These XC race ready shoes feature a superb carbon sole. When hammering on the pedals, they feel very rigid and efficient, even when compared to other carbon shoes.
This helps with power delivery, but the closure system lets them down somewhat. Even with the Boa dials done up as tight as they’d go, some space was left in the toe box, which made for a little bit of lag when pulling up on the pedal. A pronounced cup at the heel ensures lift is never a problem there though. While the sole is supremely stiff through the central part of the shoe, the toe is surprisingly compliant when walking or pushing uphill. The tread is very aggressive too, ensuring muddy climbs are relatively painless, but the plasticky tread doesn’t find much grip on hard surfaces and if you should miss when clipping in, the grip on the pedal is minimal. The cleat channel is slightly deeper and narrower than most, which meant it clogged up with mud sooner than others. Caged SPD pedals fouled on the pedal interface blocks either side of the channel, so a cleat spacer was required when using these. Even when paired with more natural cross country cageless pedals, engagement wasn’t the easiest due to the narrow cleat channel.
Weight 812g
Price 405$