So since some of you are bored, lets discuss shoes.....

Being honest it’s personal preference. I used to use Chuck Taylor’s for riding and I swear to god there’d be giant holes in the bottom of those shoes by the second week, as in useless for anything because my feet would feel the ground. Chuck Taylor’s also have some serious problems with the entire sole separating from the actual shoe, and I have MULTIPLE cases of these to the point where most of them I had do this with atleast one shoe. I’ve personally never had problems performance-wise with vans and they grip tires and pegs pretty good (believe me, the waffle cone is a proven design). Only problems I’ve had with vans is their canvas shoes typically start ripping at the sides of the shoes but this usually happens way toward the end of their life.

vans are great. i used to ride in walmart skate shoes (airspeed i think) and they were surprisingly good (and cheap!)

I ride in Vans Sk8-Hi Pros for both DH and BMX. I love the feel that the sole gives and ankle wrap.

VANS pros for me. The extra $5 for a PRO version is well worth it. Also the new BMX Pro shoes are pretty stellar as well. I usually like SK8 HIs to protect my ankles but since they hadn't done a decent colorway for the BMX pro, I have been using the old schools. I have a pair of the Perazas and the Larry Edgar's and I love em. In combination of losing 25 lbs and these shoes, my feet have never felt better.

They did finally announce a BMX PRO Sk8-Hi that is not a rider colorway, so I hope this means they will be standard soon.

I've run Vans my whole life, the Pros, one pair of SK8 HIs, and now I'm on the Kyle Walkers. Every one has lasted me at least 6 months, although the real abuse they take is on my scooter. The waffle pattern has always been my favorite, can't beat it when it comes to gripping the pedals, and like said above, their BMX-specific shoes look awesome.

My next pair will 100% still be a Vans, either Kevin Peraza's or Larry Edgar's, I'm leaning towards Larry's.

I use to ride in mid-top DVS shoes, but they stopped making shoes like that for what seems like a decade now...

My go-to shoe in the past 5, or so years has been the Nike SB High Dunk Pro's. Slim fit, high grip, durable and gives me nice ankle support. For whatever reason they're starting to become hard to find, or only come in limited edition colorways for a limited time.

Fade Footwear is a Colombian made shoe designed for BMX riding, but the only shoe I've seen available in the US is the Bone Death model. I've been waiting years for them to offer their shoe line-up to the US, but still nothing...

readybmxer wrote:

I've run Vans my whole life, the Pros, one pair of SK8 HIs, and now I'm on the Kyle Walkers. Every one has lasted me at least ...more

readybmxer wrote:

I've run Vans my whole life, the Pros, one pair of SK8 HIs, and now I'm on the Kyle Walkers. Every one has lasted me at least 6 months, although the real abuse they take is on my scooter. The waffle pattern has always been my favorite, can't beat it when it comes to gripping the pedals, and like said above, their BMX-specific shoes look awesome.

My next pair will 100% still be a Vans, either Kevin Peraza's or Larry Edgar's, I'm leaning towards Larry's.

...more

Pretty sure the Peraza's are gone. There might be some stock still out there in the wild but VANS doesn't have them listed anymore. They also changed up the insert after the Peraza's and it was an improvement.

If the Vans you are wearing aren't the Pro model, they're gonna suck for riding. You need the Pro models with the Ultracush soles and I prefer the high tops.

Been riding the vans for years , it’s time for change , they got great grip but they fucken suck when it comes to ankle protection

Vans for life, at least for riding and chilling..

Well that's interesting about the Pro model. I didn't know that was what you're supposed to get. LOL. What's the main differences?

I'm still not sold on the soul being the best gripper of pegs, but like I must be all wet cuz some many seem to like it. LOL.

Thank you guys. I'm glad I asked cuz now I'll look at the Pro models and decide if I wanna do them or the Puma's next. I did see one Flatlander guy wearing the Classic Puma's too. So I think there may be something to them. But I realize flatlanders use different pedals sometimes.

Tell those bastards to ship their bmx shoes in 14’s for once. I’d totally ride those but they stop short at 13s

I used to ride adidas until they changed up all the outsoles..i like globes honestly now

I’ve switched from Vans to OG Janoskis. Super comfy, well padded, grip the the pedals really well, and the leather laces are a nice touch.

I love Vans. I find sometimes they grip too well. Just got these a couple of weeks ago.

CHILDISHGAMBINO wrote:

I love Vans. I find sometimes they grip too well. Just got these a couple of weeks ago.

CHILDISHGAMBINO wrote:

I love Vans. I find sometimes they grip too well. Just got these a couple of weeks ago.

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I agree, sometimes I almost can't put my foot down fast enough like my Vans are glued down lol..

I recently switched from cheap wally-world shoes that seemed to handle abuse well to the relatively expensive (but way more durable and supportive) Ride Concept shoes.

They are the Wildcat shoe. I wear them at work everyday and they have been a blessing for a one armed guy more recently. I took all the shoelaces out and I am able to tighten up my shoes with just the burly velcro strap!

The soles are not too sticky and they seem to grab plastic or steel pins equally well.

I got them for 100.00 with a coupon but im sure the coupon does not exist anymore. I will buy them again when these eventually get too worn.

CHILDISHGAMBINO wrote:

I love Vans. I find sometimes they grip too well. Just got these a couple of weeks ago.

CHILDISHGAMBINO wrote:

I love Vans. I find sometimes they grip too well. Just got these a couple of weeks ago.

...more

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

I agree, sometimes I almost can't put my foot down fast enough like my Vans are glued down lol..

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

I agree, sometimes I almost can't put my foot down fast enough like my Vans are glued down lol..

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I've crashed because of it.

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

I agree, sometimes I almost can't put my foot down fast enough like my Vans are glued down lol..

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

I agree, sometimes I almost can't put my foot down fast enough like my Vans are glued down lol..

...more

I had a pair of vans that had a reverse waffle sole. I wore them riding once. Got wrecked because I was locked in tight!! Never wore them again....

Vans 112 mid pro or sk8-hi pro on the bike, RW Heritage off the bike

I've had only one pair of Sk8-Hi pro to see what the fuss what all about: they lasted me 2 months. Full of holes, sole starting to be ripped apart. Overall awful for some very expensive shoes. Not only that, but they are not
padded enough. I do lots of footjams and tailwhips and my feet were just getting destroyed with those shoes. The only good thing about those is the grip and that they are relatively lightweight.

I ride with O'Neal PINNED MTB shoes:



They are :

- Cheaper than Vans pro (like 30€ cheaper)
- Much, MUCH more resistant. I can ride those for a year before I change them,when the sole lose their grippiness. I do lots of vader slides and the side of my right sole is barely worn out. With Vans I could see bits of rubber flying everytime I did a vader slide.
- Acceptably grippy. I don't like super grippy shoes anyways, but that honeycomb pattern is quite good for grip.
- Very well padded. You don't fuck your feet up every time you hit your crank arm.

The biggest downside is that they are a bit heavy.

A downside only relevant for trickless posers is that they don't look as fashionable.

Has anyone run SCg shoes? I have been interested in trying them out.

i ride vans pros... i like the reg sole more than the BMX sole. i like when the glue hold the shoes together best thou... too many pairs have fallen apart on me.

etnies maranas cup soles are probably the best i've used but got hard to get.

i have 510s for MTB, too grippy for me for BMX but if you like lots of grip, can't beat 510

Bulletpup wrote:

I recently switched from cheap wally-world shoes that seemed to handle abuse well to the relatively expensive (but way more ...more

Bulletpup wrote:

I recently switched from cheap wally-world shoes that seemed to handle abuse well to the relatively expensive (but way more durable and supportive) Ride Concept shoes.

They are the Wildcat shoe. I wear them at work everyday and they have been a blessing for a one armed guy more recently. I took all the shoelaces out and I am able to tighten up my shoes with just the burly velcro strap!

The soles are not too sticky and they seem to grab plastic or steel pins equally well.

I got them for 100.00 with a coupon but im sure the coupon does not exist anymore. I will buy them again when these eventually get too worn.

...more

how stiff are the soles?

So I ride a mix of vans and Jordans, specifically retro 3's. I like vans because they are inexpensive, comfortable, grippy, and (if you get mid's or highs) offer some ankle protection. However, my 35 y/o prior military feet will ache for a week if I ride all day in them because the soles flex so much (I understand this can be an advantage for some though).

Jordan 3's have a pretty stiff sole and a lot of footbed support. they don't flex like vans so my feet don't ache. they are equally pedal grippy in my opinion.

I've run primarily on Vans (nearly any with the Vans "waffle" sole) and Chuck Tailors for all my years. A few others mixed in here & there... Airwalks, Keds, whatever. I have never had a problem with "grip" on the Vans or the Chuck Tailors. I can attest to the soles of the Chuck's wearing fast. Particularly the big toe area where you would do foot jams. I have also found (more in recent years) the sole separation issue with the Chuck's.

Bulletpup wrote:

I recently switched from cheap wally-world shoes that seemed to handle abuse well to the relatively expensive (but way more ...more

Bulletpup wrote:

I recently switched from cheap wally-world shoes that seemed to handle abuse well to the relatively expensive (but way more durable and supportive) Ride Concept shoes.

They are the Wildcat shoe. I wear them at work everyday and they have been a blessing for a one armed guy more recently. I took all the shoelaces out and I am able to tighten up my shoes with just the burly velcro strap!

The soles are not too sticky and they seem to grab plastic or steel pins equally well.

I got them for 100.00 with a coupon but im sure the coupon does not exist anymore. I will buy them again when these eventually get too worn.

...more

A08 wrote:

how stiff are the soles?

A08 wrote:

how stiff are the soles?

...more

They are stiff but not so much so you cant feel anything. They are pretty awesome for taking impact too. The damn soles are TOUGH! I ride with steel pinned pedals and I do a ton of foot jams. The toe caps are reinforced too so you dont hurt your toes if you jam it in there too much.

Yeah, I would think if you're doing foot jams a lot something on the top of the front is good..... I can feel it a little lately. And I'm about to go smaller tires so I might feel it even more.....

It's funny how experiences differ from one person to the next. My nephew had a pair of Vans that separated early too. He is a pretty avid scooter dude. But it happened too quickly.

I guess I'll just see how long mine last. But after seeing the insoles of the Pro models you guys put up, I'm jealous cuz my soles don't come out and they're nowhere near as thick. LOL. They have not had any issues thus far though as far as staying together. But I haven't wore them every single time I rode since Christmas. Since it's been cold I still wear my clunky warm shoes a lot. As it's gotten warmer I've used mine more though.

Vans Half Cab pro ...