What shoes do you wear for muni?
I’ve got a pair of flat bottomed vans that I use most of the time for my riding because they don’t catch on the pegs and they’re comfortable, but they aren’t exactly trail worthy. Anyone wear boots or something in between?
If you do a search for “muni shoes” you’ll find lots of opinions - it’s been discussed quite a bit on here.
But briefly:
5:10 Impact/Karver are popular, as are skate shoes and light walking boots. A lot depends on personal taste and how and where you ride. I use 5:10 Impacts on pinned pedals - lots of grip.
Rob
I use my 5:10 Karvers for Muni and distance. They protect the ankles quite well and they are great for shifting gears. I am very satisfied.
5.10 Impact 2 shoes have been the only shoes to last for more than 3 months for me. A bit pricey, but well worth it. I actually have over a year of riding on the current pair. For trials, (weak attempts at) street, and flat they’re too bulky for my tastes. Unfortunately the 5.10 Freeriders didn’t hold up at all.
I wear Merrell brand shoes for muni. They’re the only shoes I’ve ever purchased specifically for muni, and I’ve enjoyed them for the past year+.
The only downside I’ve had is the lack of ankle protection for shifting my Schlumpf.
I don’t know my specific model off hand, but they look close to this:
I disagree. I’ve been using my pair as primary shoes and all of my riding for the last 8 months. I intend to get a year out of them, at least.
Max, glad to hear you had better luck with the Freeriders. I blew out 3 pairs in 3 weeks. They all separated by the ball of the foot. The vulcanizing of the rubber to the upper didn’t hold. They could have used stitching. It was really disappointing as they use, hands down, my favorite sole compound.
I love the 5-10 downhill shoes. I have 2 pairs of Nathan Rennie’s and love them for Muni. I’m not sure if they’re making them, if I had to replace them right now, I would get the karvers. My first pair of Nathan Rennie’s are going on 1.5 years of use in wet weather and holding up just fine. The second pair is a back up and totally brand new 
5.10s!!! I use 5.10 Impacts for Muni and distance, they are awesome. Really stiff, really grippy and they last long.
Yep, 5.10 Impacts. I have 2 pairs, for letting one pair dry while I ride with the other pair.
Are the desert enforcers the same as the impacts, just tan instead? I’ve never been a fan of black shoes, my feet get hot enough as is.
+1
They look the same to me. Looks like three colors to me.
In black, brown, tan and what I’d get (if I were getting 5.10’s), off white.
But I like shoes w/ a heel. I wear tan shoes like these but where the heal come streight down from the sole, is long and the sole is very stiff. Mine are a bit heavy, but the best for me.
I have flat feet, as flat as they come, and bad pronation, so its tough for me to find good shoes. I wear custom orthotics, but they have to fit in the shoes, and also the shoe has to have a rigid heel cup, and I mean RIGID. Lots of people recommend shoes to me all the time, and they say “oh yeah it has a stiff heel cup” then I feel it and it’s like a piece of cardboard…
I have these 5.10 impacts and they are the best MUni shoes I have ever had. Durable, ankle protection, stiff, sticky, perfect!
plus one for impacts. Awesome grip, stiff,flat sole, protective toe area. Also good hiking shoes for rock hoping/river walking. Only con with them is that they take a good while to dry if they get soaked- but i can totally live with that. Best Muni shoe i’ve ever used.
Mark
Previously I used the Impact Mid, and now ride with Karvers. Both are the best shoes for trials and muni that I’ve ever used - awesome grip, good ankle protection, and flexible enough for sensitivity while having enough midsole support to be comfortable when landing drops. The lace cover on the Karvers is also great for eliminating the chance of getting laces wrapped in the pedals.
I agree that these shoes are also good for combo hiking/riding. For example, after riding in Mongolia last August for a couple of weeks, I did a few multi day backpacking trips in them on the same trip and they were fine for that. For extra support if you do a lot of hiking or need some arch support, switch out the insoles for some higher-end insoles such as Super Feet or Sole Custom Footbeds.
Kris
Nobody’s really commented on sole durability.
I picked up a set of pedals the other day with really long/sharp pins, and had a blast riding with them, but when I looked at my shoes later (2 pairs, both with vibram soles), they are being rapidly eaten away by the pins.
Is there a type of sole that allows the pins to penetrate, but doesn’t get ripped off/shredded by them?
This also depends on whether you want to glide.
If doing a lot of gliding, cheap BMX shoes with harder tread are good in that it doesn’t matter as much if they wear quickly.
The Stealth rubber on the 5.10’s is a fairly soft, sticky rubber. However, personally I’ve found that it wears quite well as the pedal pins penetrate into the rubber but don’t seem to crack or tear it off, and they don’t wear out from gliding unless you spend a ton of time doing that.
Kris
I’ve been a devoted 5.10 wearer for 4 years running…er, riding, lol. I started with the original 5.10 high impact, and loved those the best, but the company discontinued the original split leather version, and replaced it with http://cdn2.static.mporatrons.com/site/dirt/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/510.jpg
But they also changed the FIT! All the 5.10’s since have a narrower fit, and less height in the toe box. They don’t fit my feet as well, even after numerous stretchings and changing to thinner insoles, but they are still the best MUni shoes imo. I currently own the Karvers and smooth leather high impacts.
Guess it depends on what you want (says I with narrower feet =)
The new Smokey blue in the 2011 Karvers is nice, I think.
I haven’t personally used them, but the Spitfire looks very good for street/flatland riding.
K.
