Mountain Biking - New MTB Shoes!

I've been using my old solomon hiking/running shoes for biking, and they have been working pretty decent. However, they are certainly not the most grippy (the area under the balls of my feet is pretty much worn smooth). I have been having problems when I hit consecutive bumpy rocks and roots. It knocks me from the balls of my feet back to my arch which messes with my control/balance, and threatens to knock my foot off the pedal all the way (which has happened a few times, and is certainly not nice). I tried out some old converse I had laying around, and while the grip was certainly better I got arch pain going up, and numb toes going down.

I've been doing some research and have come down to two pairs of shoes.

Five Ten Karver: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=63974

Shimano AM41: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=55371

Has anyone had any experience with either of these shoes? Would the Shimano be grippy enough, or would I be missing out on the 'five ten experience'?

for grippy, go with the five tens. just out of curiosity, what pedals are you using? pedals are the other half of the important equation.

I understand 5.Tens are supposed to be the bees knees but I've always found SixSixOnes to be great shoes.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24882

I'm using the Filter SPDs (in non-SPD form) now and have no complaints at all.

Thanks for the replies!


for grippy, go with the five tens. just out of curiosity, what pedals are you using? pedals are the other half of the important equation.

A fairly budget pair, but they seem to be pretty grippy with my converse for instance:
http://www.amazon.de/BBB-Pedale-MountainHigh-BPD-32-schwarz/dp/B0012DRKX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309900482&sr=8-1

I will probably be upgrading pedals eventually, because I don't think the bearings in them are sealed. They were an experiment as my first real platform pedals, and I found I like the A LOT more than clipless.

Yea dminor those definitely look nice, but I really like the lace cover and ankle guards of the other two. They will only be used for riding, and when it rains here the mud really splatters all over the front of my shoes.

I ended up getting the Shimano AM41. After 5 decent length (~20km, ~450m ) rides I am really happy. They grip well, are nice and stiff, seem to be holding up well, and keep mud/water out of my shoes!! They fit me well, and have already protected my toes a few times. The first ride I tagged a rock pretty hard with my toe, and expected a nasty scuff, but didn't see any noticeable scuffs under the rock dust. The only upgrade I see is putting in some arch supports because I am semi flat footed.

The biggest question is how well the soles hold up. Because the rubber isn't really soft I could see the tread pattern breaking off, but so far they show no breakage. I guess only time will tell!

Sixsixone make great Mtb shoes

I ended up getting the Shimano AM41. After 5 decent length (~20km, ~450m ) rides I am really happy. They grip well, are nice and stiff, seem to be holding up well, and keep mud/water out of my shoes!! They fit me well, and have already protected my toes a few times. The first ride I tagged a rock pretty hard with my toe, and expected a nasty scuff, but didn't see any noticeable scuffs under the rock dust. The only upgrade I see is putting in some arch supports because I am semi flat footed.

The biggest question is how well the soles hold up. Because the rubber isn't really soft I could see the tread pattern breaking off, but so far they show no breakage. I guess only time will tell!

Hmmm.. I like those Shimano AM41...

What platforms pedals you use?

I use pretty cheap platforms from BBB. I linked them in post #4. They don't have extra long pins or anything. I would compare them with the DMR V8 pedals probably. I fear extra long pins might mess up the soles on the AM41. I almost got the 5:10 Karver, but many people said they are pretty bulky (and more expensive). I needed some shoes for rough XC/AM stuff which the AM41 are good for. For more pure DH oriented stuff the 5:10 Karver would most likely be better I would imagine. I should warn the AM41 are definitely sized one euro size too small (i.e. I wear a 42 usually, but a 43 in the AM41)