You really thought of everything with the long term testing of these. That ventilation is a killer on our east coast riding. Great review dude, I'll be trying clipless pretty soon so definitely keeping my eyes open to the different shoes out there! Side note, that rock feature in the bloopers that was getting everyone- was that at Mt Penn?
Dude, they were a sweaty mess when you took me to LGP, lol. And thank you for the kind words. As for the boulder field in the bloopers, yes, that was Mt Penn.
Great and honest review as always Sage! I am using Shimano SH-ME7 shoes for 5 years now and only had to replace my first pair last year after using it for 4 seasons and the rubber of the sole finally came off. For me they provide a good mix of comfort, breathability and stiffness. You are not getting any style points with them, but that's not what I'm aiming for in a shoe. I used quite a lot of specialized shoes on my XC bike and allways liked the body geometry cut of the shoes. However, I tend to run very stiff shoes on my XC bike as I am used to that as a roadie. And the stiffer they get, usually the price-tag of the Specialized shoes increases significantly. That's why I switched to another brand there as well. Love my SIDIs now, affordable and extremely stiff.
@@TrailSage I am riding a pair of SIDI Drakos I bought in 2016(!!!) ... I do every second traning ride with them, used them in tens of marathon races and they are still good to go. The sole is incredibly stiff and you can still buy replacement parts for the sole (all of those are screwed into the carbon sole). Given their durability the price was a real bargain. They may not fit everybody, but they are perfect for me.
Dude, great job on the review!! You definitely tested the shoes to the maximum! One must have a great shoe with outstanding durability. Thx for the review ❤
Ja... Must say Sage... If I had an issue with clipping in and the shoes were the cause... They'd be in the bin faster than a whippet out the gates. There's so many places where you barely - if at all - have time to get your yourself correct foot forward let alone struggle with clipping in. And with the amount of Tech you ride, I'm surprised this didn#t drive you insane! Great review as always though mate!
I know right?!?! I probably would have thrown these in the bin, but I'm working off a RUclipsrs budget so I have to make these last... sigh. I will continue to glue these back together until I have the funds for something new. Thanks for watching Phil.
I too noticed clipping in is a bit off. Figured it was just me, guess not. I have over 20yr of shimano clipless shoes which pretty much glide right into the pedals. These seem to have some geometry that catches the pedal high spots before the cleat at times.
I had similar issues with the cliplite (BOA) version, but at $100 on sale they were cheaper than flats I typically run (5.10 Freerider Pros). Their stiffness, lightweight and comfort were welcome. Durability… With flats the soles are toast in half a season, while the uppers are still very good. The 2FOs seem to wear both the uppers and soles fairly equally. I was considering the AM9, but decided to try the 2FO DH clipless version. Hoping it’s a bit more durable based on some reviews and the price is right. For me the cliplite is a great XC/trail shoe. I want something a bit more protective (toe box) and durable for big bike days/park.
Thank you so much for the comment and feedback. I've never tried the ClipLite, but given my recent experience, I would be hesitant to give them a shot. Good luck with the DH version. LMK how it turns out.
You might be the only person that has mentioned the Roost Synthetics. Everyone else seems to just review the normal Roosts or the Casual. I just bought the Synthetic flats myself but haven't had any chance to ride them yet.
Hey Karl, I'm still using mine, but they are covered in shoe glue at this point. It's a shame because they are actually really comfortable but man, that rubber compound does not hold up. Hope you have better luck with yours.
@@TrailSage Is the shoe glue mainly on the sole or are you using it elsewhere? I've got plenty of shoes that I've glued together at various points so I'm not entirely averse to it.
Breathability is the downfall of about every shoe I've tried the last few years. The trend toward more skate shoe looks and plastic/rubber materials on the upper has left out air flow.
Yeah I feel you John, it's hard to find the right combination of breathability and durability. I have had great luck with Shimanos shoes, they're out of my price range now, but if you have the money they're one of the best. Sage
You really thought of everything with the long term testing of these. That ventilation is a killer on our east coast riding. Great review dude, I'll be trying clipless pretty soon so definitely keeping my eyes open to the different shoes out there! Side note, that rock feature in the bloopers that was getting everyone- was that at Mt Penn?
Dude, they were a sweaty mess when you took me to LGP, lol. And thank you for the kind words. As for the boulder field in the bloopers, yes, that was Mt Penn.
Dude I love the shot where you clipped the GoPro to see the foot on the pedal. Awesome!
OMG I almost destroyed my spokes with that shot, lol. But thanks Steven. Hey nice work helping Lee with this race BTW.
Great and honest review as always Sage! I am using Shimano SH-ME7 shoes for 5 years now and only had to replace my first pair last year after using it for 4 seasons and the rubber of the sole finally came off. For me they provide a good mix of comfort, breathability and stiffness. You are not getting any style points with them, but that's not what I'm aiming for in a shoe. I used quite a lot of specialized shoes on my XC bike and allways liked the body geometry cut of the shoes. However, I tend to run very stiff shoes on my XC bike as I am used to that as a roadie. And the stiffer they get, usually the price-tag of the Specialized shoes increases significantly. That's why I switched to another brand there as well. Love my SIDIs now, affordable and extremely stiff.
I have a friend who loves his ME7s too. I might have to give them a shot. What SIDIs are you currently using Christian?
@@TrailSage I am riding a pair of SIDI Drakos I bought in 2016(!!!) ... I do every second traning ride with them, used them in tens of marathon races and they are still good to go. The sole is incredibly stiff and you can still buy replacement parts for the sole (all of those are screwed into the carbon sole). Given their durability the price was a real bargain. They may not fit everybody, but they are perfect for me.
Great video and an awesome comparison Sage. Thanks for your work and the great video mate, that was very interesting. Ride on and have a great week 🤙
Thanks Christoph. What shoes do you wear for riding? Do you use flats or clips?
@@TrailSage I ride with flats, at the moment I still have Five Ten shoes, but next time I'll try the Ride Concepts Hellion Elite.
Dude, great job on the review!! You definitely tested the shoes to the maximum! One must have a great shoe with outstanding durability. Thx for the review ❤
Thanks Uzi. I was pretty disappointed with the outcome, but I suppose you get what you pay for right?!?!
Like your content and videos, happy cycling! Solid shoes, looks like they will get some use!
Thank you for the kind words!
Ja... Must say Sage... If I had an issue with clipping in and the shoes were the cause... They'd be in the bin faster than a whippet out the gates. There's so many places where you barely - if at all - have time to get your yourself correct foot forward let alone struggle with clipping in. And with the amount of Tech you ride, I'm surprised this didn#t drive you insane!
Great review as always though mate!
I know right?!?! I probably would have thrown these in the bin, but I'm working off a RUclipsrs budget so I have to make these last... sigh. I will continue to glue these back together until I have the funds for something new. Thanks for watching Phil.
I've got the flat option ,after a year of use they're still like new,maybe only the clip version is flawed
That is good to know. Thank you so much for the feedback.
I too noticed clipping in is a bit off. Figured it was just me, guess not. I have over 20yr of shimano clipless shoes which pretty much glide right into the pedals. These seem to have some geometry that catches the pedal high spots before the cleat at times.
Thank god. I was beginning to think I was the only one. Thanks for the comment and helping me realize I wasn't going crazy, lol.
I had similar issues with the cliplite (BOA) version, but at $100 on sale they were cheaper than flats I typically run (5.10 Freerider Pros). Their stiffness, lightweight and comfort were welcome. Durability… With flats the soles are toast in half a season, while the uppers are still very good. The 2FOs seem to wear both the uppers and soles fairly equally.
I was considering the AM9, but decided to try the 2FO DH clipless version. Hoping it’s a bit more durable based on some reviews and the price is right.
For me the cliplite is a great XC/trail shoe. I want something a bit more protective (toe box) and durable for big bike days/park.
Thank you so much for the comment and feedback. I've never tried the ClipLite, but given my recent experience, I would be hesitant to give them a shot. Good luck with the DH version. LMK how it turns out.
You might be the only person that has mentioned the Roost Synthetics. Everyone else seems to just review the normal Roosts or the Casual. I just bought the Synthetic flats myself but haven't had any chance to ride them yet.
Hey Karl, I'm still using mine, but they are covered in shoe glue at this point. It's a shame because they are actually really comfortable but man, that rubber compound does not hold up. Hope you have better luck with yours.
@@TrailSage Is the shoe glue mainly on the sole or are you using it elsewhere? I've got plenty of shoes that I've glued together at various points so I'm not entirely averse to it.
@@karlkrause6679 Mainly on the sole Karl. The shoe glue works miracles, lol.
@@TrailSage Good to know. Thanks for the insight and review. Looking forward to future videos 👍
Breathability is the downfall of about every shoe I've tried the last few years. The trend toward more skate shoe looks and plastic/rubber materials on the upper has left out air flow.
Yeah I feel you John, it's hard to find the right combination of breathability and durability. I have had great luck with Shimanos shoes, they're out of my price range now, but if you have the money they're one of the best. Sage
Love the "foot"age. 😂
Bam! "No big deal" ;)
Do you feel these fit true to your regular size? Did you go a size bigger? I have wide feet just curious thanks for the review.
Hey Christopher. These fit true to size for me, but I do not have wide feet so I'm not sure how to guide you there.
As you say, you get what you pay for & that seems to be the case with these shoes, buy cheap, buy twice 😉
I have to say Martin, it's a lesson I never seem to learn. I always make the same mistake when it comes to buying tools too.
Do you wrap your ankles for mtb also ?
No, I'm clipped in so stability is never really an issue for my ankles.
So bummed about the lousy durability of these shoes!! Still have to hard time spending $180 on MTB shoes but maybe it's worth it??
Right?!?! I hope you have better luck with yours. I got my feelers out for something different this time around.
Perforations
Did I say it wrong Randy?
You said preparation
@@randygravel2057 oh, good catch Randy