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MTB Shoes


AustinBike

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In the market for new shoes. 

Have been wearing Specialized and Shimano shoes for years, but I think the shape of my foot (wider) forces me into 46's when I could probably get the right 45 and not slide as much.

Interested in opinions as I am about to travel down the next wormhole on shoes now and may end up on Amazon because I can try multiple brands with their free returns. I would prefer to buy in a shop but these days, with supply chain constraints, most shops have a limited selection of both shoes and sizes so the comparison is terrible in most cases.

If anyone knows of a shop with good supply, I am all ears, would prefer that option.

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They're pricy, but the 510 Kestel Boa are the widest, most comfortable and most durable shoe I've ever owned. Also the best looking. They certainly walk WAY better than any other technical shoe. One of my favorite things about the shoe is that if I pop out of the pedal in a techy situation, the bottom of the shoe gets really good purchase on the SPD pedal until I can get to a place where I can clip back in. And check out this Blister review of them.

Interestingly they also have a 12.5 size, so I guess that's a 45.5 in Euro sizing. 

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38 minutes ago, Barry said:

They're pricy, but the 510 Kestel Boa are the widest, most comfortable and most durable shoe I've ever owned. Also the best looking. They certainly walk WAY better than any other technical shoe. One of my favorite things about the shoe is that if I pop out of the pedal in a techy situation, the bottom of the shoe gets really good purchase on the SPD pedal until I can get to a place where I can clip back in. And check out this Blister review of them.

Interestingly they also have a 12.5 size, so I guess that's a 45.5 in Euro sizing. 

I have the 510 Kestel Lace and replaced the laces with Hickies (the velcro strap works well enough for tightness). The rest of what you said I would second word for word. The only con I would add is that they are not the lightest shoe out there, but I've never been one to put weight over things like durability, walkability, and toe protection. 

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Did you know your local Competitive Cyclist Gearhead (me) can get you free returns on shoes and we sell tons of Shimano and Specialized shoes all the time? Did you also know that certain Shimano and specialized shoes come in wide sizes and we stock them too?

You should chat in or call, ask for Brian.


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I just tried my first pair of flats and non clipless shoes and seriously thought i would not make it through the trail, (off Bull Creek). I guess Ive been on clipless XTR pedals prolly 20yrs plus with CX and road, just cant get used to not having my feet clipped in. I am a big fan of Shimano shoes.

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7 hours ago, Barry said:

They're pricy, but the 510 Kestel Boa are the widest, most comfortable and most durable shoe I've ever owned. Also the best looking. They certainly walk WAY better than any other technical shoe. One of my favorite things about the shoe is that if I pop out of the pedal in a techy situation, the bottom of the shoe gets really good purchase on the SPD pedal until I can get to a place where I can clip back in. And check out this Blister review of them.

Interestingly they also have a 12.5 size, so I guess that's a 45.5 in Euro sizing. 

REI carries these, might go over there and see if they have some in my size to try on

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39 minutes ago, Teamsloan said:

Did you know your local Competitive Cyclist Gearhead (me) can get you free returns on shoes and we sell tons of Shimano and Specialized shoes all the time? Did you also know that certain Shimano and specialized shoes come in wide sizes and we stock them too?

You should chat in or call, ask for Brian.


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If I go down the specialized path I will ping you. 

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1 hour ago, AntonioGG said:

What about toe box height @Teamsloan

That's my problem usually.  

I would love to be able to wear Shimano shoes b/c I think they are high quality and a good price compared to Specialized, but the toe box is not high enough.  I'm set on shoes for a couple of years, but always willing to learn.

The recon3 has an enormous toe box. Tall and square. They felt like great shoes just too boxy in the toe for my narrow feet. 

I bought a set of Shimano from the rei garage sale and they are holding me over, but are not as nice as the specialized.

 

My big problem is I have long and narrow feet, so on my old specialized pro and my current Shimano, the boa is basically full pull and I wish it could go tighter. I need to look for a something more like a running shoe where the laces cross the top of the foot. All these flaps over the top end up not being tight enough.

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I have fairly narrow feet and Spesh always seem to fit me well but I do have to cinch them down. Giros as well. I will agree that Spesh typically have a larger toe box both in width and height.

Currently riding Giro Ventannas and they fit just about perfect.


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So, @Barry and @ATXZJ, how do the 510's do in terms of wear in the cleat connection zone? Here's my current Specialized:

IMG_0689.thumb.jpeg.c0ce4edfb3a1bdd4489a26b01cec14e5.jpeg

As you can see, the Time clips dig into the plastic pretty hard over time. This is about 15 months or so, knowing that I get ~5,000 miles a year, this is probably 6-7,000 total miles. The uppers have other issues, but this groove that gets cut in ends up leafing me with too much side to side play than I prefer.

 

 

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1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

So, @Barry and @ATXZJ, how do the 510's do in terms of wear in the cleat connection zone? Here's my current Specialized:

IMG_0689.thumb.jpeg.c0ce4edfb3a1bdd4489a26b01cec14e5.jpeg

As you can see, the Time clips dig into the plastic pretty hard over time. This is about 15 months or so, knowing that I get ~5,000 miles a year, this is probably 6-7,000 total miles. The uppers have other issues, but this groove that gets cut in ends up leafing me with too much side to side play than I prefer.

 

 

@Barry is going to be the one to answer your question on this. My spd specific 5tens see a fraction of the miles you guys put in.

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26 minutes ago, Taco Man said:

Just breaking in my 4th pair of Pearl Izumi X-Alp shoes.  

Sole like a hiking boot so when you have to walk its easier on the rocks and feet

I average >2000 miles on these shoes

I've had a few pairs of these as well over the years. I'm sure they've only gotten better. Right up there with the 510 Kestrels for me.

I had one pair of Giro's that the sole separated from the shoe mid ride. It's really hard to unclip when the sole is flopping. Caused me a low speed fall. Luckily, I had some Gorilla Tape to get me home. I read that this was a common problem with all Giro models due to the glue they use. Maybe they've fixed it since then, but I'm not going to risk it. Giro helmets are great, but I'll stick to PI or 510 for shoes.

9DDF3627-B23D-4CEB-9AF2-95234DB6A452_1_105_c.thumb.jpeg.d5dd90679fe064cdf810276f9be7879d.jpeg

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6 minutes ago, notyal said:

I had one pair of Giro's that the sole separated from the shoe mid ride. 

 

The one pair of Giros I owned the bottom was so hard (like a road shoe) I couldnt walk on any obstacle for fear of slipping.  Final straw was after bending a rotor on Rock Garden of Greatness and having to walk out the blisters were awful.

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12 hours ago, Teamsloan said:

I have fairly narrow feet

Not to slightly tangentially hijack the thread but... What do you recommend for narrow feet, flat pedals (non-spd) and preferably with BOA or quicklace?

I've been looking at the following but I can't find much information on their width. 

  • Crank Bro Stamp BOA
  • Crank Bro Stamp Speedlace
  • Scott Volt Sport BOA
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