Ionhasupdateditslatestflatpedalshoeswith
a new,stickiersolecompoundcalled‘PinTonic’.
TheRaidAmpII is thebrand’s£115premium
modelandis firmandsupportivecompared
tomostflatshoes,witha slightlyasymmetric
designforextracrank-sideankleprotection.
Ionespeciallyfocusesonsolestiffness,so
thecustomEVAmidsoleis tunedforrigidityin
differentdirectionstobalancepowertransfer
withcomfortandcontrol.Plentyoflateral
stiffnesspreventstwistingoverplatformedges
andfatiguingfeet,andhelpspreciselycontrol
thebike.There’smorelengthwaysflexfor
comfortablehiking,aidedbydeepertraction
ridgesatthetoeandheel.
TheRaidssitsolidly,withgoodarchsupport
anda sculpted,deepheelcup.Theyinitially
comeupquitenarrowandtakea fewridesto
bedin,butthebenefit offeetbeinglocked
intightlyinthestiffer,thickerfabricis better
pedallingefficiencyandsecurityshruggingoff
strayrocksorobstacles.
Truetothebrand’sclaims,there’sincreased
frictionfromthenewsolerubber,andit’s
moregrippyandlockeddownthanpreviously,
especiallyinthewet.Mostriderswillbetotally
happywithpedaltraction,evenif it’sstillnotas
leech-likeasFiveTen’sStealthformula.
Ion’sstiffershankis lessdampedthansome
though, so feet can get jiggled around more
easilyontheroughesttracks.Onelocaltrail,
lacedwithhigh-speedbrakingbumps,sawour
feetshuffle outofpositiona fraction,which
didn’thappenwitheveryothershoeontest.
This slightly increased wriggle-ability willsuitsome,however,andthe
sturdyRaidAmpII is a quality,
supportiveshoethatresists
waterandmudwell,making
it a solid UK choice.M AY 2 019 mbr 109FIVE TEN
FREERIDER PRO
£119.99
SPECIFICATIONWeight:390g(780gpair) • Sizes:5 to 14•
Colours:blue,grey, red/black• Contact:adidas.co.uk
TheFreeriderProhasbeenourgo-toflatpedal
shoeforthelast 18 months,soit’snosurprise
it’sremainedunchangedinFiveTen’slatest
line-up.ThePrositsbetweenthethinner-soled
standardFreerider,andtheheavier-duty
Impact.It’sgota stiffermidsolethanitsslim
outershellsuggests,butthere’sstillplenty
ofpedalfeelandconnectiontothebikeonce
beddedin.
Theupperusesthesamefairlyrigidfabricas
theKestrelProclipshoe,andis toughenough
toresistcutsandabrasionsandalsoretainits
shapeandsupportovertime.Snug,padded
anklecollarspreventheelliftandrubbing,and
alsostopdirtorstonesgettinginsidetooeasily.
There’sgoodimpactabsorptiontostopfeet
tiringonthelongestandroughestdescents,
andwithextraabrasion-resistantscuffguards
anda stitched-onoutersole,overalldurabilityis
nowtotallysorted.
Allthismeanszeroqualmsabouttheextra
£25overstandardFreeriders,althoughsome
riderswillstillpreferthatmodel’sextrapedal
feedbackfromitsthinnermid-soleinlieuof
greaterprotectionandsupport.
Sowhataboutgripthen?Well,it almost
goeswithoutsayingthatFiveTen’sdotted
Stealth rubber sole off ers class-leading hold,
andthere’sa properlylocked-onfeelthat’sthe
mosttenaciousontest.Thisdeliversmaximum
confidenceagainstbouncingortwisting
around,eveninsevereterrainona shortertravel
bike,andthetreaddesignalsoworkswellwhen
hiking back up slippery trails or paths.Withoutstandinggrip,
easeofcleaning,great
footsupportandsorted
protection,thisis stillthe
bestflatpedalshoeonthe
market for trail riding.ION RAID AMP II
£114.95
SPECIFICATION Weight: 421g (842g pair) • Sizes: 5 to 13 • Colours: black, grey, pink • Contact: ion-products.com