GROUP TEST
110 mbrM AY 2 019
PEARL IZUMI
X-ALP FLOW
£89.99
SPECIFICATIONWeight:348g(695gpair) • Sizes:5 to 14
- Colours: blue/orange • Contact: madison.co.uk
TheX-AlpFlowis PearlIzumi’sbrandnew,
competitivelypricedflatshoe.It’sextremely
lightweight,makingit easytoturnover
pedalling,withouteverfeelingtooflimsyor
unstablearoundthefoot.
Thesoleusesa zonedtreadwithdualrubber
compounds.Thepedal-facingcentreuses
Vibram’sgrippiestoutdoorrubber(Megagrip)
tomeshwithpedalpins,andthetoeandheel
usea deeper,diagonallytreadedpatternfor
extratractionoffthebike.
Thelace-upupperis a distinctive,almost
seamless,syntheticdesign,withminimal
overlapsandstitchingtoreducethechance
ofrubbingorhotspots.Twoseparatetesters
reportedanexcellentbalancebetween
comfort(trainer-like)andstability,butthe
interioris a littlenarrowerthansomebrands,
sotryforfit first.
Betweenthesuppleupperandsoleis anEVA
shanktodefendagainstimpactsanddampen
vibration.It stabilisesthesolefrombeingtoo
flexibleandthere’sexcellentpedalfeelwithout
being overly soft and bending around the pedal.
Sofarsogoodthen,butwhataboutgrip
levels?Theheelandtoeareaworkwell,butthe
smoothercentralzoneis a bitofa letdownon
evenaggressivelystuddedpedals.
Initially,it’swaytooeasytogetknockedout
ofpositionif tyreshita rootorrepeatbumps,
althoughoncepedalsstarttomakeindentations
onthesoleandtheshoebedsin,gripimproves.
You still won’t be that sold on the X-Alps if youlovea totallylocked-downfeelthough.
DespitePearlIzumi’sattractiveprice
andsupremecomfort,we’reafter
maximumgripforall-weather
riding,sothiswouldn’tbe
ourfirstchoice,especially
facedwithoftenwet,
muddyandslippery
UK conditions.SPECIALIZED 2FO 2.0
£130
SPECIFICATIONWeight:377geach (754gpair) • Sizes:5 to 13 • Colours:black,neonyellow• Contact:specialized.com
Thelatestgeneration2FOcomesintwo
flavours,withthispricier2.0modelusing
thicker,moredurablematerials.Despite
thedesignationit’sprettylightweight,
witha flexibletreadedsolethat’smuch
stickierthanolderSpecializedmodels.
The2FOis moresculptedandshaped
thana floppyskate-styleshoeand
extremelysupportive.Thewraparound,
deepheelcupreallygripstheankleand
thebrand’sBodyGeometryfootbed
cradlesarches,anglesthesoleand
spreadstoesforall-daycomfort.The
upperis reasonablystiff, buteverything
bedsinnicelyandloosenstomatchfeet
andpedalsaftera fewrides.
There’sdensefoamembeddedinthe
sidesandtoeboxincaseofstubbingor
knocks,andthetoughoutsideresists
splashesaswellasanyproductontest,
andalsodriesquickly.Supportagainst
ankleroll,andoverallsecurityis spot
on,bolsteredbya texturedtonguethat
doesn’twriggleandthicklacesthatstay
firmwhencrankeddown.
Thelatestformulaof‘SlipNot’sole
rubberis squidgyandstickyenough
andhasa tightlywovenlugpatternthat
meshesnicelywithflatpedalpins.The
2FO has outstanding shock absorption
andonroughtracksthethickershank
preventsfeetgettingpummelled.The
flipsidetothisis there’splentyofsoft,
conformingfoammaterialbetween
platformsandfeet,andsomeriderswill
prefer a thinner sole (or even the moredamped,ratherthansoft,sensationof
theFreeriderPros)toimprovepedalfeel.
Thisis a greatoptionif youprefera
morefitted,clip-styleflatpedalshoe
andwantthebestisolationandimpact
protection with good weather-proofi ng.