc Are these the best budget(+-R800) flats available and which one would you recommend? Also not looking to splash out on flat specific shoes atm. So will normal trail shoes work adequately? Thanks
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Either of those will work well. As for the shoes - trail running shoes, I presume? Depending on the tread pattern, they MAY work. But generally speaking, the flatter the tread surface the better the adhesion / grip characteristics. To this, an old pair of road running shoes / skate shoes / allstars would work better. They obviously won't be optimal, but they'll work well enough until you can get a proper set of shoes for flats.
henningvr Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 What BaGearA said. Been riding the same set of Saints for 2 yrs now. Can't go wrong.
henningvr Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 I am using FiveTen Camp4 hiking shoes (actually called approach shoes in rock climbing terms). Works very well.
Formallyknownas Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Just get bear traps and be done with it your shins will love you for it.
gwhite Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Make sure the Saints are a sealed bearing as this in the long run can cause issues. If you want a sealed bearing, rather go with the DMR V12, one pedal of the year or if you want something cheaper then go for the DMR V8 as it is the same platform just not sealed but serviceable. This Way Out at Contermans can assist
arrivalza Posted February 17, 2017 Author Posted February 17, 2017 Either of those will work well. As for the shoes - trail running shoes, I presume? Depending on the tread pattern, they MAY work. But generally speaking, the flatter the tread surface the better the adhesion / grip characteristics. To this, an old pair of road running shoes / skate shoes / allstars would work better. They obviously won't be optimal, but they'll work well enough until you can get a proper set of shoes for flats. Ok cool thanks. Hi tec are selling decently priced hiking shoes but most seem to have some sort grooves for added grip I suppose. I take it these are not recommended?
arrivalza Posted February 17, 2017 Author Posted February 17, 2017 Make sure the Saints are a sealed bearing as this in the long run can cause issues.If you want a sealed bearing, rather go with the v12, one pedal of the year or if you want something cheaper then go for the V8 as it is the same platform just not sealed but serviceable. This Way Out at Contermans have stock of both pedals The saints which I am looking at are at easybike for 799. Do these not come with sealed bearings?
Odinson Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Hi guys Decided to make the jump to some quality flats. Narrowed it down to three options: Saints - R799Giant sport- R650Nukeproof neutron evo R570 from crc Are these the best budget(+-R800) flats available and which one would you recommend? Also not looking to splash out on flat specific shoes atm. So will normal trail shoes work adequately? Thanks The Saints are a very good option, but there are SO MANY options when searching for flat pedals. If you do go the Saint route, my 2c would be to immediately swap out the installed short pins for the longer ones. The installed pins are a bit short for my liking. As MM said, get the flattest -soled shoe you can find. You need to ensure your shoes have the max contact with the pedal. I have a set of Xpedo Spry pedals and they're awesome. They have a Magnesium body, spin beautifully and are crazy light. They also have just enough grip.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 The Saints are a very good option, but there are SO MANY options when searching for flat pedals. If you do go the Saint route, my 2c would be to immediately swap out the installed short pins for the longer ones. The installed pins are a bit short for my liking. Tey come standard with washers under the pins. Just need to remove those and you're golden.
Odinson Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Tey come standard with washers under the pins. Just need to remove those and you're golden. Bingo! Forgot about the washers. My wife has the Saints on her steed, but she's a casual rider and doesn't want/need bags of traction.
arrivalza Posted February 17, 2017 Author Posted February 17, 2017 Thanks for the replies.^ Seem to be leaning towards the neutrons though as they come in at R300 less than the saints(incl shipping) with minimal differences judging by the reviews.
NickGM Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Hi guys Decided to make the jump to some quality flats. Narrowed it down to three options: Saints - R799Giant sport- R650Nukeproof neutron evo R570 from crc Are these the best budget(+-R800) flats available and which one would you recommend? Also not looking to splash out on flat specific shoes atm. So will normal trail shoes work adequately? Thanks If you can get the nukeproofs for that price, then they would be my first choice, with saints in a close second. I assume you've accounted for import duties on the CRC price? Could be a deal breaker.... As for shoes, I'm sitting with your dilemma at the moment too. I had a pair of beat up vans that I have been using until now but you don't appreciate just how sturdy those pins are, they can scratch up the underside of a less-than-adequate shoe. Also, you don't appreciate how much more grippy a flat-specific mtb shoe is. So as Myles said, anything that is not a proper mtb flat shoe will only be temporary measure. 5.10's are the go-to brand, but they are massively expensive and hard to come by in SA. But... adidas recently bought 5.10 and are now privy to the magic compound that 5.10 use in their rubber. They've recently made this shoe, and apparently it's the bomb: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/adidas-terrex-trailcross-protect-shoes-review.html I'm hoping they become available here soon (I can't find any), they will certainly be cheaper than 5.10s. Failing that, Cape Rock (or something like that) sell 5.10 spitfire's which are R1400 - similar price to hiking and trail running shoes but much more suited to what you want. Most of the High end 5.10s are R2.5K which I'm not ready to stomach just yet. If you're looking for something even cheaper and don't mind looking like a dork - squash shoes IMO.
RatX Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 I can vouch for the Giant Sports - I grabbed a pair last year, I was also considering the Saints but couldn't find any in stock for a reasonable price and I was too impatient to wait for a delivery. Good construction, light weight and worlds apart from the cheapy no name brands I had before. I just use them with plain old Asics trail running shoes which are quite rigid and I feel glued to the pedals.
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