EUC Footwear?

[EvoKnvl]

6 hours ago, seage said:

Yeah, i was gonna get ultracush, but then decided to go with comfy cush. The reason was, they let me try a Used/returned pair of the comfy and it was SOOOOOOO soft. It fit to my toes, it was so light and comfortable. Then when i got the new pair, they were a lot tougher. I bought the new pair and broke them in and now i cant ride without em. Distances no longer hurt at all! Ultracush are good too, but the padding is on the heel only for the most part, whereas comfy has padding all the way to under your toes. And since i shift my weight around and like to ride on my toes a lot, it realllly helped with that pain. 

Got the Sk8-Hi ComfyCush as well, and it made a huge difference for me.  My right foot doesn't get pain or cramp up like before.  I'm going to keep testing it, but I think I may have found my new go-to shoe.

[someguy152]

On 8/7/2019 at 11:29 AM, UzGotNoSk1llz said:

So here's the update to the insoles...

While the fp gamechangers were pretty comfortable and did help with arch support, I still got that burning sensation on my heel. With that being said, it did relieve the pain I would get on the rest of my foot.

 

Thinking of trying their kingfoam elite next

I have kingfoams and they make a big diff. so much that i don't really feel much on my 18S which scares me when riding with them for some reason

[BarrettJ]

I also like the game changers and the kingfoams - they also have shoes (FP Footwear) that are comfortable to euc in and have nice grip to the pedals.  I have the citrus and another that I can't remember the name of because they were a previous year's model.

[.....]

+1 on skateboard shoes.

Back when I gave a crap, I'd spend $50+ on skateboard shoes in black. Wore em everywhere except for when work required boots. Nowadays I go to what's left of kmart, spend $10-20 on a pair of shoes and buy another for 1/2 off of the same crap. Honestly, $10-20 for a pair of shoes sounds right, as they are all made with questionable materials and work practices. Cheap shoes seem to wear out a little faster, but half the time they are so damn nasty in and out by then, its time to toss. OR... use em at the lake or in the boat. Riding in boots or heavy shoes feels like ass to me.  Having heels is not my cup of tea on an euc at all. Too many years of light weight and flexible shoes has spoiled me. ON an euc, my boots pretty much ruin my ride. With a tube of shoe goo, you can triple the life of most shoes anyhow.

Edited May 27, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Albatross]

Took a ride with the new Vans on. Can’t say that I’m impressed or feel any more comfort in them. Maybe they need to be broken in and tested on longer rides. Seems I’m more comfortable riding in the adidas boosts. Maybe it’s because they are the only shoes I used while riding before I got these vans. Anyway, going to abuse them some and see how they feel broken in. The grip is definitely better. 

[mrelwood]

The difference in Adidas Boost and Vans Comfycush at least is that the Boost reacts instantly, and therefore dampens vibration and shocks well. The Comfycush OTOH seems to be more like a thick layer of memory foam that slowly contours to one's feet, but as a slow conforming material it doesn't help with vibration and sudden shocks as much.

[DjPanJan]

https://eshop.prabos.cz/en/profi-line/452-209-s10423-nanga-gtx-seda.html

 

I prefer this type shoes. Very stable excelent grip. Good vibration canceling. Reinforced toe.

Gore-tex Waterproof Absorption of energy in heel part Anti-slip Vibram. This brand shoes use Czech Army and Police (this is civil model)

If crash hapend you toes and leg is very safe.

 

 

 

[seage]

3 hours ago, Albatross said:

Took a ride with the new Vans on. Can’t say that I’m impressed or feel any more comfort in them. Maybe they need to be broken in and tested on longer rides. Seems I’m more comfortable riding in the adidas boosts. Maybe it’s because they are the only shoes I used while riding before I got these vans. Anyway, going to abuse them some and see how they feel broken in. The grip is definitely better. 

New Comfy cush take a while to break in, then they soften up like mad. When i was in the shop they let me try a returned pair, that i could feel them contouring to my toes, and then i bought a brand new pair that were solid. I broke em in and now they're super comfortable. I just ordered another pair, this time custom because they're super comfy.

My ultraboosts bother me because my feet slide inside the shoe. So banking tight turns and whatnot, i move, and that scares the hell outta me. But if you dont feel that/are used to it then stick with what feels best to you.

 

[mrelwood]

8 minutes ago, seage said:

My ultraboosts bother me because my feet slide inside the shoe.

It’s not the Boost that lets your feet slide though. Adidas has many models with the Boost tech in the midsole.

My riding shoe requirement took a sharp turn. Last Saturday a harmless step off the wheel in harsh off-road landed on uneven ground and I bent my ankle. I bruised it pretty bad as I fell. No fracture, but my whole foot is still swollen like a politician’s promise and I can barely walk.

 My ankles are just way too loose. And it might take months for this one to even recover properly. I need to find shoes that prevent my ankle from twisting like this again. Currently looking at Danner boots. Might be forced to take a slight break in riding. Sucks.

[Unventor]

43 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

My ankles are just way too loose. And it might take months for this one to even recover properly. I need to find shoes that prevent my ankle from twisting like this again. Currently looking at Danner boots. Might be forced to take a slight break in riding. Sucks.

There are 2 ways to go about this. Either support padding or what you will call these. Similar to what people have for knees or elbows. 

Another is to use mc boots. Some of there are made so it is harder to twist ankle as you don't want that if you are resting at red lights.problem is you might loose some flexibility and control of the EUC. I use my ankles as a support joint to my knees that are in bad shape. I also use a knee padding (I have 2 different kind depending on how silly it acts up).

Maybe @Rehab1 have some hidden tricks to share?

I hope you recover in time of your V11.

Edited May 28, 2020 by Unventor

[litewave]

1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

It’s not the Boost that lets your feet slide though. Adidas has many models with the Boost tech in the midsole.

My riding shoe requirement took a sharp turn. Last Saturday a harmless step off the wheel in harsh off-road landed on uneven ground and I bent my ankle. I bruised it pretty bad as I fell. No fracture, but my whole foot is still swollen like a politician’s promise and I can barely walk.

 My ankles are just way too loose. And it might take months for this one to even recover properly. I need to find shoes that prevent my ankle from twisting like this again. Currently looking at Danner boots. Might be forced to take a slight break in riding. Sucks.

I have been wearing ankle stabilizers for more than four years. They're lightweight, very durable, and have prevented sprains and possibly worse. They can be worn with any footgear, with and without socks.

 

[shellac]

Is anyone else frustrated by the complete lack of anything resembling consensus on EUC footwear? Some people say soft soles are good, some say hard. Some say do motorcycle boots, others say hiking boots. Others say boots are bad and do athletic shoes, or skate shoes. I even read about someone riding barefoot. About the only thing I can garner from this thread is maybe not to wear flip-flops as I have yet to read a flip-flop proponent, though maybe one will come out of the woodwork now. Lol, I suppose it means you can wear whatever you want it doesn’t make a huge difference?

Anyway I’m a new rider, so I don’t think my opinion counts for much, but I really like my Camper shoes, its their iconic Peu model. I’m not sure how great they are for riding, still trying to decide. I can feel the pedals And the road really well which I like, since the soles are pretty thin, however my feet do hurt after a while which I mainly attribute to my lack of experience. But I don’t know, I may try something with more ankle support. I’m particularly worried about spraining an ankle after reading @mrelwood’s account (Hope you get better soon man). It was already on my mind after watching this dude cutout on yt (its an old video): https://youtu.be/OBhoSBDUPsU If you watch the slo-mo closely you can see that if he stepped off the EUC slightly the wrong way when it cutout he could have messed up his ankle pretty bad. 

Just my 2 cents. 

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by shellac

[Jon Stern]

1 hour ago, litewave said:

I have been wearing ankle stabilizers for more than four years. They're lightweight, very durable, and have prevented sprains and possibly worse. They can be worn with any footgear, with and without socks.

You missed out that they’re also super fashionable!

[AngryJackPCB]

I have ridden with hard sole, high top boots, soft sole skate shoes  running shoes, and bare feet. My favorite was bare feet. But I'm nervous as all heck though so I'm going slow and just for a quick ride. My usual shoe are the skate shoes. They are very grippy and comfortable for long rides.

[Ben Hatfield]

Thread Consensus?  May not be a clear consensus, but Vans Sk8 Hi varieties are very popular.  I also have a pair of these and find them to be good riding shoes.  I think the most comfortable shoes for riding I have are a pair of Skechers work shoes (Max Cushioning Elite Sr).  These have a super thick sole, amazing traction, and a lot of padding, also advertised with shock absorption.  But they are pretty unprotected in the toe and are a low ankle shoe.  My current all around best riding shoes are a pair of Hoka One One hiking boots (Tor Ultra), but in my opinion they are overpriced.

I'm going to try another variety of Skechers - work Vinton Lanham work Boot that checks a lot of boxes.  It has similar tread to the other Skechers I have.  It's a tread design that tracks in a lot of debris when going indoors, but it really sticks to surfaces.  This boot also has a protected toe and is advertised as waterproof.  Probably not the best footwear in hot weather, but it is also pretty high up on the ankle.

I've tried a few varieties of zero drop minimal shoes, and don't like that experience. My feet tire out much faster with a minimal shoe.

I also use either a SOLE or Superfeet insole (Black and Carbons are low profile and good), and really think a good insole improves most footwear generally speaking

[mrelwood]

 

10 hours ago, shellac said:

I suppose it means you can wear whatever you want it doesn’t make a huge difference?

I see it differently. The fact that there are so many very different favorites tells me that people’s feet and riding styles are so different that an end all be all solution just doesn’t exist. If it didn’t make much difference, we wouldn’t have several threads discussing on which ones are good and which ones bad in each person’s experience.

 To give an exaggerated example in case I failed to make the above point clear:  People have very different kinds of wives, but that doesn’t make the individual choice indifferent...

 

10 hours ago, shellac said:

however my feet do hurt after a while which I mainly attribute to my lack of experience.

Lack of conditioning and the inability to relax are usually the main reasons, but some riders can double the riding distance once they find the proper shoe for them.

10 hours ago, shellac said:

But I don’t know, I may try something with more ankle support. I’m particularly worried about spraining an ankle after reading @mrelwood’s account (Hope you get better soon man).

Thanks, shellac! I do have to say though that my joints are loose due to a disease since birth, and healthy people have much smaller risk of spraining their joints from the kind of zero speed fall that I had. But you are right in that protecting and supporting ones ankles, wrists and the rest is never a bad idea when riding an EUC.

[Unventor]

3 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

 

I see it differently. The fact that there are so many very different favorites tells me that people’s feet and riding styles are so different that an end all be all solution just doesn’t exist. If it didn’t make much difference, we wouldn’t have several threads discussing on which ones are good and which ones bad in each person’s experience.

 To give an exaggerated example in case I failed to make the above point clear:  People have very different kinds of wives, but that doesn’t make the individual choice indifferent...

 

Lack of conditioning and the inability to relax are usually the main reasons, but some riders can double the riding distance once they find the proper shoe for them.

Thanks, shellac! I do have to say though that my joints are loose due to a disease since birth, and healthy people have much smaller risk of spraining their joints from the kind of zero speed fall that I had. But you are right in that protecting and supporting ones ankles, wrists and the rest is never a bad idea when riding an EUC.

About ride distance. I don't know why but some days me Merrell jungle moc are fine other days not. So I switched back to my Van's slip-on  and went for a longer ride in my standards, for others it would just seem like swapping parking lot. But 30km ride is a long ride for me. I got feet aching but with the Van's I could push on...all very fine after a while I didn't feel any aching anymore. But when I were to dismount at home the problem came. I just couldn't feel my feets at all. 

Now the combination of V10F 2nd gen. pedals with grip tape and rubber underneath with the Van's are actually very nice combination for me. 

As for joints problems I can only say the EUC is a lifesaver for me. It can take me places that I can't walk at all. Mainly because all my weight is supported on both legs. However unplanned dismounting is the issue for me. It works with one leg but not the other. And the plan is to fix this, this summer. 

Standstill falls or near standstill are where we have seen "many" bad breaks as you as rider didn't expect it. 

So @mrelwood how are your recovery prognosis and timeframe?

[mrelwood]

3 hours ago, Unventor said:

So @mrelwood how are your recovery prognosis and timeframe?

No fracture, but extensive tissue damage. They even said that the swelling might take even months to fully go away. They did encourage to walk and excercise as much as I can without pain, which unfortunately at the moment means none at all. Only gently pumping the ankle and bending the toes while my feet are up on the recliner.

So it does look like riding is on hold for a while more, and especially off-roading will have to wait for several weeks or even months. Not at all what I was expecting. Maybe I'll be able to safely off-road again just when the V11 arrives! 

[ZenRyder]

I think there is a feeling that whatever is loose like sketchers or vans will be the most comfortable. However, after a long ride, I found that tennis shoes, Nikes, etc. were not helping and I was getting a lot of foot pain. I also felt that a failed run off would be highly likely to give me a broken or at least sprained ankle. So, I began searching for a better/safer option for my feet.

I found that motorcycle footwear is probably the best option for safety and comfort. After all they are made to support the feet in a dangerous sport where the feet are fairly exposed to the open ground, nearby moving motors, engines, wheels, and asphalt.

I found a pair on Amazon for about $70. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XQ27D6J/  They are running out of these now in a lot of sizes, but there are several other versions which are similar for slightly more $$.

I especially like the heel/ankle protection...

 

This is a picture of me wearing them.

I have had several falls now and been able to run off the wheel without having any issues with my ankles. Now I'm sure if I face plant hard enough there will be damage, but hopefully my feet will be protected. Just the edges of the pedals alone can really mess up an ankle or shin.

I also added some memory foam inserts. When I go on longer rides now, my feet experience less pain.

I say it's better to play it safe than sorry.  Just my 2 cents...

 

[mrelwood]

2 hours ago, ZenRyder said:

I found that motorcycle footwear is probably the best option for safety and comfort.

I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago, and since it’s healing slowly, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my thoughts on footwear for myself.

 Out of all the shoes I have (closer to a dozen pairs), one motorcycle shoe is the only one that I can feel restricting the ankle movement for another sprain. Even my combat boots don’t, despite them being much taller.

 However, since motorcycle shoes are designed for sitting, none of the ones I’ve tried or owned (more than half a dozen) have a midsole with anything worthwhile in terms of shock absorbing. I’ve been able to fit a lot of cushioning into these, but they are still well behind from any of the basketball shoes I own or have tried (also more than half a dozen).

 I’m now looking at Danner boots that would protect the ankles from a sprain. They have a shock absorbing midsole, and are often reviewed as the most comfortable shoes the reviewer has ever worn.

[Unventor]

4 hours ago, mrelwood said:

I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago, and since it’s healing slowly, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my thoughts on footwear for myself.

 Out of all the shoes I have (closer to a dozen pairs), one motorcycle shoe is the only one that I can feel restricting the ankle movement for another sprain. Even my combat boots don’t, despite them being much taller.

For some people a fixed ankle will help them but it comes at a cost of how much you can flex to catch your balance. 

You might find some trekking boots can help you. I bought a pair I use when it is icy outside in winter time. The sole is rock hard to give support walking on mountain trains. The ankle is stiff to avoid a sprain ankle in case your foothold slips.

Now I have not used these to ride my EUCs due my foot and ankle movements is how I mitigate impact in my bad knees and how I control my wheel. From what I recall buying these years back mountain trekking boots are ment to fixate you ankle, so it might be worth to look into. Only issue is they tend to get warm. Mine is made of leather, might be better in Gore-tex. It is a German-Swiss brand. I think they are called Meindl. 

[mrelwood]

48 minutes ago, Unventor said:

The ankle is stiff to avoid a sprain ankle in case your foothold slips.

Optimal would be a good support sideways, but one that would allow effortless deep crouching. Surely a combination hard to find, but the rigid sidewalls on some motorcycle shoes might be just the key.

 But that again offers very little in terms of shock absorption. Sigh...

[someguy152]

@mrelwood have you tried kingfoam insoles?

 

[Demargon]

My last acquisition was this Clarks Rock Walk GTX Nice grip in wet and dry contitions, good foot protection with hard sole, not too flat neither too irregular. Miss the ankle protection

[Flying W]

I've been wearing TCX street ace motorcycle shoes with a gortex liner. They have been great but I also use them on my motorcycle so the cost wasn't as big a deal since I get double use outta them. Stiff sole but ankle can move forward and back just not side to side.