Waterproof Flat MTB shoes

[Kiwi in Wales]

Thanks for all the suggestions...

Yes, Five10 are great, but they take, 5 to Ten days to bloody dry out once they are wet ?

My Freeriders are a good few years old, still perfect for most weather, but just retain water (bit like those Cannock trails yesterday!).

Agreed @Rob Hancill.
I have the Five Ten Freerider EPS ‘High’ versions
As you know, I live in Wales, it rains all the time here and that is why I wear the gaiters below over my Five Ten EPSs. I have not had wet feet in over 2 years ?????

Bike Gaiter Long

Best £25 I have ever spent ?

Keep my feet and shins warm and dry, they come in long and short, get the long/high ones as it gives you more protection. I don’t know about you but I have always found the shorter gaiters and overshoes above DO NOT stop water ingress from the MONSTER puddles/MINI lakes you sometimes hit on the trail.

Once you are familiar with them it takes 2-3 minutes to put them on. I use them with my flat pedals, they will last longer if you are clipped in as the pins from the flat PEDALS can damaged the elastic that runs underneath the sole of your shoe. That is the only downside to these gaiters but a bit of diy sowing replacement of the elastic and you are quickly back up and running. I have 2 pairs of these for that reason.

I am out on a ride tonight so I will take some ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots so you can all see how good these things are.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

About 1/48th of the puddles that I hit yesterday ?

Just watched this, get the long gaiters and your wet feet problem will be solved.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Just watched a video on them and it turns out the winter inner is only water resistant
OWN Only What's Necessary FR-01 Shoes | Stif TV | Features | Stif Mountain Bikes

Correct, I have a pair of these and can confirm they are a brilliant shoe but they are NOT waterproof.

 

[Doomanic]

Yes, Five10 are great, but they take, 5 to Ten days to bloody dry out once they are wet

Get yourself a couple of 12v PC fans and a small 12v power supply. Connect it all together, stuff fans in shoes overnight and they’re dry.

 

[drjarvis2003]

Get yourself a couple of 12v PC fans and a small 12v power supply. Connect it all together, stuff fans in shoes overnight and they’re dry.

Another option is to use the ski boot dryer, if you have one, they take about 3 hours to dry my boots.

 

[Moose]

After getting completely soaked an a ride yesterday, I tried this today to dry my 5/10's and it worked a treat.

 

[mark.ai]

Thanks for the tip on those gaiters @Kiwi in Wales they look awesome - just ordered a pair Been looking for some good cycling gaiters like that for ages ...

 

[R120]

Getting a little of topic with respect to this thread but few people have suggested using shoes that are not specifically designed for mountain biking. I would truely recommend not doing this. Running and Trail shoes do not have mountain bike specific protection features, such as a reinforced toe box area, built in and could leave areas of your feet vulnerable to impact damage from rocks and other objects.

Point in case - Last weekend, whilst riding along a very narrow rocky trail cut into the side of a steep hillside above a river gorge I didn't see a small sapling stump sticking out of the ground. As it happened my right pedal was near at the bottom of the pedal stroke and my foot jammed between the sharp end of stump and the pedal. I came to a very abrupt stop and had it not been for the fact that my foot was jammed I would have exited out the front of the bike. My Five Tens Impacts took the full hit across the toe guard which also left a deep crease pressed into the padded toe box area. My toe inside inside the shoe directly under the impact area is slightly bruised but otherwise ok. Had I been wearing running or trail shoes the outcome I suspect would have been very different and I possibly could have lost a toe .

I have looked into this a fair bit with non MTB shoes being repurposed, and one of the reasons i went with the Adidas was because they have all the features you would want from a flat shoe, apart from the flat sole - i.e they have a hard toe box for taking any hits, and a lace management sytstem to keep the laces out the way.

 

[Kangr]

I have looked into this a fair bit with non MTB shoes being repurposed, and one of the reasons i went with the Adidas was because they have all the features you would want from a flat shoe, apart from the flat sole - i.e they have a hard toe box for taking any hits, and a lace management sytstem to keep the laces out the way.

If you don't mind the extra expense, you can have any shoe/boot re-soled with stealth rubber.

 

[R120]

If you don't mind the extra expense, you can have any shoe/boot re-soled with stealth rubber.

With a flat sole?

 

[Kangr]

With a flat sole?

Think so.
We had a lad who comes to the shop, after a operation to remove cancer from his leg was left with his leg about 2inchs shorter, so we sent his shoes off and had a platform built into one of them, now i think his shoe was a giro but now has a stealth rubber sole.

 

[Kangr]

A quick search brought these up
Approach and Mountain Bike Shoe Repairs and Resoles | LSR

 

[Japuserid]

Waterproof flat sole shoes like these perhaps


Been using these for about 10 months now and I them.

Waterproof, comfortable with a decent bit of support and protection. I have mated them to a set of V12's with extra long pins and it works really well.

Had Five tens High impact boots before and they were great in the dry but totally useless in the wet even with Sealskinz it was still unpleasant. These Alpinestars do the job so much better, but the soles are not as grippy as the five tens so you need a longer pin to compensate.

 

[Gary]

I hate grippy soles and overly stiff or thick soles (no feel and shit for changing footing position)
How are those Alpinestars in those respects? similar to a skate shoe? or less flexible? I assume they're intended for motorbike use so I wouldn't expect them to be the most flexible/feely

 

[JetSetDemo]

I used to call them my waterproof socks until yesterday, now I just call them my socks, think I need some new sealskins

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Thanks for the tip on those gaiters @Kiwi in Wales they look awesome - just ordered a pair Been looking for some good cycling gaiters like that for ages ...

?

 

[Bearing Man]

Anyone tried normal cotton socks under their Sealskins? It is lovely! keeps your feet 10x dryer because they absorb any sweat that normally turns your feet into walnut looking things inside Sealskins.
Honestly, if you can still fit your shoes on with two pairs of socks, try it. Top tip

 

[Japuserid]

I hate grippy soles and overly stiff or thick soles (no feel and shit for changing footing position)
How are those Alpinestars in those respects? similar to a skate shoe? or less flexible? I assume they're intended for motorbike use so I wouldn't expect them to be the most flexible/feely

Hi Gary

Believe it or not I really don't think I have ever worn skate shoes but I do know what you mean about changing foot position.

My previous High Impact Five ten's and the soft Stealth sole with a standard pin on V12's was too much for me, it required a real effort to lift and reposition. So I swapped to some Saint MX80 with the short pin configuration and this I liked, except when it got wet, nothing worse than wet cold feet

In an effort to resolve this kit deficiency, I did a bit of research and found nothing that would tick all the boxes that was MTB specific. So I looked at Motorcycle specific foot wear and found these Alpinestars J6's.

The Alpinestars sole is definitely harder and so I went to a Saint long pin configuration but it was still not enough and my feet would come off to easily. So back to the V12's and with the standard pin it was ok but prefered the longer pins that bring me back to more or less the same grip level as the Five ten's with Saint's.

But where I really gain is in wet and cold weather, I no longer need to bother with sealskinz at all. They also offer a very good level of support and protection well above your average MTB shoe and they are extremely comfortable.

On wet and rainy days, especially if there is a lot of standing water, I always use a pair of Endura Gridlock 2 waterproof trousers which fit beautifully over the tops of the boots and stop water from entering through the tops. I find this Combo works very well,

Hope this helps

 

[Gary]

Thanks @Japuserid

That was really helpful.
Yeah. I've never had a problem finding pedal grip and I actually remove all but 5 pins each side from a lot of my pedals. Keeping your feet in place is as much about good body positioning and core strength as it is the grip between your pedals and soles. Too much grip definitely is a problem for me though. Other than say on a DH race run where ideally you want to hit every line perfectly feet up. (not that it works out that way very often)

They also offer a very good level of support and protection well above your average MTB shoe and they are extremely comfortable.

As I understand it, the uppers are armoured. Does this effect stiffness of the boot or restrict ankle movement at all?

Definitely an interesting option and I'll be looking out for them anytime I'm in motorbike shops to try a pair on. I'll know straight away if they're suitable for me without even stepping on a pedal. Pricy. but should last a long time if only used in wet weather.

 

[Gary]

Anyone tried normal cotton socks under their Sealskins? It is lovely! keeps your feet 10x dryer because they absorb any sweat that normally turns your feet into walnut looking things inside Sealskins.
Honestly, if you can still fit your shoes on with two pairs of socks, try it. Top tip

Yeah. I buy all my riding shoes a little roomy and don't do my laces up tightly for exactly this reason, a pair of sports socks. I don't really sweat much but agree with everything you've said. This means I wear sealskins all year round. (as my shoes are loose otherwise) and they don't get too hot even in summer. I must have 10 pairs of sealskins. once they start to thin out and eventually hole I don't chuck them out instead relegating them to dry weather use.

Other top tip: Tight laces stops good circulation and makes your feet colder in winter and warmer in summer and is accentuated when your shoes are soaked but your feet are still dry inside your sealskins. I do my laces up once when my shoes are new, tuck the lace ends behind the tongue of the shoe so as to never catch anything and NEVER undo the laces ever again. instead slipping my shoes on and off. They're just the right tightness they're comfortable but will never come off.

 

[CaptainJoe]

Running and Trail shoes do not have mountain bike specific protection features, such as a reinforced toe box area, built in and could leave areas of your feet vulnerable to impact damage from rocks and other objects.

Agreed! Personally, I'm riding ankle-high Gore-Tex hiking boots in winter, where I think the protection for toes and ankles is ok (better than for running/trail shoes). The more rugged sole also helps with muddy/snowy ground conditions in walking sections. But it's strange that there are very few real MTB flat pedal shoes/boots suitable for rainy/winter conditions.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Here you go all.
Went out last night and here are a few photos of the results.

Do you want cold wet feet when you finish your ride?

My answer is, NO, I do not and have not suffered this in 2 winters now. No brainer folks

£25 and an extra 2-3 minutes to fit them before your ride

Warm, dry feet mmmmmmmmmm. You know you want it

 

[Dax]

I've been thinking about drilling drain holes in the bottom of my shoes

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

I've been thinking about drilling drain holes in the bottom of my shoes

Wear the above and you won’t need to ?

 

[Gary]

@Kiwi in Wales
Do you have a solution to stop the material and elastic strap underneath the gaiter getting wrecked by pedal pins?

Something similar was available years and years back and IME they got torn really quickly.
I am a constant foot position shuffler rather than a sticky soled lift up and replace sort of guy.

 

[R120]

Here you go all.
Went out last night and here are a few photos of the results.

Do you want cold wet feet when you finish your ride?

My answer is, NO, I do not and have not suffered this in 2 winters now. No brainer folks

£25 and an extra 2-3 minutes to fit them before your ride

Warm, dry feet mmmmmmmmmm. You know you want it

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Just need a chainsaw to complete the look

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Just need a chainsaw to complete the look

If how you look is more important than warm, dry feet then I really can't suggest an alternative dude

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

@Kiwi in Wales
Do you have a solution to stop the material and elastic strap underneath the gaiter getting wrecked by pedal pins?

Something similar was available years and years back and IME they got torn really quickly.
I am a constant foot position shuffler rather than a sticky soled lift up and replace sort of guy.

So am I Gary. Please read post 31
Waterproof Flat MTB shoes - EMTB Forums
In fact I will save you the trouble See below

Once you are familiar with them it takes 2-3 minutes to put them on. I use them with my flat pedals, they will last longer if you are clipped in as the pins from the flat PEDALS can damaged the elastic that runs underneath the sole of your shoe. That is the only downside to these gaiters but a bit of diy sewing replacement of the elastic and you are quickly back up and running. I have 2 pairs of these for that reason.

 

[R120]

Nope nothing beats a good set of gaiters

 

[Gary]

Gaitored wellies do [/annoying little pedant]