I’ve read a bunch of threads re guys loving their Five Ten mids for uni. The V2 mids are not so easy to get a hold of in Australia, but Lows and the Nathan Rennie Hi top are available - neither are cheap here e.g. http://www.vicmtb.com.au/store/softgoods/index.php
The Low’s don’t offer much ankle protection, but are many guys using them? And does anyone own a pair of the Nathan Rennie Hi tops?
It’s a bummer more shoes don’t include a velcro fastened tongue that covers/contains the laces. I have an old pair of Look MTB spd shoes that have that type of arrangement, works great.
I ride lows I like them but I don’t like that they don’t have any lace protection. If I could combine my Shimano shoes and my five tens it would be amazing.
I was quite disappointed when my new FiveTens arrived and just had plain old shoelaces on them. This did not match the pictures on their web site, which imply that there is something other than a knot required to lace them. At some point I’ll find some non-tying laces for replacements. For the moment I’m double-knotting the crap out of them…
As for “ankle protection” it must be remembered that this applies to scrapes/abrasions, not to twistage/breakage. High-tops don’t do a thing to protect your ankle joint.
In my case, I never had much problem with banging up my ankles after my early years of unicycling, so I got the Lows. I was never into high-tops. But if you prefer the coverage, go ahead and get the Mids. If you want real ankle protection, look into Active Ankles or some other product that will protect the ankle joint.
Have you tried Yankz! shoelaces? Lots of triathletes use them for their running shoes to make transitions faster so it has to work reasonably well at keeping your foot secure, and no loose laces or adjustment needed after initial fitting.
Quote:“It’s a bummer more shoes don’t include a velcro fastened tongue that covers/contains the laces. I have an old pair of Look MTB spd shoes that have that type of arrangement, works great.”
Converse “Mavericks” are a mid height shoe that offer basic ankle protection for scrapes, bumps etc. (as John mentioned) and also have the top velcro strap.
+1. The grip is amazing. I had to remove pins from my pedals just so I had a chance of adjusting my foot position! And the soles are stiff enough to help with pedaling, but not so stiff that they’re hard to hike in when needed.
I like the ankle protection of the mids, but if there were a big price advantage to using lows, I’d be just as happy with them.
If you are looking for non-tying laces you could try any of the North Face shoes with the Boa lacing system, such as this pair: http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=AX3V&language=en
My friend has a pair and loves the shoes, but she doesn’t unicycle. They have a wire where the laces belong that goes around to the back of the shoe where a wheel tightens them up.
Thanks for the lace suggestions, keep 'em coming! In my case, I already have the shoes so am just looking for some non-dangling laces. +2 on the grippy bottoms, I’m still getting used to how to reposition my feet on the pedals. This is probably both a factor of the grippy rubber and the stiff sole, which I’m not accustomed to.
If the five tens are not available or too expensive, I have had great success with a mid rise basketball shoe from New Balance. I think it is the 888 model, which is no longer available - but they still have similar shoes. The tread is very flat - which makes them super grippy. I alway skin my bulging ankles on the crank and the mid rise protects me from that. The sole isn’t too wide. I noticed that some of the New Balance basketball shoes on their web site even have a velcro shoelace keeper strap. http://www.newbalance.com/
On another note, I have been thinking of trying wrestling shoes. Very narrow soles (for precise foot placement), no tread = high stick, mid rise to protect ankles, shoelace keepers. On the negative side, the soles may be too flexy. Does anyone have any experience with using wrestling shoes on a uni?
On my muni ride today, I took the long, dangly lace loops left after the double-tying and tucked them under the laces where they crossed two up from the bottom (this is much harder to describe than to do). I got the idea from looking at my Keen sandals, which have a stretchy elastic lace system that hooks onto the laces down by the toe of the shoe. It worked really well, and relieved the anxiety I sometimes feel about those long laces.
and the mid rise protects me from that. The sole isn’t too wide. I noticed that some of the New Balance basketball shoes on their web site even have a velcro shoelace keeper strap.