Urbanmonk

This is posted on other forums, but the question remains the same: Can anyone recommend some great MTB shoes? Need good arch support and stiff shank. Heard Sidis are pretty good.

Thanx

lo-G

Sidi Is The Best! Had Northwave, A Bit Narrow And The Velcro Sucks But Light & Stiff. Shimano Treated Me Well Too. I Plan On Some New Sidi Dominator 5's For My Self This Year. Lots Of $$$.

stric

You'll have to try some of them first before you buy them. Many of them come with fancy designs and exotic materials and this is really not something that should determine the shoes you buy. Basically, you want a decent medium priced shoe that can take lots of abuse, that has good leather, they have to be comfrtable when you bike. Some Shimano shoes run a bit narrow so if you have a wider foot try some Pearl Izumi shoes. In fact, I think that Pearl Izumi is in many ways better than equivalent Shimano shoesw. Sidi, Carnac and other high end European shoes are also extremelly good, but I think that many of them are just way too expensive. Diadora seem to have some good shoes too but I really can't say much about them. Adidas and Nike occasianlly offer theirs but I've heard that most Nikes are not that great after all. They are simply backed by massive marketing.
I wear a 10 year old pair of Shimanos. At one point in Moab, adter a week of nasty MTB on slickrock and very rocky terrain both soles started to come off on the tips of the shoes. Duck tape did the work for the rest of Moab trip but after I was back home I used some rubber glue to glue back the soles and 5 years later they are still holding up very well. I wanted to replace them a long time ago, but honestly the level of abuse they go through beats any price out there.

gonesh9

I've gotta say my blue Answer Speeders have taken me many thousands of miles through rain forests, high desert, and daily commuting for 5 years and they are still going strong. Not bad for a $60 pair of boots.

Brian

Some Answer shoes are sold under the Sette brand at Pricepoint, and for a much better price. Even the shoe manufacturers admit that buckles suck, but people want them. The best shoe for a good fit is probably one with laces, then a flap covering the laces to keep them out of moving parts. I find that 3 buckles or velcro straps need to be adjusted more often during rides.

climbo

Specialized Pro Mtn shoes, had 2 pairs so far, very stiff, comfortable and buckle closure that works well. I cut away around the cleat to give me more space on clearance to my eggbeaters and they work great. I use them for Mtn and Cross.

blue steal

I use Shimano lace ups for commuting and errands and they are comfortable but do not last all that long. The heel area always breaks down. Tried Sidi, but could not get comfortable with them, (hurt my feet). I use the Diadora gecko for longer rides and this for me is an extremely comfortable shoe.