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What's important in a trials shoe?


Greetings

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Need help choosing some new shoes. Been riding in Ribo Lite's for the past years and I really don't like them. They offer little support and feel a bit flimsy perhaps due to their age and wear. 

The main reason I want to replace them is this:

8Sx97SI.png 0JLWCtT.png

They seem to be bending strangely but I'm not sure whether this is related to shoes or technique? I have problems with my ankles and this could just be the body compensating for it. My feet are also really tired and sore after a few hours of riding.

Should a trials shoe be stiff or not?

 

Secondly the sole. Which of these is better? The first one is a direct fit with most caged pedals which are spaced to match.

zap_ribo_racing_red.055.jpg

Zapatillas-Ribo-Legend-Pro_88.jpg

 

If the second sole is good, I was thinking about these shoes. Any experience with these on the forums? They're kind of expensive but at least they look like shoes, not hoofs. 

fg-trial-shoes.jpg

 

I know a lot of riders are recommending Addidas Terrex Solo's, also considering those but more as a last resort.

 

 

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your shoes do look excessively flexy. I'm not a huge fan of super flexy soles, I think they can feel good on the pedal but I get the fear if I have to jump off the bike. 

On the flip side, too stiff and it takes away the feel from the pedals and I don't feel connected to the bike properly.

Can't say I'm a fan of any of the looks of those shoes you've posted but I used to ride Ribos with the same sole pattern as your first example...never again! Nowhere near the grip offered by other sole types (mainly the hard compound).

If you go with something that has a stealth style rubber sole then the pattern doesn't matter so much and you'll be amazed by the level of grip not just on the pedals but if you ever need to take a dab on rocks too.

I'm obviously gonna recommend Five Tens, the Danny Mac models are actually the nicest I've used for trials, not too stiff, not too flexible and amazing grip (plus they look like normal shoes too)

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1 hour ago, Ali C said:

recommend Five Tens, the Danny Mac models are actually the nicest I've used for trials, not too stiff, not too flexible and amazing grip (plus they look like normal shoes too)

and wear down in half a year or less. They are good shoes though when it comes to performance.

@Greetings Just don't get the orange ones. They are very expensive and fall apart in a couple of rides. I've seen it happen to a friend of mine.

Edited by niconj
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Thanks Ali, that's some very helpful insight! 

So.. Ribo's look like hoofs, FG's fall apart, Jitsie aren't very good apparently and Five Tens are not quite my cup of tea when it comes to looks. 

This is probably my  last trials shoe purchase and I want to make it right.

That leaves the cheapest and quickest option which is the Terrex. Lots of people have recommended these. Going to pop down to a shop and take a look.

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25 minutes ago, Greetings said:

That leaves the cheapest and quickest option which is the Terrex. Lots of people have recommended these. Going to pop down to a shop and take a look.

Cheapest? The Terrex are pretty narrow compared to the Five Tens but offer the same sole so they are pretty decent. You may have a look at Shimano SH-AM7. The same guy who's FGs fell apart recommended these. He's running caged pedals if that's of importance (and a way better rider than I am).

Edited by niconj
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6 hours ago, Ali C said:

I'm obviously gonna recommend Five Tens, the Danny Mac models are actually the nicest I've used for trials, not too stiff, not too flexible and amazing grip (plus they look like normal shoes too)

I have Five Tens that I use for trials and mountain biking. They have the small size raised circle treads which I find lock in too much with the pins on flat pedals. That's not too bad on the trials bike. But for mountain biking on really technical rocky terrain I sometimes don't get my foot back on the pedal in the right spot, and then can't adjust.

Might pick up a pair of these 5 10's for the mountain bike, the tread pattern seem better suited: 

http://www.fiveten.com/us/freerider-contact-split-black

Local bike shops here (Canada) don't stock the Danny Macs, no surprise.

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18 hours ago, DeersSlayer said:

Local bike shops here (Canada) don't stock the Danny Macs, no surprise.

Get them from MEC.

Loving my Danny Mac five tens, going to buy another pair when I'm done with these (I got them when they just came out).

Just because it says "stealth" it doesn't mean that the rubber is the same. You can check out all the five ten compounds here:

http://www.fiveten.com/explore/technology/bike/

Its basically the same crap where continental doesn't distinguish between their different blends of black chili...

Davos is the worst sole ever (I have no idea how they were so popular in the early 2000s) I had some vibram ribos and liked them, then had them resoled twice with five ten rubber. The uppers lasted me a while!

Edited by aliao
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Thought I'd share some preliminary observations regarding the Terrex Swift. 

They're f**king brilliant. They've made more of a difference to my riding than replacing half my bike last year due to wear and play. 

They grip much better than Ribos and it's fairly easy to readjust the foot position. They're also much much harder, thus feeling more secure on the bike. This is the opposite to what Ali wrote but I guess that's because the reference point is a worn flexy pair of shoes.

Most importantly when preloading I can completely relax my calfs without fear that my feet will fall off the pedals. Getting much more power down. I can also play with different foot positioning, something that wasn't possible with worn shoes. 

leiY4X4.png

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I'm amazed people still use the narrow caged pedals in general. 510 dirt bag or sleuth are grippy and can look good are pretty cheap and feel pedals. The Danny Mac offer more protection but feel like pieces of wood. No pedal feel very stiff but still grab apparently. Go grab a bunch of shoes and try and push your thumb into the sole if you like pedal feel. Sticky sole will grip, it's different than feeling your pedals. 

Screenshot_20170702-215419.png

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1 hour ago, trialsinfrank said:

I'm amazed people still use the narrow caged pedals in general. 510 dirt bag or sleuth are grippy and can look good are pretty cheap and feel pedals. The Danny Mac offer more protection but feel like pieces of wood. No pedal feel very stiff but still grab apparently. Go grab a bunch of shoes and try and push your thumb into the sole if you like pedal feel. Sticky sole will grip, it's different than feeling your pedals. 

I have the Sleuth and the marathon sole doesn't grip as much as the S1.

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3 hours ago, trialsinfrank said:

Guess you didn't see the pic ^^^^^^More to grip than just the stickiness of the rubber. Pedal design comes into play how your sole conforms to the pedals. All of it. 

If the Sleuth slip earlier on a pedal than the Freerider, than they aren't as good. No matter the pedal design and whatnot. 

The picture shown above is only possible with holes in the sole. I had that happen to all of my 5/10s and it sucks. It happened a couple of times that I wanted to take off my foot in a sidewards motion and couldn't because it got stuck on a pedal pin. This is usually an indicator for me to get new shoes.

These are my Freeriders with S1 sole after about 1/2 - 3/4 of a years use. During winter I was riding other shoes.

IMG_20170704_071551.thumb.jpg.0d65d53f0da1f8234a32d0f99e8d152b.jpg

Edited by niconj
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1 hour ago, trialsinfrank said:

That was a brand new shoe. Click the picture and look at it. That's why I posted it and took a picture in the first place a year ago. So when some guy wanted to talk pedal grip i pull this out. 

Be it as it may, 5/10s grip very well, but don't last shit.

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