2019-05-01_Mountain_Bike_Rider

GROUP TEST

114 mbrM AY 2 019

SHIMANO AM5

£79.9 9

SPECIFICATIONWeight:465g(930gpair) • Sizes: 5-13 • Colours:
black, olive, red • Contact: madison.co.uk

ThisbrandnewAM5is Shimano’sbest-value
trailandenduroSPDshoeandsharessomeneat
technologyandfeatureswithpriciermodels.
It’scasuallystyledandpacksa lotofmesh
fabricintheupper,whichis reflectedinthe
competitivelylowweight,andalsothewaythe
AM5feelsveryunobtrusiveandeasytospin
whilepedalling.
ThesoleusesShimano’s‘pedalchannel’
feature,whichis a longcentraltroughthatreally
aidsclippinginoroutinallweathers.Basically,
withmorespacelengthwaysandrampededges
onthelargecleatbox,thecleatsdirecttothe
pedalfastandsnapintobindingsmoreeasily.
Thesoleisn’tthestiffest,butthere’svery
goodpedalfeel,inpartduetotherigiditylevels,
andalsoinhowtheshoefeelsreallyclosetothe
pedalssoyou’renotperchedonthebike.The
bottomnotbeingrockhardmeansit’seasyto
walkin,andthedeepheelandtoetreadsreally
griponsoftgroundtoo.
TheAM5lacesystemis basic,butit holdsthe
footsecurelywithnopressurepoints,although
undertensionthemeshfabricclumpsupinthe
toebox,whichlooksunsightly.Thismeshweave
is also the least protective on test against mud

andwater,sorideregularlyintherainoron

saturatedtrailsandyourfeetwillgetwetand

coldfaster.

Anotherthingwenoticedis theprotective

solebumperprotrudesslightlywiderthanthe

toebox,soclippingin(especiallyinmuddy

conditions)thesolecangetinthewayof

engagement by momentarily bumping into the

crankarm.Thesesmallniggles

aren’tdealbreakers,and

Shimano’sbudgetshoe

allowsgreatbikefeedback

insuperbcomfort(ifyou

don’tneedultimatestiffness

andprotection)for a

great price.

SPECIALIZED 2FO CLIPLITE

£147

SPECIFICATIONWeight:424g(848gpair) • Sizes:5 to 14 • Colours:black,acid mint•Contact:specialized.com

Spesh’s2FOClipliteshoeis especiallylight
weightandpacksa firm,locked-downride
quality.Theupperusesanalmostseamless
materialthat’splentystiffandsupportive,and
sculptedshapes,fabricsandtexturesinside
reallyholdthefoottightly.
Usinga compositestiffenerdownthesole
improvesrigidity,andtheSpeshsoleis onthe
firmersideofthespectrum.Powertransfer
feelsverydirect,amplifiedbytheBoasystem’s
strongholdanda wrap-aroundheelcupthat
reallystabiliseswhencrankinghard.
A squareredgearoundthedeepercleat
openingmeansit’shardertoclipinandout
thanwithsomeshoeshere,andthesoledoesn’t
alwaysworkbrilliantlywithallbiggerplatform
clippedalseither.
Twintensioningdialsallowyoutoreallycrank
theupperdown,andit’squickandeasytotune
tensiononthefly toalternatebetween‘looser’
forcruisingand‘tighter’formaximumefficiency
andsecurity.
Thethickermidsoleis wellcushioned
andisolatesterrainwell,sotheshoeis
comfyallday,buttogetherwiththeraised
MetatarsalButtonontheinsole(thatspreads
toesforextracomfort),feetcanfeela bit
perchedanddetachedfromthebike
whenhittingturnsandjumps.Thisextra
isolation can feel a bit numb and won’t

suitriderswantingtosenseexactlywhat’s

happeningunderfoot.

TheCliplitesareextremelycomfortableto

walkinwhenit’sdry,buttheluggedtreadisn’t

the grippiest in the wet. The 2FO price is at the

topendtoo,albeitoffsetby

thebrilliantfootsupport

andtheexcellentlongevity

we’veseeninextendeduse

with high-mileage riders.