Flat MTB Shoes don't fit

[Reactive]

This is a fun topic, although it was actually quite painful to test. And I am not a shoe-whore!

I picked up my Spec Turbo Levo in May this year and started riding MTB again. I switched to flat pedals when I purchased the Levo with a pair of the Five-Ten Trailcross shoes shown. As quick background I raced moto-cross and substantial moto-trials like so many others and really wanted the flat pedals which seemed so obvious a choice.

I had been riding toe-clips and clipped-in road since the late 70's. Since 2000 I have been using the 'Frogplay' / 'Speedplay' clips and purchased Sidi MTB shoes - the yellow pair in the photo. These I have used for MTB and road for 20 years. I tried several other road-specific shoes but always came back to those Sidi MTB I bought for any ride.

When I started riding the Levo, I had no issues with the flat pedals with regards to riding and within 100 miles got a decent pedal action. I really liked the flats. No basic issue.

400 miles later with the Trailcross I could not ride any longer as after two hours my right foot was screaming. Very reminiscent of ski boots.

From the get-go, the Trailcross were narrow. I tried a 1/2 size up and they slipped, so I stuck with the correct size figuring they would stretch a bit.

They did not stretch. Pain is a bitch, so I picked up a pair of the Ride Concept shoes pictured which fit a bit wider.

They seemed to fit better but after another 200 miles my right foot was still screaming at the two-hour point.

I did a six-hour ride and could not walk for a couple of days due to the pain in the right foot.

So, thank you REI. I ordered several pairs of MTB flat shoes and a couple of clipless of which are shown. In total I ordered seven MTB flat shoes and 3 clipless. Some are not pictured including two Sidi and another Shimano clipless.

I tried each pair on with my inserts in the living room for 15 minutes. Of the flat MTB shoes, only the Pearl-Izumi actually fit my foot, so I used them for a ride; however, the sole slipped very badly on the pedals.

None of the flats would fit my feet and ride well.

Surprisingly the Shimano clipless fit really well with great comfort. The living room test was expanded to watching a movie with them on which revealed no pain at all. As I considered the implication that clipless shoes fit me, I weighed the option of going back to clipless. Pain is the bitch, so the answer is Yes. I ordered a discounted pair of Sidi MTB Dominators and decided I would compare them to the Shimano's.

These Sidi's fit me the better than the Shimano's, but any of the clipless fit so much better and would probably work. After 100 miles I have two-hour and three-hour rides with no foot pain.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

After each of my rides with the clipless pedals my thigh quads are screaming. This was a shock to me as I felt the flat pedals were fine. But obviously for my pedal stroke I was missing a lot of leg action. After a month with the clipless I cannot see going back to flats other than for training with manuals and wheelies.

 

[yorkshire89]

Have you tried a standard 5.10 Freerider? Find them a bit more comfortable and wider than the pro, with a super sticky sole.

 

[#lazy]

Also try the shimano gr9 flat shoe , they’re wide, light and dry very quickly

 

[irie]

Said in a other thread that my feet don't like FiveTen Freerider Pros (wrong width) but Specialized 2fo Roost flats fit really well.

 

[Mikerb]

There is a reason why 5-10s are the default flat pedal shoe!!
There could also be other reasons for your foot pain besides the shoe being too narrow. The 2 biggest differences between clipless and flat is that clipless shoes have a virtually solid sole whereas flat pedal shoes provide more flex; and cleats tend to position your foot on the pedal such that the ball of your foot is on the pedal axle.................you need to ride with your foot positioned further forward on a flat pedal. Note also that flat pedals not only vary in width and length to suit your foot size but some are "flat" whilst others are concave.
After years of riding clipless maybe you are trying to ride flats with the ball of the foot on the pedal axle and/or the pedals are not wide enough to support your foot across its width??

 

[RebornRider]

I've got a pair of 5-10 Freeriders and a pair of Freerider Pros. I like both of them and alternate between them for my every-2nd-day 21 mile ride up to Pleasanton Ridge. But, ...! They have become more comfortable since I started using shoe stretchers to widen the widest part of the shoes. (I used to have trouble with the width of running shoes, too.) I no longer have any foot pain since I started using the stretchers.

FWIW, YMMV.

Edit to say I agree with Mikerb - I get pain in the ball of my foot if the ball is directly over the pedal axle. I do better on flats with my foot a little bit farther forward than that.

 

[MOTO13]

I've been using the same shoes for years for MTB riding and they aren't MTB shoes at all. Shift Fuel motorcycle boots. They are no longer made however. I have another pair of motorcycle shoes (boots really) when the Fuels finally give up the ghost. These are basically high top, high quality street bike shoes. They work GREAT for MTBing. Flat bottom MTB shoes are a friggin joke to me. Basically a crappy, fairly stiff soled tennis shoe with a flat bottom.

 

[Tim1023]

The Freerider DLXs are great for my feet, but be warned if you want five ten trailcross GTX (Gore-Tex) for your winter riding. They have a completely different form and are much narrower. You'll need to go up at least half a size. Or a full size if you'll be wearing thick socks. I assume they took a standard Adidas form instead of the five ten form

 

[Bndit]

You should have tried 5/10 Freeriders, probably most comfiest shoes in the market. I have them, Hellcats (for clipless) and Trailcross, All fit to me but I have narrow feet and just like Tim1023 said, Trailcross has totally different shape, much narrower...

 

[Reactive]

"After years of riding clipless maybe you are trying to ride flats with the ball of the foot on the pedal axle and/or the pedals are not wide enough to support your foot across its width??"

This is pretty accurate. I have always run (4 minute miler 40 years ago - 8+ today), moto-cross and bikes on the ball of my foot. 'Classic' runner style from the old days of toe to heal.

My foot is wide with a very high arch. I run with the 'Altra' shoes which have a wide toe-box, about 400 miles a year. They fit fantastic. When I sized up to a 12 on the Five-ten's, my heals started slipping.

I agree that the stretching of the shoes seems to be the problem. I expected the Five-tens and others to stretch; they did not after hundreds of miles. The pain is in predominately in the right-foot toes; it is not the ball of the foot. Shoe is just too narrow and will not stretch. The pain does ascend to a 6+ on the pain scale after two hours of riding. I think the rubber protection around the toe-box prevents any stretching.

So far, the Sidi clipless are great. I also believe the Shimano clipless would be fine, but I don't want two or three pairs of shoes (although for the price of the dang bike I should be able to have a different shoe for each day of the week!).

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations.

 

[B1rdie]

Shimano ET5 or ET7 (also named ET500/ET700) are the best fit for me, the ET7 has a BOA closure. They are light and have a rigid sole with a very precisely designed curve that goes well with the concave shape of best flat pedals, giving comfort and grip.

 

[Pyr0]

I wish shimao did something like the MW5 or 7 with a flat sole

 

[George_KSL]

just like Tim1023 said, Trailcross has totally different shape, much narrower...

Yup, all Trailcross (and Adidas Terrex) shoes are like this, super narrow. I wear 102 last in Ski boots, so my foot is pretty "potato shaped" as my wife says. I love my Trailcross (and various Terrex shoes like Freehiker) since they hold well if you wear the bigger size if you're inbetween.
But the GTX versions are less stretchy making it even more necessary to slightly up-size. The fit still remains strange though.
I spent half of this summer in my Trailcross instead of my regular freeriding shoes (Freerider Pro and ION Amp II) since they are so much better ventilated. It's the only mountain bike shoe in which you will never sweat.

 

[Boltdude]

As someone with 4E xtra wide feet there really is no dedicated MTB shoe that works for me. For flats New Balance has an option that works really well. They make work shoes with anti-skid soles (I think they are model 412) that are very comfortable and perform great. They even have an alloy toe protection option.

 

[Dago]

It’s funny but in a pinch the other day I had to use some other shoes cuz I forgot to throw my 5-10 flats in the truck. A newer design, with soft lug soles, they were better all around, including walking. They were goretex to boot.

 

[G-Sport]

5-10's were always narrow and then they went even narrower. Rubbish.

Specialized 2FO's have been very comfortable for me but didn't last very well.
Bontrager flats also comfy but zero toe protection was a killer and not as grippy as 5-10 and 2FO s

The new Anamoly shoes are supposed to be wide if they ever come out.

 

[SwampNut]

I had an unexpected experience with Five Ten. They fit me perfectly, and I generally have a slightly wide foot. I have the Five Ten Trail Cross Mid Pro in 9.5, and love them. My longest rides are just over two hours and they show no signs of pain at that point.

 

[KnollyBro]

I picked up my Spec Turbo Levo in May this year and started riding MTB again. I switched to flat pedals when I purchased the Levo with a pair of the Five-Ten Trailcross shoes shown. As quick background I raced moto-cross and substantial moto-trials like so many others and really wanted the flat pedals which seemed so obvious a choice.

If I understand you correctly, you recently got an emtb to got back into riding again and want to switch from riding clipped to flats as it seemed an obvious choice. If you can ride clipped, why not ride clipped? What kind of riding are you doing that makes you want to ride flats as it sounds like you like to pedal a lot

 

[dthree]

The Freeriders always gave me numbness after an hour or so until I swapped out the insoles with Specialized Body Geometry footbeds.