Teva vs Five Tens

[Catrin]

I decided to put this here since it is directly related to mountain biking.

I ride Sun Ringle ZuZu pedals on my mountain bike and currently wear a decent pair of hiking shoes. My feet stay on...most of the time. The key term in that statement is "most". I am not going to be ready, or at least not confident enough, to clip on on the trail for the foreseeable future, and my clinic instructor this weekend advised me to strongly consider getting either Teva or Five Tens. They are made for it and are very grippy, certainly more than my hiking shoes. She rides Five Tens when she is on her down hill bike. If they stay on the pedals during serious downhill riding, they will stay on for cross-country riding in the Midwest.

I've a little concern about really grippy shoes because the reason I am currently not clipping in on the trail is I don't want to have to take that extra second or so to unclip. She suggested that I might want to consider Teva shoes as an intermediate step between my hiking shoes and Five Tens as they are not quite as grippy.

Has anyone here ridden either for mountain biking? I don't have it in the budget right now, but am starting my research so I will have my mind made up which way to jump when I've enough set aside.

Currently I am considering the Teva Freeride and the Five Ten Karver although I am open to other suggested models in either brand.

[limewave]

Catrin--no advice. I've always ridden clipless. But I am interested in what you end up doing and how it works out for you.

I am planning on going back to flat pedals this summer for a trial period. I have serious issues with foot pain and numbness. I have tried all sorts of things: inserts, moving the cleats, different socks, different shoes, different SIZE shoes . . . and nothing helps.

I've been reading several articles lately about pro-flat pedals for mountain biking. Including this one.

I'm going to give it a shot and see if there's any improvement. I'll be looking into a new pair of shoes myself . . .

[Artista]

I wear Five Ten Chase model. These are the low cut, women's shoe. They don't stick to the pedals aggressively enough to require even close to the amount of forethought and energy that it takes to unclip. I think that they stay on the pedals far better than hiking boots but my feet still bounce around on occasion. They've never bounced OFF of the pedal, though. I personally wouldn't wear any shoe that is less sticky than Five Tens so that means that Teva would be out for me.

The other thing that I like about Five Tens is that they don't have a cut out for a cleat. The solid bottom surface provides more contact area with pedal which further helps keep my foot in place. (This applies to Tevas also.)

My feet do stick to the pedals enough to make it difficult to slide my foot to reposition it on the pedal. I have to physically lift my foot a little bit to move it.

I'll never go back to clipless on the mountain bike!

[Catrin]

Thanks to both of you. I've time to think about it - I need to get my front shifter fixed on my Jamis before anything else - thankfully it isn't an expensive fix It will be later in the season before I can get new shoes. Just thinking ahead.

Catrin--no advice. I've always ridden clipless. But I am interested in what you end up doing and how it works out for you.

I am planning on going back to flat pedals this summer for a trial period. I have serious issues with foot pain and numbness. I have tried all sorts of things: inserts, moving the cleats, different socks, different shoes, different SIZE shoes . . . and nothing helps.

I've been reading several articles lately about pro-flat pedals for mountain biking. Including this one.

I will let you know how it goes Limewave. My instructor this weekend was a retired pro downhill racer and she really likes using platforms and Five Tens. I have the idea she used them for training, don't know what she used for racing (she clipped in for the clinic)...Let me know what shoes you decide to go with.

I wear Five Ten Chase model. These are the low cut, women's shoe. They don't stick to the pedals aggressively enough to require even close to the amount of forethought and energy that it takes to unclip. I think that they stay on the pedals far better than hiking boots but my feet still bounce around on occasion. They've never bounced OFF of the pedal, though. I personally wouldn't wear any shoe that is less sticky than Five Tens so that means that Teva would be out for me.....

Thanks Artistia - I see the Chase are sold as a running/hiking shoe. Out of curiosity, have you tried any of their mtb specific models? It sounds like these work well for you though, which is very helpful. Which pedals do you use?

[Irulan]

http://forums.mtbr.com/womens-lounge...ls-790984.html

huge discussion on flats for women, what fits what foot and so on.

[Catrin]

http://forums.mtbr.com/womens-lounge...ls-790984.html

huge discussion on flats for women, what fits what foot and so on.

Ooo, I just saw this post, thanks! I will add this to my reading list! I need to get there more often.

The need for something different became apparent Saturday on our group ride. My pedals weren't even (bad Catrin), and one foot hit a rock while I was going downhill on an edge...and BOTH feet flew off the pedals while flying rather quickly downhill and going into a turn or two Somehow I handled it, didn't panic (the key), and got things back under control without riding off the edge. YES

I think different shoes would have prevented both feet from flying off though obviously something will happen on the side that strikes the rock.

[indysteel]

Hmmm; you also likely would have had been able to keep both feet on the pedals (and had level pedals) if you'd been out of the saddle in a ready/go position, which I'd suggest you arguably should have been if you were going down a rocky descent with a turn a turn or two. In the past, you've expressed some hesitation about riding out of the saddle. Did the clinic make you feel more secure with that?

[Artista]

I've heard women say that they think that the Five Tens run true to size but I had to size up a full size over what I normally wear for athletics. That equated to 1 1/2 sizes larger than I wear for everyday. My foot is a little wide but I can wear most everyday shoes in a B width. I think that you'll just have to try them on to see.

[Artista]

The Chase model is listed as a BMX shoe on the Five Ten website. The sole isn't as stiff as my Shimano MTB shoes but stiff enough to ride in. I appreciate the additional flexibility when I have to walk my bike.

I'm using these inexpensive pedals from REI. Here's a link http://www.rei.com/product/752205/we...-21-atb-pedals

[Catrin]

The Chase model is listed as a BMX shoe on the Five Ten website. The sole isn't as stiff as my Shimano MTB shoes but stiff enough to ride in. I appreciate the additional flexibility when I have to walk my bike.

I'm using these inexpensive pedals from REI. Here's a link http://www.rei.com/product/752205/we...-21-atb-pedals

It would be interesting to see how your Chase shoes perform with BMX pedals - my ZuZu pedals have 10 or 12 adjustable pins on each side. I had seen the Chase on another site where they were sold as running/hiking shoes. I bet they are just marketed in different ways. Anyway, thank you very much for your review of these and I will add them to the list I am considering.

Do you find Five Ten's shoe sizes run true? Did you have to go up/down in size?

[Anelia]

Even though I ride clipless and XC, I have a pair of Five Ten Karver shoes. I bought them for everyday use. They have nice grip but withot the effort to unclip. You don't need to go up or down in sizes, I think they are pretty correct (at least in the European sizes). They are comfortable for walking, too. Also they have half sizes.