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.
I have a pair of the Impact VXi’s now. They have done a really good job of reducing weight without reducing support.
Specifically, these shoes still have the durable midsole support of Karvers and previous Impact shoes. Combined with the sole profile I think this contributes as much or more to ankle stability as having a high top.
I agree the toe box is slightly bigger, and it has better toe protection. Anyone with higher arches will like the arch support.
Note that even though the insoles are the same length, it seems like they fit about 1/4 size shorter than the Karvers or other Impacts, perhaps because of the rubber toe protection.
The outer material is really, really good for shedding mud and they dry WAY more quickly than the previous impacts or Karvers. Note that the shoes are fairly warm - 5.10 prioritized mud shedding over breathability.
They don’t have high inside ankle protection like the Karvers or Impact Highs. But I would say the ankle stability is about the same, comparing the Karvers to these shoes. Impact High shoes have the most ankle support, albeit at more weight.
I have been about to buy these for about a year now, kind of waiting for my current free riders to wear out. Thats a good price, maybe I’ll buy a set too.
Freerider VXi 2014 - is a crap for such a high price (I’ve bought it on Chainreactioncycles). Only 2 months of trial, DHi, street and touring.
Impact 2 are much tougher!
I use a pair of ROC leather upper, hard rubber sole shoes I bought in an Op shop for $4. I bought two pairs at the same time before I took up unicycling. I didn’t realise at the time but they are clearly designed for cycling.
The hard soles tolerate the Odyssey pedal pins reasonably well though when I looked today I was surprised how much they have worn over time. I can’t image how a soft sole would survive even a few rides on pins.
There is almost no feel of the pedal. I can only feel the ridge near the crank side. It doesn’t much matter because the rigid soles become an extension of the pedal face no matter where they are located. I can pretty much ride with them anywhere until the going gets tough.
I have developed a technique to progressively walk the sole across the face of the pedal as I ride when necessary. The hard soles only need to engage with with a couple of pins to work so it is easy to ride with just one side of the sole engaged while I rotate my foot to a better position. Repeating this action allows me to move anywhere I want on the pedal even when heavily loaded.
The soles are slightly wider than the uppers. If I am too close to the crank they keep the uppers far enough away to stop any damage to the uppers. However this became a non-issue when changed the original Torker cranks to slightly offset Nimbus cranks.
The wide soles resist turning my ankle during UPDs despite relatively low ankle support.
I have since added sport insoles as better cushioning.
Bottom line: 5 10 company=Good, Chain reaction cycles = you be judge
Had 5-10 Impact Hi’s for 5 years and they were still going strong but I decided to treat myself with new ones. Bought new ones in March from Chain Reaction Cycles. Used them about 5 times over 30 days and the layers around the toe began to separate on one shoe. Just by twisting the shoe I could see it separate more.
I mailed back to Chain Reaction and asked for replacement. They called me a week later (now about 45 days from purchase) and said the separation was due to “wear and tear” and they would send them back to me. I said this is Bull Shit, they are new shoes coming apart and my old ones still haven’t separated like this. It is a clear defect! Actually, the guy that called me said he had not seen the shoes he was just the person that calls people.
Well, after a heated discussion they agreed to mail them to 5-10 for repair and the repair would take 6-8 weeks. They thought the 6-8 weeks would discourage me but I still had my “old reliables” in the closet.
3 weeks later I received a new pair of shoes from 5-10. Thanks, 5-10
I just ordered a new pair directly from five ten for only $39! Since they’re discontinued they are apparently blowing them out at a deep discount. Not many sizes left, but I got lucky with 10.5!
If looking for other sizes, check out backcountry.com… Not quite as cheap but I was able to get a 12 and Karvers sure beat the crap out of skate shoes.
I just got my first pair of 5-10 Impact Lows from zappos.com a few weeks ago. Previously, I was riding distance and easy muni in my run-of-the-mill New Balance running shoes. Now I’ve ridden about 5 miles of snow muni on my 26er and 11 miles of paved paths on my 36er. I really like how the Impacts feel on the pedals. They feel much more stable than my old shoes. With muni I’ve felt myself going into my normal “bailout mode” when I hit a bump wrong, but then realize my feet are still firmly on the pedals, and I can recover without UPD. It’s pretty fantastic.
I’m still figuring out how to shift the G36. My “pivot forefoot on the pedal and hit the button with the heel” method doesn’t work with the new gripiness, so I’m working on the “smear the ankle protector on the button” method, which seems doable. I was able to shift up and down reasonably effectively by the end of my 11 mile ride.
I was worried about the shoe width. I get the “wide” version of New Balance and Asics shoes, but 5-10 doesn’t make wides. I haven’t had any irritation after a few hours of use, which is a pleasant surprise.
Bottom line: Having dedicated uni/muni shoes is a good thing. I’m glad I’ve got 'em.
I received my high impacts last week. Got them from Amazon for 59 dollars delivered to my door. WOW, these things are great. It’s like having your feet glued to the pedals.
Re shifting - have you tried picking your foot up very slightly off the pedals, to enable a heel shift? That is generally how I do it and it works OK with a bit of practice.
It is a pleasure to hear from the master. Thanks, Kris. Lifting the foot off the pedal would certainly solve the grippy issues, and give me a clear swing at the shifting button. As a level 2 rider, I try to keep both feet firmly ON the pedals, but I can see how exercising my courage and doing the brief foot lift would make shifting more consistent. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Think I’ll master this before the next generation of geared hubs ships?
Very old skool shoe here (I know this is an old resurrection!) - but after a short ride in this lucky find - I can certainly say the Five Ten Karver is now a firm favourite.
Such a snug and foot supporting design. I had previously worried this kind of shoe might make rolling your ankle more likely, but from my feel of using these it feels planted on the pedal and lands on the ground in a secure kind of way.
I can certainly see also why these have had good reviews from the shifting angle for Schlumpfs so I am keen to start using them for that purpose.
It’s great when such an old item turns up on eBay in your size and hardly used for £35 (seems like it was worn perhaps for max 10 miles!)
