seejohnbike

Consolidated, easy to find data is a good thing, so here's my take on these shoes.

After seeing the positive review by DJ Catnap, I decided to bite the bullet and spend $30 to see if these things are worth it or not.

These are my first foray into clipless shoes, so all I can compare them to is clips and straps and street shoes, and I've only just started using them, so I hope to edit in some extra opinions after some continued use.

Anyway, I was a bit skeptical about ordering shoes online, but size-wise, they fit pretty true. As Mr Catnap said, they do run a bit narrow. So, if you're used to "skinny" shoes like tigers, certain pumas, or certain adidas, these might be right up your alley. If you're used to chunkier, wider shoes, you might want to reconsider. However, unlike what Catnap reports (that the shoes are maybe 1/2 a size bigger than expected), I found that length-wise, the shoes were very true to size. I wear US size 12's in most shoe sizes (as well as I'm sized to 12's by those size measuring things as shoe stores), and european 46 shoes fit me just fine.

Functionally, the shoes do a pretty good job. The mesh panels on the side/tongue do let some air in, and the airflow is a much appreciated improvement over most street shoes. However, now that I can feel a difference, I can also feel where certain areas of the shoe could definitely use more ventilation, like the heel area and toe box.

Pedaling, these shoes are pretty good. Again, no other clipless shoes to compare to, but far superior to the clips and single straps I was used to. I need to play around with doublestraps (hopefully Toshis if I can find someone to let me try for a bit) to get a more comprehensive idea of the differences, but if I had to guess, I'd guess that these are better. Being able to truly pedal through out the entire revolution (particularly the back and upstroke), and not having to put an ounce of thought into trying to apply power while not yanking your foot back out of a strap is magical.

On the downside, the heel does feel a bit loose, and without a strap/lacing that goes further toward the ankle, this is to be expected. Here's one part where a street shoe could potentially be better. I suspect chafing/general discomfort could be a problem on longer rides, but I have no data to confirm or deny. Hopefully this weekend I'll be taking at least a 20 mile or so ride to really thoroughly test/abuse them.

The sole pretty stiff, but doesn't make walking too uncomfortable, and the outsole has a very slight rounded-ness around the cleat area. I'm sure this is to mask the inner hardware workings of the shoe, and provide a cleat recess, but also it seems to help keep a more natural walking motion, and rolls the foot slightly from heel to toe.

Despite the cleat recess, time atac cleats do stick out ever so slightly. (as also reported by catnap). So far, no surfaces have given me any trouble, but actually hearing the grinding of metal on concrete is just unnerving. It's not a functional problem, really, as none of the engaging surfaces of the cleat are hitting, but it's still unnerving. Walking anywhere else doesn't seem to be a problem, but if I knew I was going to spend a considerable amount of time walking on concrete, as well as biking, I might pack a spare set of shoes.

Bottom line, these don't seem to be shoes you absolutely need to have, but if you're already looking for something along these lines, definitely check them out. Or, if you're like I was, and are on the fence between switching from clips and straps to clipless, definitely do it. It'll be one of the cheapest ways to easily transition from clips and straps to clipless, you'll be able to retain street shoe style, and you'll be able to get some idea of what you're actually looking for in a nice clipless shoe before you buy one.

Alternatively, even if you want nothing to do with these particular shoes, these could make a decent platform for a street shoe to SPD conversion. (depending on availability of used shoes in your size, in your area)

Feel free to add questions or comments, otherwise, I'll try to add some further info after a single solid ride, as well as how they're holding up i maybe a month or so.

EDIT:
Post Ride Report!
After a single decent ride with these shoes (20 miles, at night, at a decent pace), I have a little more data to report.

The shoes are still pretty much how I described them before, but for 20 miles worth of riding. (If that makes sense). On a longer ride, the venting issues are a lot more prevalent. My feet got noticeably warm, and pretty sweaty. (however, I think my socks were a bit more cotton than I'd have liked. I'll try again with a 'technical' sock, but I don't know how much better it will fare if still trapped under a shoe.) Still, this was a night ride. I think I'd feel a might grosser in the heat of the day...

I cinched the shoes tighter via the laces, but slight heel slippage is still an issue. None during normal pedaling, but under hard acceleration/deceleration/climbing, I can feel it. It's not a problem, per se, but it is noticeable. On the plus side, there was no actual discomfort/irritation/chafing from any heel movement.

Fun story: While riding, I had on a jersey, chamois bike shorts, and regular street shorts over. (cheap-ish EMS cycling shorts, slightly ill fitting chamois, and sometimes I just like to keep a 'stealth' look so I can go into places without my junk on display). However, to cool off at one point in the ride, I tossed my street shorts in my bag. Despite being incredibly comfortable, and cooled off, I looked a fool in my tight, performance-ready cycling garb and sensible looking shoes. As expected, these are not recommended for use with a full kit; you'll look kinda silly.

A point I missed earlier in the review, despite the otherwise good-to-decent build quality of the shoe, the cheapest part of the shoe seems to be the insoles. Mine are loose (no adhesive at all to stick them in place), and, by poking/feeling them in my hands, they're pretty weakly padded/squishy. It's not something I can really feel/notice with my feet, but something worth noting. If you have princess-feet, then perhaps you'd want to try out some of those Dr Scholls insole things.

I'm going to put a dab of glue under each insole and see if fixing the loose insoles might help remedy the heel slip issues.

dsh

When a shoe looks like that, I'd almost rather get the normal ugly spaceship-lookin' Shimano spd shoes.

Because at least then people know you're wearing bike shoes and think "Ah, well, he's got an excuse."
With those AGU AQ24's I'd be afraid people won't realize I'm wearing cycling shoes, in which case it'd just be "man those are some ugly ass wal-mart shoes, what a loser."

JesusBananas

PICTURES



They do look kind of . . . off.

dsh

Like cheap wal-mart sneakers, exactly.

seejohnbike

Yeah, I think a lot of the weirdness comes from the slight oversized-ness of the underside of the toe area, and the slightly too large shape/contour of the suede that wraps around the toe.

In person, they're passably fashionable, and I'm presuming once they get a little dirty/scuffed up they'll take on a little more character.

Squirrelli

I thought it was a pretty insightful review, and I actually appreciate John for doing this. Maybe some of the members want to jump to clipless but don't want to buy expensive shoes.

This shoes, like many other shoes by other companies, want to have the clipless function but doesn't want the shoes to look "bad" and get younger people to get it.

Personally, I wouldn't get this because if I want clipless, I would actually get road clipless...nonetheless, it's a nice review for those in the market.

JesusBananas

Yea, thanks for the review. I don't know how many clipless shoes there are to choose from at the $30 range (it doesn't seem like there would be that many), so this obviously hits the "affordable, entry level" market.

I, for one, will be sticking with my trusty Specialized Riatas (~$90).