Any Recs on All Mountain Bike Shoes?

[kidwoo]

Yeah try a pair of these on. If they fit, buy them. I've been riding them for everything this season, up or down hill. some of the best fitting spd shoes I've ever owned. And I'm a sidi fag.

Plus they look sick with some parachute pants for some apres-breakdancing.

[robnow]

I've got about 10 days now on the Mavic Mantra...Super Stoked on these shoes.

http://www.mavic.com/en/product/foot...ootwear/Mantra

Check out the outsole view. Very nice hard but grippy and aggressive rubber. MUCH, MUCH better than the Specialized Pros they replaced. I've had the Pros for years and I've done pretty well by them for grip but they get sketchy when dabbing on stone and wood features. Not so with the Mantras. Supposedly ~30 grams/shoe difference, and nice stiff carbon sole.

The Mavic Alpines look good too and are more along the lines of the Shimanos shown above, and cheaper than the Mantras.

Fit is key however, and Mavics are definitely Euro. Specialized Pros fit me perfectly in 45, Mantras in 45 1/3 are ~5mm longer and ~2-3mm narrower but I've been happy without comfort issues, rides up to 4hrs. And of note, this AM line-up of Mavic shoes has a slightly fuller/square toebox than the XC line.

A Specialized Pro with the bottoms of the Mantra would be my holy grail and why manufactures aren't giving their high end shoes more aggresive soles boggles me, seems like its what most people want. Top end XC race shoes I can understand to leave as is but the rest of the line ups should have more grip for sure.

For those in the States I've seen competitivecyclist have regular 20% off discounts throughout the season and they carry Mavics. In Canada the Mantras retail ~$330, CRAZY, but I found a shop in Ireland that would ship(Mavic won't let retailers ship out of country) and got them for $200.

Another shoe that looks good for those that want a stiff XC shoe with legit grip is the pre-2011 Diadora X-Trail. The 2011+ have a nice soft/grippy rubber but not as aggressive grip.

One more thing, I've read some people having issues with their shoes mating with the new XTR pedals(tight fit). All good with the Mantras.

[jm2e]

So, from what I gather, in summary:
An XC shoe is a road shoe with crappy plastic lugs and more extreme color scheme.
An AM shoe is a sneaker with a cleat
A DH shoe is a sneaker

[kidwoo]

A DH shoe is a sneaker

Only if you're too scared to clip in.


DH doesn't mean flats by default.

[TheMessenger]

It has nothing to do with being scared of being clipped in. There is just no real benefit.

[kidwoo]

It has nothing to do with being scared of being clipped in.

It was a joke.

There is just no real benefit.

Have you looked at a world cup podium at all this year? If there was no real benefit, why would minnaar, gwinn, atherton etc bother?

[Anospa]

I was using the mavic alpine XL the beginning of the year before I decided to permanently switch to flats. I really liked them a lot, there's a neoprene booty thing that keeps crap from getting into your shoe. Pretty comfortable, good stiffness, and excellent traction.

I'm currently on 5.10 freeriders and loving it.

[Lev]

Just stumbled upon these. Definitely not as fugly as the Minaars. Anyone riding them?

[kidwoo]

I really like the stout construction of some of 5.10 shoes, those included^

The stealth rubber+spd thing just doesn't make sense to me though. I don't care how sticky the rubber is, if you're not clipped in, standing on clipless pedals is something you're trying to remedy immediately. The sticky rubber just makes sliding your shoe over the pedal to clip back in that much more difficult. Especially since those don't have the ramped edge in front of the cleat to help that motion like the shimano shoes do.

[forty]

if im clipping in im riding my dominator 3's
that said im interested by those shimanos and also five tens and the new tevas
thinking of swapping the ht 29er for a trail bike... shoes/pedals might need a change as well
im also curious what spd's you guys are running with your shoes, regular cageless? new xtr trails? old dx's?

[creaky fossil]

It has nothing to do with being scared of being clipped in. There is just no real benefit.

ha ha ha ha ha

ignorance is so funny

[Boissal]

Reviving this 10 year old thread, almost to the day, to see what y'all are using on your bikes. I'm only looking at clipless shoes, I don't have it in me to get on flats. Riding style is trail/AM/endurbro, I walk/carry my bike in shitty terrain a lot and ride a fair bit of angry rocky stuff. Power transfer is not a term I understand or care about but comfort is.

Currently on Shimano ME7 which I really like, no real complaints about them but they're pushing 4000 miles and starting to show some wear with a bit of delam in the front. They're stiff enough that my foot doesn't get tired on long DH and soft enough that they walk OK, my only beef is with the shallow heel cup which lets my heel slide out a bit when hiking steep stuff. I really like the speed lacing system + ratchet strap and have never needed to adjust things on a ride. The cover over the laces and the neoprene ankle collar really help keep shit out of the shoe. Things breathe relatively well and the shoes dry surprisingly fast (not that it's ever a thing to worry about in UT).
My issues with them are the super high volume (I have 2 insoles in mine to take up vertical space, the width is fine) and maybe a slight lack of protection from the uppers. I recently slammed my heel hard into a rock and a month later still can't put it on the ground, I doubt it would have been different with any other shoe but maybe there's something a bit more protective out there.

What do you experts say?

[XtrPickels]

I appreciate you realizing you bumped an old thread. Sprockets is so much more... respectable than the main forums.

I went with FiveTen Kestral over ME7 specifically because I felt it offered more protection. Not so much from the upper, but from the midsole / bottom unit. I *think* it might be better in a gnarly get-off or having a rock kicked up into my toe.
Grip on rock is excellent, grip on steep slippery dirt is so-so. The downside is that all that rubber ain't light.

To me the ME7 felt like an over-built XC shoe. Kinda like running meaty tires on an XC frame; yeah it works but it's a compromise.

[rideit]

I have been super happy with Giro Terraduros. They pop up fairly frequently under $100 dollars. I have a regular pair for summer, and a HV (high volume) pair for slightly thicker socks in spring/fall.

[toast2266]

Reviving this 10 year old thread, almost to the day, to see what y'all are using on your bikes. I'm only looking at clipless shoes, I don't have it in me to get on flats. Riding style is trail/AM/endurbro, I walk/carry my bike in shitty terrain a lot and ride a fair bit of angry rocky stuff. Power transfer is not a term I understand or care about but comfort is.

Currently on Shimano ME7 which I really like, no real complaints about them but they're pushing 4000 miles and starting to show some wear with a bit of delam in the front. They're stiff enough that my foot doesn't get tired on long DH and soft enough that they walk OK, my only beef is with the shallow heel cup which lets my heel slide out a bit when hiking steep stuff. I really like the speed lacing system + ratchet strap and have never needed to adjust things on a ride. The cover over the laces and the neoprene ankle collar really help keep shit out of the shoe. Things breathe relatively well and the shoes dry surprisingly fast (not that it's ever a thing to worry about in UT).
My issues with them are the super high volume (I have 2 insoles in mine to take up vertical space, the width is fine) and maybe a slight lack of protection from the uppers. I recently slammed my heel hard into a rock and a month later still can't put it on the ground, I doubt it would have been different with any other shoe but maybe there's something a bit more protective out there.

What do you experts say?

I have some of the newer ME7's and my take is pretty similar to yours. Ultimately, I'm not a huge fan just because the volume / fit is off for me (like you, I have shims in mine to take up space). I also have some ME5's with the BOA system that fit me way better, but are a softer and more xc-ish (in that they feel less protective).

My current go-to's are Ion Rascal Amps. Nothing too techy or unique about them - they're just comfortable and hit the right mix of fit / protection / stiffness / hikeability.

I had (and liked) the low volume Terraduro. They weren't especially durable though. I had some Kestrals too, which to the best of my recollection are the least comfortable shoes I've ever worn (ymmv).

I'll be putting together a thing on Blister of assorted trail / enduro-y shoes in a few weeks.

[Boissal]

I'll be putting together a thing on Blister of assorted trail / enduro-y shoes in a few weeks.

I'll keep an eye out for that.

I've tried Giro in the past (Terraduros) and they really didn't agree with my feet. They didn't have the LV option at the time, I'll see if I can find them. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who finds the ME7 to be designed weird, I swear I could fit both of my feet on top of each other in 1 shoes, these things have an insane amount of vertical space in them. Too bad because the lacing is the best I've tried, not fiddly, stays in place, etc...

Anyone tried Fi'zik shoes yet? My Orbea came with one of their saddles which I promptly replaced (looked fine but my taint is conditioned to a Silverado). The Gravita Tensor looks like another possible good option for my use. I have horribly flat feet so finding something that fits is tough and I'm looking into brands I haven't tried yet. I can find the Ion Rascal somewhere I'll try it as well.

[homemadesalsa]

The Pearl Izumi x-alp series fit my foot right. Flat wide feet with low volume. Easy to adjust boa, not too much velcro. Decent sole for hike a bike.
https://www.pearlizumi.com/US/en/sho...ate/p/15201808

Oh and @Boissal ,I bought that Occam! So fun!

Sent from my SM-A600A using Tapatalk

[frorider]

ME7s have become my favorite all round shoe. Fit my average foot so damn well, the right compromise on stiffness vs walkability, mid weight so I can take them on road trips and not bring a quiver of shoes …. But mostly I like the durability. I’ve had two pairs of giro terraduros and destroyed each in a season. These shimanos are are 3X the durability. Hell 5X.

The vertical space comment on the me7 doesn’t fit my experience. If anything I find them a bit snug on my instep but I’m used to that with most shoes.

I have two pairs of the pearl izumi x alps. Fit is ok but not as comfortable on hike a bike as me7. The softer portion of sole has been delaminating from the rigid portion. Used to be my shoe of choice until I got the Shimanos.

[Boissal]

Oh and @Boissal ,I bought that Occam! So fun!

Hell yeah, that bike is SO FUN!

The vertical space comment on the me7 doesn’t fit my experience. If anything I find them a bit snug on my instep but I’m used to that with most shoes.

Weird. I have the stock insole in there plus a really thick arch support insole (Spenco polysorb cross trainer) and I'm getting close to maxing the ratchet strap. And they're not the high volume version... Still a great shoe despite the weird fit and I have a feeling my calcaneus would be even worse for the wear if I wasn't running a stack of cushy insoles.

[snowaddict91]

I went with FiveTen Kestral over ME7 specifically because I felt it offered more protection. Not so much from the upper, but from the midsole / bottom unit. I *think* it might be better in a gnarly get-off or having a rock kicked up into my toe.
Grip on rock is excellent, grip on steep slippery dirt is so-so. The downside is that all that rubber ain't light.

FWIW I've had two painful rocks pop up and nail my big toe recently and it was quite painful in my Kestrals.

I probably would have went ME7 when I got new shoes this spring but I couldn't find a pair in my size anywhere. Boissal's volume comments are interesting to me as I have a super high instep, so maybe they would fit me well? Lol

Also worth mentioning that I was running the black/white Shimanos on the last page of this thread until last fall. Couldn't kill those damn things.

[XXX-er]

If shoes don't fit especialy clipless , they will suck

IME you wana find your brand and stick with it

for me that is the speshalized product

[skizix]

I've since moved on to flats, but my last clipless shoe was a 5.10 Kestrel Lace. Sooo much more comfortable and stable to walk in, than the XC style clip-ins (that basically look like road shoes with a lugged sole) I used to use. Pretty good protection, the velcro strap is nice (for keeping the laces out of the way, and you can crank it down if necessary, whilst on the bike), relatively low-key looks. They felt slightly narrow at first, but broke in quickly, to slipper-like comfort.

Great shoes. Only possible downside: the sole is pretty stiff. Perfectly fine for typical hike-a-bike sections, but I definitely wouldn't want to walk miles in them.

[Bushwacka]

Still loving my Mavic Crossmax Enduro shoes for "fun" riding. Reason stiff along the length, easy to walk in, grippy sole, decent protection from rocks. I use Mavic Fury for pedaling performance but they can hamper having fun, the ability to rotate your foot side to side on the Crossmaxes is noticeable, the crossmax are just more comfortable and easier to walk in and wear them 95 percent of the time MTBing. I have a couple pairs of each in new old stock but am fearful of when I run out of them.

[brutah]

One more vote for the 5.10 kestrel boas. This is my 3rd season on mine and they're still going strong though I should probably replace the boa string sooner than later.

Walk well, look good, stiff sole. My only complaint is they're a tad on the heavy side

A note on boas: after using boas on my bike shoes, I'll never go back to Velcro or laces. So much faster and easier to use the boa system and you get a much tighter fit that holds throughout the ride where with laces I often had to retie on long rides as they naturally loosen.

[kootenayskier]

I’ve used Shimano AM/Enduro shoes forever, most recently the M200s, which worked/fitted great and lasted forever. When they were finally done, I tried all their latest models, including the ME7, but none of them fit my narrow, low instep feet. I ended up with the Terraduros, which are too heavy and not snug enough to be a true high performance shoe, but for comfort and acceptable all around performance, I’m stoked.