Whew! I'm back.
Sorry Tom(b). Couldn't get you the KH gloves for Christmas. The
longshormen elves got backloged and the shipment from Santa's shop
didn't make it in time.
Tom(b) linked to some past threads that covered things pretty well.
I haven't tried the 'Lake freeride shoe'
(http://www.lakecycling.com/freeride.html). They look like they'd be
good. If you go to the Lack Cycling web page for the shoe and click on
the link to enlarge the photo you can see the tread pattern. It looks
like it would give good grip, but maybe not as good as the Vans Off The
Wall waffle sole or the 661 wavey sole. Someone is going to have to try
the Lake shoes and report back on how well they work. The Lake shoe is
more purpose built for biking than the Vans.
The 661 Dually has great grip and is a nice shoe for muni. However, the
sole is a bit soft so I have to use a stiffer sports sole insert with it
or else drops hurt my feet. I got Dr. Scholl's Advantage Sport insoles
which are something like $15.
Vans are also nice. It's hard to name specific Vans shoes because Van's
changes their styles every year and shoes that were available last year
or the year before are no longer available. I took a quick tour of the
Vans web site and DansComp. It looks like current shoes that have the
right sole are the Rowley XL2, Greco 2, Escobar, Bucky Lasek, and the
Estilo. The low top Dr. T shoe may also be good. It has a modified Off
The Wall waffle sole that looks like it will still grip well. There are
probably some others, on the Vans site that I missed.
The XL2 is a lighter weight shoe. The uppers have more fabric (less
leather or faux leather) and may not hold up as well to muni use.
The Escobar has a loafer kind of style. The picture at DansComp doesn't
make it obvious. But if you go to the Vans web site and look at them in
all brown you'll see that they look very loafer like. Not your normal
skate shoe style.
They also have a high top version of the Dr. T. I don't think the high
top would be good for muni because it would interfere with proper ankle
movement while pedaling. It does cover the ankles and might be good for
trials.
If you find a pair of Vans shoes that you like, I would suggest buying
at least one extra pair of the same shoe. Vans changes their shoes so
often that you may not be able to get the same shoe next year. I have a
couple pairs of Vans in reserve just in case.
Vans needs to make a shoe designed for freeride biking. I think it
would be popular for the BMXers, freeride bike riders, and muni riders.
Something with ankle padding and reinforcements over the toes and other
high wear areas. Some sort of lace management to keep the laces out of
the cranks and pedals would be nice too.
--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo
john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
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