5:10 Greg Minnar Shoe

Here it is!

I got these in the US  they were quite a bit cheaper over there, but thats a different post all together. Over here they retail for £109.99. The shoes are reasonably stiff and despite their skate shoe look they are not that roomy inside and what is termed a 'performance fit' - i.e. snug and responsive - quite a good feel particularly if you are a DH (Greg Minnar) or someone looking for a tough confidence inspiring trail shoe (me). 

I think they are quite a nice looking shoe too, you don't feel too much of tool walking about in them after a ride, they look normal and the cleat is recessed into the sole so they don't click when you walk either. They are reasonably stiff but fairly easy to walk around in so in that regard quite easy to live with.

The main feature and the marquee feature for all 5:10 footwear is the stealth rubber sole. Here it is in all its glory. It really is super grippy even in mud with this tread pattern it seems to perform ok. 

The best thing about this super grippy rubber is that even on regular clipless pedals that I currently have you can still stay on the pedals if you need to dab you foot on a techy trail section or can't get your foot clipped in time. 

This advantage would be even more pronounced if one rode with clipless pedals with a platform such as a Crankbrothers Mallet etc but even with basic Shimano SPDs with no platform this offers a clear advantage on technical ground. Now I try not to spend a lot of time riding with my feet unclipped balancing on the small pedals but it has got me out of a few jams and I would have bailed a number of times had I been unclipped with a more traditional soled race style shoe. 

The sole design doesn't clear mud as well as an open design so that is a trade off if you regularly ride in really gloopy conditions.

The chunky sole offers good protection too, should you ram your clipped in foot into a tree stump or similar, your toes are well protected.

LAB TEST

 I conducted an experiment in the Mountain Bike Test Lab to confirm my suspicions about the 5:10 Greg Minnar

They are heavy! 1200g - for a size 8.5 - Thats pretty heavy - If you are putting things into categories (which you shouldn't) that pretty much discounts them for XC use, if you mix your riding up a bit (which you should) you have a great shoe for technical trail riding but one that errs a bit on the portly side.

To summarise:

Good Times

• Looks nice - conventional skate shoe appearance
• Easy to walk in
• Super grippy - good for technical riding
• Protective
• Firm fit
• Durable so far - they appear to exhibit hardly any wear

Bad Times

• Heavy
• A bit warm
• A bit expensive possibly
• Recess for cleat can get filled with mud in extremely muddy conditions.