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AustinBike

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3 hours ago, AustinBike said:

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

I don't find any significant damage in that area after about 7500 miles:

image.thumb.png.e411966bb5a81b9f78dee32d5a27f536.png

In fact the shoe looks spectacular for having 7500 miles that are 80+% trail: 

image.png.6957daa78d8fb7f00ae27eb33b4fa336.png

But that's the left shoe. The right shoe has two issues, but both are caused by operator error. First, I do a lot of different post ride hang-outs, and I don't always have a chair with me. I found that I was in the habit of sitting on the heel of my right shoe, with my foot on the tip-toe position. Over time, this caused the sole of the shoe to crack under my toes. It wasn't really a functional problem, and I would have continued using the shoes for who knows how long if issue #2 didn't occur. I had a nothing of a slide out-crash at WC last week, and at the time I thought I had just broken my Boa. Well it turns out I actually cracked the Boa cradle, which is bonded to the shoe. So I guess since that shoe has 2 issues that I caused, it's done for. Well enough, I only paid 0.026 cents per mile for them. My next pair arrives today, and I have a spare left shoe. 

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21 minutes ago, Taco Man said:

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.

Right! I almost forgot about how much I hated walking in those shoes. The soles were hard plastic and very slippery if there was any moisture. 

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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

Not exactly XC light and a bit warmer but I’ve been wearing Shimano enduro style ME-7’s for a few years for this reason. Too many slips and ankle twists on 20 years of Sidi Dominators. Mine have a easy to walk in Michelin sole and there’s a neoprene cuff that keeps 100 % of all dirt/gravel from getting in the shoe.

https://www.rei.com/product/178866/shimano-me7-mountain-bike-shoes-mens?CAWELAID=120217890010683257&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=104474362029&CATCI=pla-580970790450&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1788660001%7C92700056047375725%7CNB%7C71700000066356832&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7MGJBhD-ARIsAMZ0eeufSDuJtTIj25liT1erJCuHbqUGxul8jhncysUaGYnJcBSYNn0-frwaAqO-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

There’s a lower cuff boa version the me5 I think.


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Bit of a rant here, but what happened to plain old velcro straps for bike shoes? Everything is BOA or a ratchet these days. Velcro straps are lighter, simpler, and can't break if smashed on a rock. Or there are laces that can get caught up in the drivetrain. A lot of times on lace shoes, it seems like they add a velcro strap to secure the laces as much as any sort of retention purposes. 

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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

I’d look at the FiveTen Trailcross XT or LT
-slightly narrower than the free riders I’ve heard

Not sure about the Crank bros fit, but they get slammed for being slippery compared to fivetens.

Not at all familiar with the Scott shoes you mentioned but in general, Scott shoes are known for being a bit narrower than average.


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4 hours ago, Taco Man said:

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.

If you bend a rotor take it off. You can ride back with only one brake rotor, way better than walking.

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4 hours ago, Barry said:

 

My next pair arrives today, and I have a spare left shoe. 

I thought I was really smart by holding onto the individual remaining pedal when I break one. "One day I'll have a spare!" I have almost consistently broke only one side. I have like 3 pair of left-only pedals. 

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2 hours ago, notyal said:

Bit of a rant here, but what happened to plain old velcro straps for bike shoes? Everything is BOA or a ratchet these days. Velcro straps are lighter, simpler, and can't break if smashed on a rock. Or there are laces that can get caught up in the drivetrain. A lot of times on lace shoes, it seems like they add a velcro strap to secure the laces as much as any sort of retention purposes. 

Hey you kids, get off of my lawn!!!

Oh, yeah, I hate the BOA as well. 

So you damn kids get off my lawn too!!!

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3 hours ago, Chongo Loco said:


Not exactly XC light and a bit warmer but I’ve been wearing Shimano enduro style ME-7’s for a few years for this reason. Too many slips and ankle twists on 20 years of Sidi Dominators. Mine have a easy to walk in Michelin sole and there’s a neoprene cuff that keeps 100 % of all dirt/gravel from getting in the shoe.

There’s a lower cuff boa version the me5 I think.


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ME5 is what I picked up as a stop gap shoe when my specialized would not take any more shoeGlu. They are thicker and warmer for sure, not a thin, barely there shoe. They walk REALLY well, super comfortable in that regard. But maybe not as stiff as I would like. I'll keep them as backup for sure, will keep looking for the right all the time shoe.

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28 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

If you bend a rotor take it off. You can ride back with only one brake rotor, way better than walking.

While I like how clean looking and easy to install the lock-ring rotors are, this is the only drawback...I definitely don't have a lock-ring tool in my pack. Still, I think I'd remove the caliper and zip-tie it up out of the way in this scenario. Surely I could bend the rotor back enough to not hit the frame. 

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12 hours 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:

 

I'm not them, but I run Time pedals with 5-10 Kestrels so I'll chime in 🙂 High level review, they're my favorite shoes I've owned so far. 

These are close to two years old, so 2-4k miles? I don't track stuff as closely as Barry (and I don't ride as much either😉)

PXL_20210902_231143059.thumb.jpg.14ed7c38cf3311b353d2e00e6a1af98f.jpg

They did spend about half their life with these little Crank Brothers cleat shims installed. When I first got the shoes, they were pretty tight on my (brand new) pedals, and a little tricky to unclip. Installing the shims got things back to "normal" and also helped prevent wear on the shoe itself. I removed them early this year to tighten clip/unclip action back up as my pedals wore in, and I've been happy with that too. I'd say it's worth buying a pair and seeing if you like them!

PXL_20210902_231157112.thumb.jpg.8afd903e95281219c8d894c7b130a0cd.jpg

The only thing I'd gripe about the shoes is the BOA placement. Having them on the side of the shoe makes them fairly susceptible to rock strikes. I've knocked one of each side off, but the replacement program is great (and free!). And on trail it's not that big of an emergency as long as the "lace" stays intact, which it has both times I've killed them. This one happened in the middle of a ~30mile ride out in Colorado. Grabbed a stick and twisted till it was tight. Got me home no problem!

PXL_20201024_194007575.thumb.jpg.62e4c927770a7d60b825c06af52286aa.jpg

 

Edited by schoolie
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23 hours ago, notyal said:

Bit of a rant here, but what happened to plain old velcro straps for bike shoes? Everything is BOA or a ratchet these days. Velcro straps are lighter, simpler, and can't break if smashed on a rock. Or there are laces that can get caught up in the drivetrain. A lot of times on lace shoes, it seems like they add a velcro strap to secure the laces as much as any sort of retention purposes. 

I just use bungee cord laces:

https://yankz.com/product/black-w-black/

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That is actually a smart move, feet don't grow after a certain age.

I went to REI on Friday and there was basically only one shoe that I would even consider. So I ordered the Kestrels from Amazon, should be here this afternoon. Would have preferred to buy from a local shop but it looks like supply chains are tight on shoes these days.

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11 hours ago, Morealice said:

I found 3 pairs of my favorite, now-out-of-production shoe online last night and bought them all.  Should be good for 5-6yrs! I was so stoked. I was ready to buy the ugly ass colors too, but they all had black. 

Optimist eh?

At my age I don't even buy green bananas.

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