If Five Ten used rubber the same as the competition, would they grip as well? I don’t believe they would. The “big flat chunks of _soft_ rubber” work in unison to provide the kickass traction. Vans’ mtb specific shoe didn’t have the stickiest rubber but the waffle sole, which created lots of little spaces for the pins, gripped incredibly well and imo came the closest to Five Ten for stability and traction. It’s a shame they’re no longer. They weren’t perfect by any means, but as you note with Five Ten, neither are they.
July 27, 2018, 8:19 a.m. - AJ Barlas
If Five Ten used rubber the same as the competition, would they grip as well? I don’t believe they would. The “big flat chunks of _soft_ rubber” work in unison to provide the kickass traction. Vans’ mtb specific shoe didn’t have the stickiest rubber but the waffle sole, which created lots of little spaces for the pins, gripped incredibly well and imo came the closest to Five Ten for stability and traction. It’s a shame they’re no longer. They weren’t perfect by any means, but as you note with Five Ten, neither are they.