MTB shoes for flat pedals

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, Spafsack said:

Hi guys

Has anyone switched to the Bontragger flat shoes, either coming from five tens or leatt's? I saw them now, touched and feel, sole seems nice and stiff. Good looking, built, it seems? Priced at R2 500, which seems fair. 

 

I had a pair of Bontrager shoes for flat pedals.

 

HARD soles .... my feet kept on sliding in the pins while riding the berms ... 

 

Think I did 3 rides with it.    It was downright SCARY.

 

6 000km later very happy with 2FO

 

 

EDIT - this was in 2017/18 ..... the new Bontrager shoes will probably be totally different

Edited April 13, 2022 by ChrisF

[Robbie Stewart]

4 hours ago, ChrisF said:

6 000km later very happy with 2FO

Initially when I switched to flats from clipless, I paid my taxes with pedal slips. I earned a nice scar on my calf for my efforts after my spank pedal did its number and drew first blood. 

Since then I've come to terms with them and now I am blasting even harder in my 2FO's than I did during my clipless days and pre me breaking my ankle.

Last weekend I was sessioning the Bloemendal flow line and hitting the A line hard. I must admit that Spez got these shoes spot on right. Mine have grip for days and stay on the pedals no matter how hard I ride. When they retire, I will replace them with whatever is their replacements.

[Steady Spin]

Tried very hard to replace my 5.10 Impact Low’s and eventually settled on Ride Concepts Hellion and the Bontragers mentioned above. 

A surprise entry was from Etnies but sadly they run a bit small and become very uncomfortable after 15km. 

Definitely want to try the 2FOs still. 

[Chadvdw67]

8 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Initially when I switched to flats from clipless, I paid my taxes with pedal slips. I earned a nice scar on my calf for my efforts after my spank pedal did its number and drew first blood. 

Since then I've come to terms with them and now I am blasting even harder in my 2FO's than I did during my clipless days and pre me breaking my ankle.

Last weekend I was sessioning the Bloemendal flow line and hitting the A line hard. I must admit that Spez got these shoes spot on right. Mine have grip for days and stay on the pedals no matter how hard I ride. When they retire, I will replace them with whatever is their replacements.

Interesting you mention cornering harder and faster with flats, I came upon an article on FB last night that mentioned the same thing, writer has been on clipless for many years and decided to try out flats, after the short adjustment period he also says he can corner harder and faster on flats than with clipless, his reasoning, and the reasoning of others who he spoke to is that you have extra confidence in being able to quickly dab a foot down if you over or under steer which can obviously help you save it, where with clipless it will likely end up with you on the floor, so that little bit of insurance of being able to get your foot off that little bit quicker plays a significant mental role in how you corner....

 

Makes a lot of sense to me

[Steady Spin]

26 minutes ago, Chadvdw67 said:

Interesting you mention cornering harder and faster with flats, I came upon an article on FB last night that mentioned the same thing, writer has been on clipless for many years and decided to try out flats, after the short adjustment period he also says he can corner harder and faster on flats than with clipless, his reasoning, and the reasoning of others who he spoke to is that you have extra confidence in being able to quickly dab a foot down if you over or under steer which can obviously help you save it, where with clipless it will likely end up with you on the floor, so that little bit of insurance of being able to get your foot off that little bit quicker plays a significant mental role in how you corner....

 

Makes a lot of sense to me

Exactly my experience. 

So many people talk about feeling "connected" to their clipless pedals. It never felt that way to me. The float feeling always made me feel like I one have the contact patch of the clear to rely on. 

Flat pedal gives me the full surface of the pedal to sit on. With jumps I scoop up the pike using the pedals instead of pulling it up and in corners I feel like I can really put weight down on the outside pedal. The ability to quickly dab if needed is a huge confidence booster indeed. 

[Robbie Stewart]

1 hour ago, Chadvdw67 said:

Interesting you mention cornering harder and faster with flats, I came upon an article on FB last night that mentioned the same thing, writer has been on clipless for many years and decided to try out flats, after the short adjustment period he also says he can corner harder and faster on flats than with clipless, his reasoning, and the reasoning of others who he spoke to is that you have extra confidence in being able to quickly dab a foot down if you over or under steer which can obviously help you save it, where with clipless it will likely end up with you on the floor, so that little bit of insurance of being able to get your foot off that little bit quicker plays a significant mental role in how you corner....

 

Makes a lot of sense to me

very much my experience as well. I also have more confidence now, and when I enter a berm I constantly hear my rear wheel go "bbbrrrrrrrr" as it holds the line. The wall ride at Bloemendal has me exiting very high up and I end up jumping the exit. Jumps have become much easier, and my technique has improved drastically. 

I also had an off at Contermanskloof on Black Rhino 1 a few weeks back, and since I was on flats I simply ejected myself from the bike and landed safely away from it and got up without any injuries. The off was over rocks on a steep descending switchbacks. Clipless would have ended up MUCH nastier.

[Spafsack]

14 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

I had a pair of Bontrager shoes for flat pedals.

 

HARD soles .... my feet kept on sliding in the pins while riding the berms ... 

 

Think I did 3 rides with it.    It was downright SCARY.

 

6 000km later very happy with 2FO

 

 

EDIT - this was in 2017/18 ..... the new Bontrager shoes will probably be totally different

Hi Chris, this is valuable input. Like i said, my five ten freeriders soles feel to soft. Yes, plenty of grip but to be honest, i want to move my feet around a small bit every now and then. I also feel that harder soles lets a person put down power better, basically the same as carbon clip shoes, the stiffer the better they always say. But if you say thay way to slippery then that worries me a bit. Also, so many peeps rave about the 2fo, they really seem to have a winner. Wonder how the 2fo compares to leatt as well, or if someone changed from those to 2fo? Also, are your 2fo soles still as stiff as they were since new or did they get a bit softer? 

[Stephen_TM]

I went through 2 lairs of 2fo's super grippy and was good fit.Then I decide to try Leatt worst shoe ever very slippery and the shoe has a weird fit.The sole started to disintegrate  after 3 months.

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, Spafsack said:

Hi Chris, this is valuable input. Like i said, my five ten freeriders soles feel to soft. Yes, plenty of grip but to be honest, i want to move my feet around a small bit every now and then. I also feel that harder soles lets a person put down power better, basically the same as carbon clip shoes, the stiffer the better they always say. But if you say thay way to slippery then that worries me a bit. Also, so many peeps rave about the 2fo, they really seem to have a winner. Wonder how the 2fo compares to leatt as well, or if someone changed from those to 2fo? Also, are your 2fo soles still as stiff as they were since new or did they get a bit softer? 

 

With the 2FO you have to lift your foot to move position on the pedal.  Simply too much grip to "slide" the angle of your foot.

 

It took a few rides to get used to it, quickly becomes second nature.

 

 

NOTHING like a foot sliding mid-berm on the pedals to get the adrenaline going ... 

 

 

Like Robert, when these 2FO's needs replacement I will get another set.  And this is the only Spez products in my line up.  Well this and their thin wall spare tubes, making for a nice compact toolbag.

[Adr!@n]

On 4/14/2022 at 10:35 AM, Stephen_TM said:

I went through 2 lairs of 2fo's super grippy and was good fit.Then I decide to try Leatt worst shoe ever very slippery and the shoe has a weird fit.The sole started to disintegrate  after 3 months.

I previously had a pair of Five Ten Freeriders and recently bought a pair of the Leatts. The Five Tens were a very different kind of grip, they stick like as if you had out double-sided tape on the pedal - insane amount of grip. But you can't move your foot after you put it down. 

The Leatts have a very different feeling. They aren't as sticky, but they provide something that lots of flat pedal shoes don't have ... just a bit of float. You can adjust your feet ever so slightly. Feels a lot like riding in a pair of Vans. The fit is slightly narrower than my Five Tens, but still great. Roomier than most shoes. 

I'm not sure that I'll buy another pair, but they work great. It looks like Spez are really getting the formula right and I'd buy the Rime flat shoes if they were locally available. 

Edit: the Five Tens aren't really more durable in my opinion. It seemed like they were getting hammered real early, but it sort of levels out. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Adr!@n

[Steady Spin]

Five Ten quality went downhill when Adidas bought them out. Inferior rubber on the soles for one. Still sticky but they don't last. 

Fit also changed 

[Spafsack]

1 hour ago, Adr!@n said:

I previously had a pair of Five Ten Freeriders and recently bought a pair of the Leatts. The Five Tens were a very different kind of grip, they stick like as if you had out double-sided tape on the pedal - insane amount of grip. But you can't move your foot after you put it down. 

The Leatts have a very different feeling. They aren't as sticky, but they provide something that lots of flat pedal shoes don't have ... just a bit of float. You can adjust your feet ever so slightly. Feels a lot like riding in a pair of Vans. The fit is slightly narrower than my Five Tens, but still great. Roomier than most shoes. 

I'm not sure that I'll buy another pair, but they work great. It looks like Spez are really getting the formula right and I'd buy the Rime flat shoes if they were locally available. 

Edit: the Five Tens aren't really more durable in my opinion. It seemed like they were getting hammered real early, but it sort of levels out. 

This is good feedback. I am on my second set of five tens, maybe i should call them seven elevens -eish, lets start a new brand guys, or even Seven Twenty. 😲 I actually think i know why my fives dont last that long, the sole is too soft, too grippy. I can feel some or certain pins basically coming thru, pressing on pressure points. One day when i have budget i will also look at the 2fo's.

[Bjorn881]

On 4/14/2022 at 10:35 AM, Stephen_TM said:

I went through 2 lairs of 2fo's super grippy and was good fit.Then I decide to try Leatt worst shoe ever very slippery and the shoe has a weird fit.The sole started to disintegrate  after 3 months.

I ended up purchasing a pair of the Leatt 3.0 as well and I share the same sentiments as you! Within months my soles started disintegrating! This is how they currently look! 

[Spafsack]

55 minutes ago, Bjorn881 said:

I ended up purchasing a pair of the Leatt 3.0 as well and I share the same sentiments as you! Within months my soles started disintegrating! This is how they currently look! 

Are these the fives or leatts in the pic, that's scary

[Bjorn881]

26 minutes ago, Spafsack said:

Are these the fives or leatts in the pic, that's scary

Those are the Leatt 3.0 shoes, when I go to Europe in June I'm going to purchase myself a pair of the Five Ten Freerider Pros! 

[dasilvarsa]

All of them Get Wrecked