I loved my low impacts until a stray dog came into my backyard and ran away with one while they were drying. The impacts are a fantastic shoe and seem to hold up very well to both Muni and MTB abuse.
Before Christmas I received a nice pair of Five Ten’s Diddie Schneider shoes, and thought I’d post a review. The Five Ten page for the shoes is here:
Out of the box they look like Karvers, with a few differences. They are a lot more conservative/subdued looking, which might be a plus depending on what you prefer. Tread pattern is a lot finer - less grippy for hiking but really good grip on pedal pins, and possibly more durable.
They are fully high top (similar to Impact High’s) and have a wraparound tongue, but with less bulky padding. Unlike Karvers/Impacts they have full over the toe protection, almost like steel toed shoes although a lot more comfortable.
They fit big - not big as in wide, but as in a full size larger (e.g. I fit size 9.5 in Five Ten generally, and size 10.5 in these shoes).
Ankle support is really good, and they shed water and mud like crazy - best shoes for wet weather riding I’ve used. Ankle shifting with a geared hub is super easy with these shoes. I’ve never yet ridden with them in hot weather but I suspect they’d be similar to Impact High’s or Karvers. Midsole support is excellent - good support without being too rigid. I haven’t used them long enough to say for sure but I suspect that midsole durability is at least as good as Karvers and Impacts.
Overall, I’d say these are a good option for anyone who wants a fully over-the-ankle riding shoe, especially if you want something a bit more conservative than Karvers or Impacts, and want the most toe protection you can get.
Hey Kris, I was looking at the Diddie a while back, didn’t buy them over concerns the sole was too flexy.
How does the sole flex compare to an Impact?
Do you notice the extra weight?
Having the seat higher for the ‘Links’ shoes resulted in the inconvenience that with cold weather and I switch to my high top boots, I need to lower the seat. A problem if you don’t bring the wrench to adjust.
Until the Links, my shoes had been interchangeable without needing to adjusting the seat.
They’re the first Five Ten riding-specific shoe that I’ve used that have similar mid-sole support and stiffness to the Karvers and Impact shoes. I don’t notice any difference in weight, although I haven’t weighed them.
Got a pair of impact 2 highs, and love them. Very secure on the pedals, even when wet. Very solid support and protection. Can still feel the pedal well. Very highly recommended if you are serious about riding.
About 2 years ago I bought a pair of Impact Low and a pair of Impact High. Both were magically grippy, as attested in this thread many times over. However, now after 2 years of moderate used, they seem to have degraded somehow, and have lost most of their grippiness. The soles are not worn very much, but they seem hardened. Granted they are somewhat dirty, but I have the impression that the rubber has dried out or something, and lost all its magical pedal holding ability.
Do others recognise this?
Can I treat them in some way to get my grippy soles back?
Or should I just buy new shoes?
Bil, put them into the washing machine and they get back their grip
Bil, put them into the washing machine and they will get back their grip
clean them once a month after you wash them and the grippy ness with stay
Clean soles are going to be more grippy for sure, same as rock shoes. If the rubber truly has hardened a bit, give them a (minor) sanding with coarse grit sandpaper - that should do the trick. Just to get the surface off.
Kris
Today in kansas it was slippery and wet…hard conditions…we had snow then rain. also, Kris (or anyone else) what shoes (or type) do you think are the best for trials unicycling?
Personally, my favourite riding shoes for both trials & muni are Five Ten Karvers. They are slightly hot and take a while to dry if they’re wet, but they still excel in particular for the kind of conditions you describe above.
thanks
I’ll look into getting some with my birthday money! Thank you:D
Five ten Karver wms
Hey Guys
I’m looking for great shoes for Muni. Has anyone of you tried the 5.10 Karver wms yet? Is it possible to wear them together with 661 Racebrace?
I have friends that use and like this model. One thing I like about the sole is that it seems fairly stable on your ankles when you’re running headlong and somewhat out of control down the trail after bailing forwards off your uni. Personally I’ve never used the Race Brace. It might be worth checking the fit before you get it because there’s a fair bit of padding already on the inside of the ankle, on Karvers.
Hi Carina
I have the 5-10 low impacts. Very similar to the karvers I think apart from the nice detail and colour. Lots of support and grip.
Sorry,I don’t know what the 661 racebrace is. nope, scratch that, just ggogled it. I did think it was something like KH’s shin pad so I was going to add that my KH’s fit well with my impacts and how my super grippy impacts saved me from a nasty fall last weekend. Now I see they are nothing like that 
Like Mr H, I would suggest try before you buy as my impacts are a size 6 when all my other shoes are 6.5’s and 7’s.
I like my Karvers, though I might replace them with some other model.
I got them thinking that the inside ankle padding would protect my ankles from the nose bumper on the uni, which sometimes came hammering down onto my anklebones when I UPD’d off the front. But it really only works for side impacts, so mostly the padding just runs into my cranks without protecting anything. And I wish the tread pattern was something a little more aggressive at the heel and toe, for hiking.
But other than that I like them a lot, good grip, about the right stiffness, decent toe protection, and after almost two years of pretty regular riding, the only parts that haven’t held up were the parts that got chewed by my dogs.
If you want more tread and are OK with a slightly more hiking boot - like feel, or want a crossover boot for hiking too, the Exxum Guides are a good choice.
http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/45-exum-guide-twilight
They don’t have too much cutaway in the arch (at least by hiking boot standards), and these shoes also make it really easy to shift a geared hub.
Important - these shoes and other Five Ten models with similar-looking outsoles (e.g. the big heel cup) seem to fit a full size larger than Karvers.
I have Karvers and Impact V2 Highs, love them both but the Karvers are my favorites.
Clean soles are key to keeping Stealth sticky/grippy.