Are MTB-specific flat pedal shoes really worth it?

What model did you experience this with?

With it being him, most likely the 5.10 Counterpunch model…

First negative review of 5.10s on the internet. And a very angry one too! Interesting.

:lol:

Not angry, just strident. :clap:

So, in revisiting the offending item (the tag on them says "Impacts") I find that by twisting them by hand that they don't seem all that bad, torsionally. Which is puzzling 'cause they sure don't feel supportive when riding.

In a pinch I'd use them again for an hour or two shuttling, but for an all day session?
Forgeddaboudit!

In addition the nubs (suction cups?) on the bottom have nearly worn away in places and after not much use I might add.

Given the aggressiveness of the pins on most flats they could, IMO, get away with a somewhat harder durometre rubber on the bottom.

That's my take anyhow. Your milage may vary….. ;)

For three months spending $150 on shoes is a joke. a $50 pair of skate shoes will give you enough support and as much grip as any 510 made.

I wasn't overly impressed with the few shoes I seen regarding 510's.. they sure don't look like they are worth $150.. they did pass the ten foot walk in the shop test for comfort though.

I've been riding on Van Authtentics/Era for a few years now on flats (Point1 Podiums) and while the grip was good, I was always curious about the 5.10 and other flat pedal mtb specific shoes. I was after a much stiffer sole. With the Vans, they would be stiff only so much, then start falling apart, especially with the pedal pins tearing up the waffle soles soon after. The only thing keeping me from making the jump all these years was I couldn't get over the bulky look of ALL 5.10s, and overall didn't like any of the other competitors either, like the Teva. Being a size US12 didn't help either. I prefer my sneakers to be form fitting and sleek looking. I can't do bulkiness. I said to myself if I would really be forced to buy one of these it would be the Shimano AM41 shoe, but never found them on sale ($120 msrp). And I surely wouldn't be spending that much on biking shoes when I could buy the black Authentics or Eras all day long for around $30.

Normally though I would go through 2 pairs of Vans a season, but last season, I tore up 3 pairs rather quickly (once the pedal pins eat a deep groove into the waffle sole, grip is diminished substantially). Plus hitting a rock or anything hard with the soft canvas uppers sucks. Plus like I said, I've been after a stiffer sole for quite some time now and scored 2 pairs of Shimano AM41 (for myself and my brother who's also on Vans) for under $60 each from backcountry.com this winter.

First impressions are good, these shoes don't look so bad in person, quite stiff, nice ankle support, and even if they only last me a season, I'm still breaking even compared to the Vans. Which I'm still going to continue wearing to get to the trailhead. :scream:

:lol:

Not angry, just strident. :clap:

So, in revisiting the offending item (the tag on them says "Impacts") I find that by twisting them by hand that they don't seem all that bad, torsionally. Which is puzzling 'cause they sure don't feel supportive when riding.

In a pinch I'd use them again for an hour or two shuttling, but for an all day session?
Forgeddaboudit!

In addition the nubs (suction cups?) on the bottom have nearly worn away in places and after not much use I might add.

Given the aggressiveness of the pins on most flats they could, IMO, get away with a somewhat harder durometre rubber on the bottom.

That's my take anyhow. Your milage may vary….. ;)

I have about 30 rides on my 5/10 Impacts , same with my kid and our shoes show little to no wear on the sole , you must be draging your feet for them to be wearing as quickly as you claim , my tires show more wear after a few rides then my shoes do and o hike to every spot i ride no chair lift or shuttling for me . post some images of the issues , you may have a bad pair i chatted with guys who ride up to 6 days a week and they all said the 5/10 Impact is good for a year to 18mths before they buy a new pair , i never got that kind of life out of any clipless shoe i rode on prior to switching to flats .

the 5/10 Impact is good for a year to 18mths before they buy a new pair ,

A year? Wow. Unless I was riding every freaking day I'd feel burned. :scream:

i never got that kind of life out of any clipless shoe i rode on prior to switching to flats .

I have multiple seasons on my Lake MX 165's and they are wearing like iron. And believe me, I do a lot of walking in them. :lol:

Vans Warners….all day every day for bmx and DH…..and clip in ya babies!

Maybe if someone is interested in good biking/hiking shoe should look at these
5.10 Camp Four shoes http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/40-camp-four.

Sticky sole that glue to flat pedals and shoe build made for walking in the mountains.

Even (especially???) if shoes are biking specific they gotta' have some arch support, some torsional stiffness to the sole. 5-10's got nada. Flat and so flexy you could tie one in a knot.

]

Why do you say one needs an arch support in flat pedal shoes? Is this based on what you have been led to believe by shoe salesman selling you a bill of goods?

I have a pair 5-10 freeriders. Pretty happy withem, generally agree with what's written here. Only comment to add, is they are a damn hot shoe. Too hot for summer riding for me, on the other hand with wool socks in the winter you can get soaked and still be warm for hours on end. Would love to know if they have less insulated alternative.

I have Impacts and they are the best shoe I have tried. Stiff and stick to the flats. I also really like how they protect my feet from debris. I can ride for 3+ hours and experience zero foot fatigue.

Hey brothers!

I have both the impacts and the teva links. I like them both. Out of the box the tevas fit me better but I have subsequently put superfeet yellows in both of them and now they BOTH feel great. The tevas still have the edge as my feet are narrow though. Grip and protection-wise, as well as staying warm in the winter with wool socks I prefer the Five-ten Impacts and mostly use those. The Teva Links are good too though and I recently brought my pair along with a pair of flat pedals to California and rented a bike in Palm Springs to try some of their singletrack. I enjoyed them. Now I generally ride hardtails and do find that due to the lower grip than five tens I can get bucked off of a pedal a bit easier in the tevas but a part of that is technique and I'm going to work on that. I also don't think my flats (hippy killer) are the grippiest…perfect with five tens but maybe I need to bump it up to something grippier for the tevas. Chromag Scarabs maybe?

Yes.

If you want to spend more money, the green site says the Freerider VXi are the business.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Best-of-Vital-2013-Ten-Products-That-Are-Hard-To-Beat,646

Yes.

If you want to spend more money, the green site says the Freerider VXi are the business.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Best-of-Vital-2013-Ten-Products-That-Are-Hard-To-Beat,646

I'm a proud owner of them… Love em
But they get more water logged than the Impacts, so they are more of a Spring to Early Fall shoe for moi (dryer times)