Can’t help you with Intense but the SixSixOne (AXO) Dually 3/4 tops are pretty popular.
I bought a pair of leather Converse high tops to protect my ankles from the KH protrusion. I’ve done Muni, Trials, & freestyle and really like them. They retail at $40, Fred Meyer (Local Supermarket) had 20% off a while back. I’ve been meaning to write them up in Unicycle Product Reviews.
Come to practice next week, I’ll have them on.
Back on topic:
I wear padded cycling shorts under cargo-pocket style shorts for almost all riding.
Leg, arm, wrist, and head protection for Muni and Trials.
I rode all my college years in 501 Levis on a Schwinn seat.
I know about intense shoes, being a mountain b*ker first and a unicyclist second…
They are good shoes… probably the best for doing downhill or intense free riding on flat pedals. BUT to my knowledge they do not make a high top version.
Intense shoe have a rubber compound known as stealth rubber, it is super sticky. The shoe were originally designed for rock climbing so they are all about traction. Combine them with a good set of flat pedals and you’ll be sticking to the pedals like never before! They are good, but they don’t come cheap…typically you will pay around $90.
It’s an excellent deal, I just ordered a pair just yesterday…
I looked for pics of the Intense but couldn’t find any…sorry. But basically where the Intense is better than the Bugatti is that it has a flatter tread pattern, kind of like a skate boarder shoe so you have a more consistant and larger contact path where the Bugatti has some definite tread…which can get in the way where pedals are concerned. A good pair of flats with lots of pins will work fine with the Bugatti’s though.
All that being said, neither of these shoes (Intense, Bugatti) are high-top so they won’t help with protecting your ankles from the cranks on the KH mUni’s…
It’s a stange thing, some people have real problems with those cranks and others have none…I guess it’s all in your riding style. I for one have NEVER hit my ankle on the KH cranks (knock on wood)
Intense makes a 3/4 top shoe called Intense Grip Shoes. Their Team shoe is a low top.
661 makes a 3/4 top shoe called the Dually.
Both the Intense Grip and the 661 Dually would be good shoes, but they’re expensive. I don’t think you want to spend $70 to $100 for a pair of shoes. There also aren’t many shops that carry the Intense shoes or 661 shoes in stock so they usually need to be special ordered or bought off the web which makes trying them on before you buy them difficult.
BeyondBikes.com carries both the 661 Dually and the Intense Grip shoes. Go to MTN CATEGORIES >> Shoes
The Intense shoes are out of stock (probably waiting for the new 2004 models). You can see a picture of the Intense shoes on the BeyondBikes web site.
The Downhill Zone bike shop in the University District (near the University of Washington) has stocked the Intense shoes. I don’t know if they have any in stock right now, and they don’t stock the full range of sizes. But if you want to see what the shoe looks like you may be able to see them there.
Your best bet is to use your favorite low tops and get the 661 Ankle Biters from unicycle.com. The Ankle Biters add ankle protection to your regular low tops.
Go with the Ankle Biters. It’s the cheaper and most convenient solution. I use the Ankle Biters with my low top Vans for muni and they work great.
What you wear depends on how and where you ride. While learning I wore 661 leg armour because I was wracking my calves a lot. But now I ride without since my control is much better.
In general for the street, bike shorts or bike pants if cool,t- shirt or long sleeved bike jersey again if cool, always a helmet and wrist guards! I bought 661 Duelly shoes but any good flat soled high top sport shoe would do the job.
If off road is your bag, leg and arm protection is a must.
Have fun.
I’ve ridden the street in shorts shoes and t-shirt but feel much better with my wrists and head protected. Cars don’t get it with Unicycles and can do dumb stuff while watching you with their mouths open in amazment.
Generally, and assuming not too cold weather: Canari “Response” integrated riding shorts, any 'ol tank top, Harbinger elbow pads, standard volleyball kneepads worn backward over the calfs for pin protection, Nike soccer combo shin/ankle guards, some generic wrist protectors similar to the 6-6-1 wrist wraps, Bell helmet. If it’s chilly, add polypropelyne long johns underneath the shorts, and a long-sleeve mock-turtleneck on top. I have the Roach leg armor, but frankly I find the things so damn uncomfortable they impair my riding, and I think they’ll hurt me sooner than they’ll help me. Time will tell…
On a John Childs reco I just picked up a pair of Van’s “off the wall” riding shoes, in an uglier color than John would have chosen. I broke 'em in at CA Muni weekend, and they worked great. Very sticky…good pin adhesion. Nice stiff sole. I had no slips, which is a huge change from the second-hand Nike low-tops I had been using. Where I’ll probably break with John’s reco is on the ankle protection. It looks like the ankle biters are more for bashing protection than for twisting protection, and I’ve twisted mine real good recently. I’ll probably go for Active Ankles.
Hey guys, here’s a thought for you to consider on shoes. I ordered the 661 Duellys direct from 661 for $80.00 and they are great for protecting your ankles and pin grip on the pedals. BUT…I also was at DSW shoe wearhouse a couple weeks ago and bought a pair of Nike high top basket ball shoes for $40.00 that actually work better!!!
They are all black with a nice flat sole, high top, nice firm sole and the pattern on the bottom works with pins in pedals perfectly.
So, consider basket ball shoes if you need new treds for your footsies! I think I’d pass on Air Jordans though!
The 3/4 cut Dually shoes also offer no protection against twisting your ankle. They only offer ankle bashing protection. It’s the same with the Ankle Biters. If you wan’t ankle twisting protection you have to go with the Active Ankles.
My only gripe with your new Vans shoes is that they are University of Oregon green. When I first saw them I thought that you must be a duck (the U of O mascot is a duck). Yuck! I hate the ducks.
Nope, I’m a Ute, plus whatever the heck the mascot of Northeastern is…some kind of a feline I think. By the time I hit grad school I wasn’t paying attention to matters of scholastic pride any longer. Apparently they didn’t figure that out, however, since they still mail me twice a year looking for money.
well, I havnt read any of this post, and dont intent to. but when I saw the title of the thread, I saw a chance for some good ol shameless self promotion.
“Unicycle clothing, what do you wear??”
ah, until know a very hard question to answer, but with the recent release of the cool and stylish, Thedan.com Shirt (only $15, free shipping!) its an easy decision.
qouts:
“wow, ever since I got my shirt, Ive been riding twice as well!”
“Man, I dont know what I’d do with out my Thedan.com shirt, infact, I bought ten!”
so folks, the thread ends here, Thedan.com unicycle t-shirt is the only unicycle clothing you need.
this message was brought to you in part by thedan.com, the other part was my shoes, I couldnt find them so I didnt go outside, and becuase I wasnt outside I wrote this ridiculas post.
Dan, you should also post in the “Hijacked Threads” thread…it would be appropriate.
I am thinking about wallpapering my garage with The Dan tee-shirts. If I buy 250 of them, will you throw in 40 gallons of polyeurothane and a spray gun so I can shellac them to the walls? And can I get a price break on that $15? I thought they were $10 after a few beers in CA…
here is a link to a pic of the Intense shoes. not sure whether they are low, 3/4, or high top. i hear they have very good sticky, “stealth” grip and have a circular pattern on the soles…with just enough room in between the circles for the pins of metal or plastic pin pedals to fit in.
Maybe I should get a T-shirt with that picture. Another good use for it would be printing it out and scaring kids with it. “Don’t be a bad little boy or I show you the Harper picture again”
