I like the Chesters \[I get fewer pedal strikes than with the bigger Wah Wah 2's\] and I can usually get my 5.10s for ~$100-$130CAD on sale. I just buy when I find them on sale and put them in a corner until needed. With say on average 3 rides a week I can get over a year out of a pair of 5.10s. So the overall cost of this setup is not bad. I've never loved a non-5.10 sole as much as a 5.10 for techy MTBing. For touring or less demanding flat pedal use the Michelin rubber or the Ride Concepts rubber seems fine.
I used to clip in for decades and have been riding flats for over 10 years now. I love having shoes I can walk around in all day comfortably, go for a hike a in and crush out a tough MTB ride without needing to think about footwear. I haven't noticed any performance loss on rides so my motivation to go back to clipless pedals is approximately zero.
The cost//performance of composite pedals being what it is I can't see myself going back to metal again. I've got a few sets of Chesters and Wah Wah 2's. I use them and when they need service I put them aside and swap in a new set. After a few pairs need service I'll sit down with a couple beers and service several pairs at a time. Ideally getting them all back to primo shape and at worst scavenging enough working parts to get some of them working and putting the rest of the useful parts into my pedal bin for next time.
Sept. 21, 2020, 7 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
I like the Chesters \[I get fewer pedal strikes than with the bigger Wah Wah 2's\] and I can usually get my 5.10s for ~$100-$130CAD on sale. I just buy when I find them on sale and put them in a corner until needed. With say on average 3 rides a week I can get over a year out of a pair of 5.10s. So the overall cost of this setup is not bad. I've never loved a non-5.10 sole as much as a 5.10 for techy MTBing. For touring or less demanding flat pedal use the Michelin rubber or the Ride Concepts rubber seems fine. I used to clip in for decades and have been riding flats for over 10 years now. I love having shoes I can walk around in all day comfortably, go for a hike a in and crush out a tough MTB ride without needing to think about footwear. I haven't noticed any performance loss on rides so my motivation to go back to clipless pedals is approximately zero. The cost//performance of composite pedals being what it is I can't see myself going back to metal again. I've got a few sets of Chesters and Wah Wah 2's. I use them and when they need service I put them aside and swap in a new set. After a few pairs need service I'll sit down with a couple beers and service several pairs at a time. Ideally getting them all back to primo shape and at worst scavenging enough working parts to get some of them working and putting the rest of the useful parts into my pedal bin for next time.