Ive read a lot about people using vans for street, flatland, and trials riding;but I was wondering if anyone uses them for Muni. For concreate riding I have heard that they grip well , but To me it seems like the tread would get caked up with mud and dirt easily whenever you dismount offroad.
I don’t know about vans specifically, but my experience with skate shoes is that the soles don’t last long with muni pedals. I had some Nike 6.0 Mogans that I liked a lot for practicing freestyle, but they only lasted a few weeks after I started riding muni regularly. The pins left deep grooves in the bottom until eventually the grip was really uneven. The tread pattern just isn’t strong enough. 5-10s hold up a lot better.
I like Vans personally, I wore them a lot when i started riding my MUni, they’re quite comfortable. i used plastic pedals on my MUni for the longest time, for cost reasons, they were amazing for that. BUT. when i upgraded to metal platform pedals down the road, they wore down the soles mighty fast. i now wear 5-10’s.
Vans now makes a bike specific shoe! i have been using them and they are great!!
better than the tevas?
I have some Vans Gravel (the bike specific shoes) which I use for muni when it’s dry (hence I haven’t used them for about 12 months 
) Haven’t used Tevas or 5-10s to compare, but I do prefer them to my AM41s which I’ve mostly been wearing recently - stiffer soles than on those, and I like the cushioning in the heel for when I UPD. The main downside is poor grip in muddy conditions, but then that’s the case for most shoes designed for use with flat pedals (AM41s are a bit better, though I’ve used flattish off-road running shoes when I needed good grip for walking).
I was using vans, then the hightop vans. They were OK, but didn’t stand up to the elements great. I also found them not supportive enough or protective enough against rocks and the like.
I got a pair of five-ten impact Highs and they are fantastic for muni. They really stick to the pedals and offer protection and support. I haven’t tried them in the summer though–I suspect they will be too hot.
I wear Vans. Being a novice, I found that too much grip on the pedals was making it hard to adjust my feet after mounting. So I got some Vans and peg-free pedals and it helped a lot with that problem. Like others have said, my current setup isn’t great in wet, muddy conditions, but it’s worth at this point as I’m trying to improve my riding.
Let me ride them for a few more weeks and ill tell ya 
I’ve had about 3-4 pairs of Vans for Muni, and there’s really only one style that I like which has the added protection around the ankle and the toes.
It’s not the dirt/mud that gets caked up but I find the tread becomes smooth quicker than I like. They do grip on the pedal pins pretty well when new. I had one serious ankle sprain when my foot slid on a smooth rock and the shoe tread was just about gone so I had no grip.
Okay, I like Vans for riding but now hearing here about the Vans Gravel I am wondering if the Gravel are better than regular Vans and if so can you tell what the difference is between the two. Do they just provide better durability or are there more perks riding with Van Gravels vs. regular Vans.
Reason I’m asking is my old Vans are getting worn and I’m about to purchase a new pair, so if the Gravels are better I’ll think about dropping the extra $$. If there isn’t much different I will stick with regular Vans.
I ride with 5 10s now and I do like the support around the ankle but I’m not a huge fan of the sole just too thick for my comfort.
The gravels are what im riding, they have a stiffer sole than regular ones and the tread is sticker they are deffinatly worth the extra money
Thanks Wes
any time, i have been wearing them as street shoes and they are assume for that also 
so far so good, they dont have as good as grip as 5-10s but bit better than teva
I also like my Gravels for general use (better for running than most skate shoes) - have to remind myself that they’re expensive bike shoes and should be saved for that rather than wearing them out.
Yes the soles on the 5-10s are thick, but I don’t mind with muni at all. I have twisted pedals.
I wouldnt use them for freestyle tricks or trials though that would be overkill. For that I do use vans.