EUC Footwear?

[JHonu]

On 3/11/2024 at 5:36 AM, Cerbera said:

And for us the problem is finding boots that have decent ankle protection but NOT at the expense of every other property of the boot ! They gotta stay very flexible in the forward / reverse direction, not be TOO grippy, and for me at least to run high enough up my shin to meet my Leatt knee / shin guards... I have dinged my shins enough times to know they need protecting all the way up them on larger wheels...

I couldn't win. MX Boots were just too dangerous in other ways to be worn on EUC - they may be perfect for riding bikes with footpegs, but they really couldn't be less ideal for EUCing... talking of which, must get round to selling mine !

 

Could you elaborate on how motorcycle boots are dangerous?  I'm using Sedici Corsa Vented boots (I think, may not be the exact model) but they seem to have good range of motion while restricting side to side ankle roll which is a positive in my mind.  I don't know if I lucked into a specific model that works well for my riding or if there are some accident scenarios I haven't taken into account.  The boots do go high enough however that I had to replace my Leatt knee/shin pads for a different mostly knee protector.

[Cerbera]

6 hours ago, JHonu said:

Could you elaborate on how motorcycle boots are dangerous? 

See my 2 posts on previous page ! MX boots I am talking about specifically - touring MC boots work very well for me.

In short, MX ones were dangerous for me, because they weren't stable to walk in, which made mounting and dismounting a nightmare of overbalance, even when you had stepped off, deep rutty grips that wouldn't allows for any foot on pedal re-positioning without lifting whole foot up, zero feedback from pedals themselves because of iron bar bar running the length of them, , REALLY heavy to lift, which made my legs ache whether walking or riding, and last but not least legs move in boot rather than boot leaning into pads, so dangerous lack of ride authority and inevitable overlean. All these things made mine hopeless !

Edited March 16 by Cerbera

[Hellkitten]

https://kineticdl.com/
These are a Toronto local company that’s making footwear specifically for euc riders. A bunch of riders here love em’ I’ve never tried them, but I thought I’d add them here as an option. 

[JHonu]

1 hour ago, Cerbera said:

See my 2 posts on previous page ! MX boots I am talking about specifically - touring MC boots work very well for me.

In short, MX ones were dangerous for me, because they weren't stable to walk in, which made mounting and dismounting a nightmare of overbalance, even when you had stepped off, deep rutty grips that wouldn't allows for any foot on pedal re-positioning without lifting whole foot up, zero feedback from pedals themselves because of iron bar bar running the length of them, , REALLY heavy to lift, which made my legs ache whether walking or riding, and last but not least legs move in boot rather than boot leaning into pads, so dangerous lack of ride authority and inevitable overlean. All these things made mine hopeless !

I went back and read your earlier posts; those boots really do sound like an awful fit for EUC riding.  I went and checked the soles of mine and they're basically flat with 2 mm shallow grooves for traction so I just got lucky with my purchase.  Anyway, thanks for the clarification!

[Punxatawneyjoe]

1 hour ago, Hellkitten said:

These are a Toronto local company that’s making footwear specifically for euc riders

No wonder everyone needs super spikes on their pedals, they are wearing bowling shoes.

[Hellkitten]

3 minutes ago, Punxatawneyjoe said:

No wonder everyone needs super spikes on their pedals, they are wearing bowling shoes.

Agreed. I use work boots with aggressive soles and composite toes…….

[GothamMike]

On 3/16/2024 at 8:51 PM, Punxatawneyjoe said:

No wonder everyone needs super spikes on their pedals, they are wearing bowling shoes.

Agree. A lot of ryderz came from skateboarding, and consider flat soles to be the best. 

I prefer tactical boots, grippy soles and excellent ankle support.

[o u euc 2]

I found some size 10 O'Neil MX boots for $97- O'Neal New Logo Men's Dirt Bike Boot https://a.co/d/b2fLwHB

They are so stiff, but I recently broke my foot getting downhill breaking wobbles on the Lynx.

My foot came off about 35mph probably, and bent over backwards.

I've never had boots like these before.

My foot is healing, 2 weeks later, and I wore the boots, and rode around slow.

Does anybody else ride with MX boots, and have good control?

ATM it seems very difficult,  but they aren't broke in.

I do however feel like I won't get a broken foot in these!

But that won't matter if I can't feel in control.

Hopefully I'll get used to them.

Did I get too stiff of a boot for riding the Lynx around 40 to 45mph?

Will they be flexible enough?

Edited March 26 by o u euc 2

[varamontelo]

If you think you're comfortable with that, it's a personal choice. Other wheelers here have these kinds of boots. I wear motorcycle boots, flexible, reinforced at the ankles, light, easy to remove from the pads and allowing you to run if the wheel falls off-road. Some wheelers find comfort in armor or a diving suit, for me it scares and weakens me, but that is perhaps just an impression in my head.

[Cerbera]

3 hours ago, o u euc 2 said:

Does anybody else ride with MX boots, and have good control?

ATM it seems very difficult,  but they aren't broke in.

I do however feel like I won't get a broken foot in these!

But that won't matter if I can't feel in control.

I'm sure I have mentioned it once or twice further up the thread but that was exactly the problem I had with mine, and I am sorry to say I never surmounted it. My boots (Leatt GTX) never really softened up much (but I only tried for a week or so), and I felt too isolated from wheel feedback to really feel like I had good control, leading me to retire mine in favour of something a lot more flexible. Perhaps if you persevere longer than I did you will get used to things and they will bed in a little more for you...

[o u euc 2]

I'm still nursing a broken foot, but I have ridden around a little, and yeah, it's going to take some getting used to.

Right now it feels like wooden blocks on my feet, and it's hard to move around on the pedals without completely lifting them up.

I guess I'll just have to see.

On the plus side this boot gives better support than the one the Dr. Gave me to wear. It doesn't hurt to walk in these with a broken bone. I broke the top bone, so I'm amazed I can do it.

Looking back through this post, I see a couple people wear these types of boots, so I guess it's doable.

I loved the high top skater shoes I wore, but they're flimsy, and not much protection.

I really hope I can get used to these.

The rest of my gear served me well. The only real injury was my foot, skinned fingers (getting gloves, and wrist gaurds over those), and some road rash next to my elbow/forearm gaurds.

They all took a beating too!

[Cerbera]

42 minutes ago, o u euc 2 said:

Right now it feels like wooden blocks on my feet, and it's hard to move around on the pedals without completely lifting them up.

Again ! Precisely the problem I had, only mine was even worse because there was a 1 lb iron bar in the soles of mine I had to lift additionally ! But I hadn't realised how much I naturally shift my feet around on pedals as I ride, and the grips on my MX boots made that utterly impossible.

I begin to fear you may have fallen into the same trap I did, but on the plus side, at least you are only100 dollars down - I spent 275 on mine !!! Have tried to sell them on gumroad and MX forums since, and no1 is interested !! FML sometimes hey ?

Edited March 26 by Cerbera

[Planemo]

9 hours ago, o u euc 2 said:

I found some size 10 O'Neil MX boots for $97- O'Neal New Logo Men's Dirt Bike Boot https://a.co/d/b2fLwHB

They are so stiff, but I recently broke my foot getting downhill breaking wobbles on the Lynx.

My foot came off about 35mph probably, and bent over backwards.

I've never had boots like these before.

My foot is healing, 2 weeks later, and I wore the boots, and rode around slow.

Does anybody else ride with MX boots, and have good control?

ATM it seems very difficult,  but they aren't broke in.

I do however feel like I won't get a broken foot in these!

But that won't matter if I can't feel in control.

Hopefully I'll get used to them.

Did I get too stiff of a boot for riding the Lynx around 40 to 45mph?

Will they be flexible enough?

I had some AlpineStars MX boots that were virtually identical to that when I had my MC and I think I would have hated them on an EUC. Great protection for sure but just too clompy for the small weight transfer adjustments required for EUC control. Maybe you could get used to it, I dunno, but would seem like trying to do calligraphy with a pair of snow mittens I feel.

For EUC I have always used totally flat soled hi-tops like any usual skateboarding style boot. I have used these for years on EUC and I love them - cheap too: No Fear 'Elevate':

 

[o u euc 2]

On 3/26/2024 at 6:12 PM, Planemo said:

I had some AlpineStars MX boots that were virtually identical to that when I had my MC and I think I would have hated them on an EUC. Great protection for sure but just too clompy for the small weight transfer adjustments required for EUC control. Maybe you could get used to it, I dunno, but would seem like trying to do calligraphy with a pair of snow mittens I feel.

For EUC I have always used totally flat soled hi-tops like any usual skateboarding style boot. I have used these for years on EUC and I love them - cheap too: No Fear 'Elevate':

 

I'm trying to get away from those type of shoes.

IK what you mean about the feel tho. It's the type I wear too.

I'm going to see if I can get used to the boots. If I can itll be worth it, if I can't, I'll probably end up back with these flemsy ones.

I ride pretty fast. My foot is still broke, so I can't say yet.

Edited March 28 by o u euc 2

[o u euc 2]

Holy cow.

I've been slowly trying to get used to these boots all week, and today was my first day off, and I managed to put 20 miles on my wheel in these boots with my broken foot.

It's been almost 3 weeks since I've been able to ride.

My foot is still very sore, but these boots give super support.

They were impossible feeling in the beginning.

I putted around the yard a few times this last week.

Today I put 20 miles in short runs off and on all day, and I'm really getting used to these boots on the wheel!

I'm glad I took the time, and though I didn't ride hard, I did feel more solid and without braking wobbles.

There's not room for my braking pads up high anymore tho.

They did end up being down low just like the photo above.

[Bastich]

I just got a pair of MC sneaker-looking shoes, and they are alright. They've got both ankle and toe protection too. 

[mtl]

I recently started wearing Alpinestars Superfaster shoes after a bad shin/ankle injury. The EUC pedal hit my shin from the front/left, took off a good chunk of skin, and probably did some bone damage. It took 2 weeks to heal well enough to get riding again, and 4 weeks to be back riding 100%. Hopefully I won't take another pedal clip to that area, but if it happens, these shoes cover that area and will provide some protection. They come up just high enough to not interfere with the Leatt dual axis. However, the soles on my other shoes are wider and flatter, which I think gives better control and stability. Maybe I just need to adjust to the new shoes.

 

 

[Cerbera]

3 hours ago, mtl said:

I recently started wearing Alpinestars Superfaster shoes after a bad shin/ankle injury. The EUC pedal hit my shin from the front/left, took off a good chunk of skin, and probably did some bone damage. It took 2 weeks to heal well enough to get riding again, and 4 weeks to be back riding 100%. Hopefully I won't take another pedal clip to that area, but if it happens, these shoes cover that area and will provide some protection. They come up just high enough to not interfere with the Leatt dual axis. However, the soles on my other shoes are wider and flatter, which I think gives better control and stability. Maybe I just need to adjust to the new shoes.

I like the look of those, and am considering losing my MC touring boots for something similar in the hope of making transitioning to seated riding around Grizzla flow pads more manageable. The reinforced leather uppers of the current boots are what is making that difficult, and these look like they are essentially the same but without those bits ! I wonder if Alpinestars do those in white !?

[varamontelo]

It is a shoe with interesting ankle protection. I saw the site with no indication for rain. Do you know if they are waterproof?

[mtl]

The book that came with the shoes says they meet the water resistance (WR) Reference Standard for EN 13634:2017. I'm not familiar with that standard so can't really say what the WR rating amounts to. Haven't worn them in the rain yet, but can report back if / when they get put to the test.

[varamontelo]

Thanks. 

These shoes without a heel allow a large contact surface on the pedal.

Edited April 10 by varamontelo

[okvp]

I fractured my ankle (not EUC related), the usual/ easy one weber B type, but it took months to fully recover and now after eight months It still is swollen, so never again!

I started look for boots which have true lateral support for ankle, but allows the ankle to move forward and backward and sole to bent.  

Motorcycle Shoes have many protective features, but lateral support is usually lacking. In practice, good lateral support means a hinge built into the shoe so that the ankle can move forward and backward. Many of the protective boots are also too big for EUC use. 

Short-shafted shoes do not offer support enough.

MX-shoes offer good support and protection, but sole does not flex at all and they are too big on the outside.

Enduro shoes also protect well and have a flexy and quite good grippy sole, but they are quite big and bulky.

Racing shoes (circuit) provide good support, protection and they are small, but the sole is not grippy enough and it is quite narrow, in addition, the Gaerne racing shoes I own, have an asymmetric shaft, which makes braking and acceleration against the pads uncertain.

Adventure shoes are between an enduro and a street shoe. Most of the available adventure shoes have too flimsy shaft and do not offer much lateral support.

I found three EU-available adventure boot that have a good lateral support (hinge):
Alpinestars Toucan gtx
Sidi Adventure 2 GT
Gianni Falco Adventure 2

Alpinestars are hinged just on one side, so the lateral support on the other side is weaker.
Sidi's are bulky externally.
But Gianni Avantour 2 felt good for EUC use. Good support, light and compact, suitable size and grippy enough sole for trail riding. The shaft of the shoe is symmetrical, suitable for pads, and Leatt's guards fit comfortably inside. 
The shoe is waterproofed with a membrane, which means it is most likely hot in the summer,  you can cut the membrane off the shaft, which might give you a little more ventilation.
After a couple of test trips, the shoes seems to be good for EUC use, long-sole offroad sneakers would probably have a better riding feel, but they don't protect the ankle.

Pic Gianni Avantour 2 Adventure and Gaerne racing shoes 
 

Edited April 20 by okvp

[The Brahan Seer]

Judging by this any old boot will do...

[okvp]

24 minutes ago, The Brahan Seer said:

Judging by this any old boot will do...

That chart tells you motorcyclist's average accidents on the average road with average (flimsy) motorcycle boots. Try to ride mx or enduro with normal motorcycle boots and you will notice why mx boots are so stiff and well protected...

quite a few euc riders with broken ankles have been seen on social feed, good ankle-supporting shoes could have saved them...

Edited April 13 by okvp

[varamontelo]

Racing boots have the largest contact surface on the pedals, they have no gap between the heel and the sole, they protect the ankle, they are waterproof, flexible, light and are not stuck between the pads. If you see a smooth part as it ages, you can sand it with sandpaper to maintain adhesion.