Narrower, smaller toe box, sole too stiff to walk in. I tried the next level up of the same shoe, the Race version. I'm sad and also in search of the next shoe as I can't find my size of that exact shoe any longer. Never a blister, hot spot, or a shoe failure other than beating them to death on these types of rides. Shoes like gloves, chamois, saddles, etc are so very personal, my wonderful shoe may not be yours. This may impact you depending on size availability. Since walking a HUGE amount of trail in the Sierras, mostly up the Rubicon Jeeper route, I have high regard for this shoe design. I've used them for 2 trips on the Divide 3 times on Stagecoach, Coconino 250, Trans North Georgia, Tour de Los Padres, and a failed attempt at the Sierra Trail Race. The sole compound isn't soft, but it's not so hard that when you are on rocks you immediately feel like you are slipping. Good stiff sole from the cleat back and the ability to flex at the toe. You can still find New-Old stock out there. I've had remarkably good luck with Pearl Izumi Select MTB shoe - the 2009 model. Right now for me my DC Jameson 2's have been giving me the best all around features in a bike shoe. + Soles stick to pedals and have enough traction for walkingīest answer? I don't know. + Enough of a 'kickplate' to keep me from injuring my feet in poorly executed single track maneuvers + Some have very stiff soles that remain walkable Toe cages make my feet go numb in most soft front shoes Not enough traction even on nice pinned flats (and the soles fall apart quickly) Great for around camp and for hike a bike sections. Even for a road based trip I wouldn't take these without back up shoes. + Ridiculously stiff and great power transfer, I could ride all day in these Specialized Road Pros/SWorks/carbon soled wonder shoes The cleat will drag on cement / hard floors No where near stiff enough, under hard effort your feet fall asleep/tingly The soles have absolutely no traction on rocks. + Velcro Closures (the comp having a cinch strap is even better) Fairly flat sole with a slightly recessed grippy rubber tread

Super Stiff from the just behind the toe on back If anyone has suggestions for a shoe with a stiff front sole that can handle HAB, I'm more than happy to hear your opinion. Until then, maybe someone else will get it right. Given what shoes cost it won't be until next year that I can take the next step. Some people love them, but I've heard at least one person that had big issues with them. At this point, my next move is likely to the Specialized Rime, but I think they may not be stiff enough in the front. Clamped down the ratchet all the way, but it still rubbed continuously - resulting in blisters and the accompanying pain.

The back of the shoe rubbed me above the heel. Off the bike is where these shoes failed. I don't remember Sidis being that narrow in the front. My feet did hurt a little due to the narrow toe box, but I can live with that. The toe box did stretch a little, but still felt cramped after 250 miles. This was a drastic improvement over the X Alps and an improvement over my Shimanos (that had a fiberglass sole).

Even after 12 hour days the bottom front of my foot felt OK. The result? These are not the perfect bikepacking shoes - at least not for me. The Coco was a good test environment, with plenty of HAB opportunities. Simple and effective.Īfter a couple of shakedown rides I decided that they were good to go for the Coco 250. These have a nice padded and ventilated tongue with at V cut in the middle that keeps them from sliding to one side or another. I hate the way the tongue on my Shimano's would slide to the side all the time. Nice bit of stiff carbon in the front part of the sole Picked up a pair of the 3.0s to try them out about a month ago. Supposedly they would offer a stiffer sole that still flexed enough to allow walking. When I heard about the new PI X Project shoes, I was pretty excited. Now, part of the problem is that I insist on running Eggbeaters - but I'm not willing to give those up. While they are super comfortable and great to walk in, the front of the sole is just too soft and after a couple of hours I get substantial pain from the pressure of the pedal through the sole. While the Pearl Izumi X Alps seem to be the 'standard' for bikepacking, they just don't work for me.

Aztr750 4peaks option