I started skateboarding long distance using an old pair of 5.10 mountain bike shoes and they worked pretty well other than the fact all the foot braking I did killed the soles very fast. When it was time for a new pair of shoes I didn’t want to spend the money on another pair of 5.10’s as I could kill a sole in one or two long sessions. I ended up trying a pair of these DC Josh Kalis S skateboard shoes because they were on deep discount. I figured if the died quickly I wouldn’t be sad and to be honest I didn’t really have a firm idea in my head of what I wanted out of a LDP [Long Distance Pushing] shoe.
Pulling them out of the box I didn’t like the look of the first pair and I wasn’t sure how my feet would deal with the super flexible cup sole construction. All that to say I started using these shoes without a lot of expectations and any I did have were negative. Having pushed and pumped my skateboards ~1750kms in them I am pretty happy with them now. I can get out for a long 60km session and my feet feel great when I get home. Not surprisingly they have nice board feel when I am riding the skateboard. What surprised me the most is the durability has been excellent. Eventually they needed to be retired so I grabbed another pair from DC Shoes. Note that DC will throw all sorts of 20%-30% coupon codes at you and free shipping if you mess around with their site for a bit so no need to pay full retail.
Now part of what is making these shoes last longer is I am foot braking less since my comfort level in various challenging situations is higher. I’ve also started using a front foot braking technique for lower speed braking just to even out the wear on the shoe. Nevertheless I have foot braked a lot since I ride in the city and there are frequently situations that demand slowing or stopping. Other than wear on my right shoe from foot braking these shoes are in great shape. The uppers have not developed any noticeable wear. The left shoe’s sole is in amazing shape and I do try and push 50/50 so it’s seen a lot of pavement.
These shoes have been used all through our wet fall/winter/spring here on Vancouver Island. Wet surface traction is pretty good. I definitely lose some grip, but it’s not bad. I do have to plan for slowing down a bit earlier or put more pressure on the braking foot since friction is not as high as when it’s dry. The shoes are not waterproof/resistant at all so if it’s wet out my feet get soaked. I have improved that by installing fenders on my rain board so at least I am not getting splashed from my wheels all ride.
The new pair is basic black with white accents so aesthetically I like them better. But, heck if a pair of shoes works this well for me I am not going to complain too much about how they look.
BTW – I goofed and forgot to take any photos of the old ones before I got rid of them. My bad I would have liked to show you the well worn soles.
vikapproved MK2 