Word on the street (actually, the word from 5.10 staff at last Summer’s Outdoor Retailer) is that Karvers are being discontinued.
I first noticed something was up when my LBS (Go-Ride.com) started clearing them out early in the Summer. Of course they were out of my size by the time I discovered the sale, but when I asked if they would be getting any more in, they said “probably not.”
I think the entire Muni/Guni/Uni community needs to let Five Ten know they are NOT happy with this decision to discontinue the Karver.
As it turns out, Backcountry.com has a bunch of Five Ten’s other models on sale as well. From the looks of things at Backcountry.com website, Five Ten is making some major revisions to their line in 2014.
Who knows, maybe, with any luck, there will be a new, improved Karver – maybe even a “Karver Holm” model? (We can only hope.)
Well, all recent 5 10 shoes go into a completely different direction compared to the bulky Karver/Impact High. As these two shoes are pretty redundant, it’s not surprising they will discontinue one of them. It’s probably not good for our community, but as long as they still produce the Impact High we still have a good substitue. And I prefer the Impact High anyway.
When I was first deciding on which shoe to buy I read the thread and decided to go for some Five Ten Barons. I later found out they were discontinued. Now they are discontinuing the Karvers?
Moral of the story… if you like a Five Ten shoe keep it a secret. If they see favorable reviews on a message board they’ll drop the product line.
Straight from the horses’ mouth so to speak, from a conversation with Five Ten earlier today.
“The Karver will be discontinued but I’m sure you’ll love what we have to replace them.”
Don’t know what that is yet but my guess is that it will be good.
Five Ten has to make money, so like most MFGs they tweak styles and change names to freshen up the brand and maintain market appeal. The replacement shoe will probably be fine, hopefully they will slim it up a bit and stiffen the midsole. The Didier is a nice shoe, more expensive, but it offers some nice features, esp for folks who do trail work. Here’s a sale price ($75) at BC.COM, only in Men’s sz 9: http://www.backcountry.com/five-ten-diddie-schneider-shoes
BTW, if you have not had a chance to look at some of the other shoe brands, consider Teva The Links, I have had great durability and performance from my pair. If you are wanting to “do your own thing”, take a look at the shoes I had made using a clipless shoe as a base, Pearl Izumi X Alp with Vibram sole: Customized Uni Shoes
It’s the best shoe I have ridden for XC and muni, great hike and ride shoe, no laces, lightweight, great grip, breathable, and fast drying. It was expensive to build ($175), but well worth it
I’ve heard some people use hiking shoes for muni. As my rides get longer, I find myself regretting wearing my super heavy 5.10 Karvers. Don’t get me wrong, they’re super sticky and give me confidence while I ride, but since we do a lot of hiking during our rides, these shoes start feeling too bulky.
So where can I find a hiking/trail running shoe that is also as sticky as my 5.10s? Has anyone tried the 5.10 Domes? They use the Stealth material for the sole, but it’s not a flat sole. Not sure if that would make riding more difficult. What are the disadvantages of riding with a non-flat sole, like the one pictured below?
I’ll post up my review I put on zappos for the impact highs
“I am a mountain unicyclist, so pedal traction is extremely important to me. These shoes are amazing. They stick right to my pedals in an instant. The sole is really nice and stiff, which prevents foot fatique and reduces injuries through the arch. The high sides prevent most ankle-roll situations, but it can still happen, its not an ankle brace. The high sides also protect from ankle strikes on cranks, rocks, etc. These shoes sinch up nice and tight, are very comfortable, and have a nice slot on the side where you can tuck your laces away so they don’t get caught in anything. The shoes don’t breathe the best, but it’s a sacrifice for a really durable riding shoe that is comfortable, protective, and extremely grippy. If there was a choice, I would opt to get them in a lighter color to reduce heat, but we’re stuck with black. If my current pair wore out, I would buy another in a second. I have flat feet, with custom carbon fiber shoe inserts on top of the standard inserts that raise my foot slightly in the heel and arch area. My foot measures 11, with a “average” width, and I wear a size 11 in this shoe. I tried a half size up and below, which were both incorrect. So for me, the sizing of these shoes is right. I recommend inserting your own arch support, but I always recommend this for every shoe.”
With a non-flat sole your pedal tends to get into the curve of the sole if you are riding mid-sole. For me it is uncomfortable, so I needed to concentrate more on riding with front of my feet over the pedal. But yes, it is possible. I did quite a number of rides with hiking shoes when I had no better shoes around, but I feel definitely more comfortable with flat soles.
Just take any regular non-flat-sole shoes you have and go out and try if it is a problem for you.
Before I discovered the FiveTen Skarvers I used to mostly ride in approach shoes. These are basically lightweight hiking shoes that are stiff like a hiking boot but much lighter and have very grippy outsole and good tread for hiking. They are basically used to literally approach a place to go rock climbing so that often means steep, slick and very rocky terrain. The shoes I used were called the Montrail C2C (not made anymore) but there are tons of approach shoes out there that are the best of both worlds in my opinion for mountain unicyclists (like me) who often have quite a bit of hike-a-uni associated with their daily rides. Just Google “Approach Shoe” to get a list of all the latest stuff.
I live on top of a plateau so any serious riding I do drops off the plateau on very technical trails that basically meander around the plateau. However, at some point you’ve got to climb back up to the plateau which is not possible on a MUni and most can’t even make it back up riding a mountain bike! Very rough and steep stuff. So an approach shoe over a dedicated BMX still shoe was crucial for traction as a lot of the terrain I ride can be very slick and muddy at times and FiveTen Skarvers while they have great grip with metal pinned pedals are awful in the mud!
It may seem basic, but you’re probably tying a granny knot instead of a square knot. If you go over right/right or left/left it’s a granny and sits sort of sideways. Pressure pulls it apart. Reverse (right/leftr or left/right) for a square knot that actually tightens with pressure.
That was posted back in 2011 but yes, it turned out to be true, I had been tying granny knots up until about a year ago. I found out my father had been tying them for over 60 years on his shoes, and he is a sailor, he should have known better!
I was looking into an approach shoe, but I wasn’t sure if the rubberized toe section would be too uncomfortable. If I run out of a dismount, I’m worried my toes will get bruised. Have you experienced this?
For low top shoes, I personally like the 5.10 Aescents, and the midsole support is good.
The Exxum Guides are really comfortable for hiking and the sole and midsole support is not bad for pedals, although not as good as Karvers. The heel cup is really supportive but extends slightly out from the shoe. It is fine on Moment & Spirit cranks but (this is a guess) I wonder if it might be an issue for cranks without any outwards flare. It is really good for shifting on a geared hub.
I was looking into the Aescents too but I was worried they’d be too flimsy. But honestly I’m sure anything will feel “flimsy” compared to my Karvers.
Speaking of approach shoes, I ordered a pair of Adidas Terrex Solo Stealth approach shoes. I guess Adidas bought 5.10 (???) and incorporated the 5.10 Stealth rubber into the soles of two of their models, including this one. It arrives by mail tomorrow. Review to come. I’ll save my Karvers for the more technical rides and hopefully I can use these for longer XC rides, my commute to school, and learning trials.
Since I’m on this subject already, do you ever use low-top shoes like the Aescents for trials? If so, how do your ankles hold up? That’s my only worry about using the approach shoe for trials; either bashing my ankle on the cranks or coming down on my ankle and twisting it. I don’t have this problem with my Karvers because they’ve got that beefy heel cup and extra crank-side padding.
For trials and more serious Muni I prefer shoes with some over the ankle coverage, like Karvers. My Aescents are shoes I wear for everything including off the uni, so around town I ride with them a lot. I’d be comfortable riding XC with them, but if I was specifically going riding, I’d probably grab by Karvers.
The basic concept is to update the Impact shoe so that it is lighter, less bulky, has a slightly bigger toe box, dries more quickly, and gets the newest sticky Stealth rubber.
It will definitely be a shoe that will be of use to some riders. Unfortunately for me with changing the last, the toe box is a bit too big and the arch feels higher than my older Impacts. I have a low profile foot, and am concerned that the arch will cause discomfort at the least, but possibly blisters as well.
The good news is that according to the rep the other Impacts will be available for quite some time and they aren’t being phased out at this point. He was appreciative for the feedback on the fit of the new shoe and noted that it would be passed along.
I’m glad I just picked up a pair of Karvers a few weeks ago. My current pair of Impacts have done well over the last couple of years. They get used regularly for muni and distance unicycling as well as mountain biking. Great shoes, and it’s nice to interact with their representatives as well.
(We can only hope.)
