Shoes

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Permalink Reply by ZenNMotion on July 9, 2009 at 11:13am

Lake MX 160. They have a full vibram hiking shoe type sole, flexible enough to run/walk in. A little heavy for normal cross races, but stable and good footing for something like 3 Peaks. These are my shoes every year for the Iron Cross event in PA, or anytime a lot of walking/hiking is anticipated on a MTB ride or sightseeing on a bike tour. I think these are the shoes on the muddy feet on the very first cover of CX Mag- these ones in the link pic.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ooi0D0TfAaI/RziagfJ5TmI/AAAAAAAAANU/njbri...

My favorites for regular racing are Nike Carnerso, very light, not too stiff for running, good sole for running steps, don't clog with mud, play well with eggbeater pedals and fit my feet. Ridiculous price at full retail, but I found mine on a discount website, luckily they fit.

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Permalink Reply by andrew on July 9, 2009 at 7:41pm

good eye zennmotion. it's even my profile pic. they are indeed on the cover of our first issue.

i've since gone to mx165 - which added a strap. I can't say enough about the laces - they really ensure a good fit, esp. if you have narrower/low volume feet like me, and the sole is great for all surfaces and durable. they do weigh a bunch though.

i guess the shoes are so coveted they actually got stolen from the roof of my car, muddy and all, without insoles. very sad.

we've been since testing a bunch of shoes and we'll have a lot more info soon, but in the meantime, i'd have to say the louis garneau carbon t-flex has enough give to make hiking comfortable and the sole grips well.

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Permalink Reply by Echappe Equipment on July 11, 2009 at 10:14am

Just favorites? I raced Sidi Dominators for years - same pair. They lasted for a long time, but I think I'm going to have to retire them this season. I don't know if I can drop anther $300 on shoes for this season, though so I'm checking out Shimano and Specialized shoes. I've raced both on the road for the past three years and have liked them a lot. I think their mountain shoes would be similarly comfortable.

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Permalink Reply by Darren on July 12, 2009 at 6:14pm

sidi dominators are my fav.

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Permalink Reply by George Schulz on July 14, 2009 at 6:06am

I'm a big fan of Sidi shoes but the soles are not good for standing on the pedals for dismounts. The soles are to slipery. I've been using a pair of Nike's with soles made of a softer compound. They do not slip off as easy as my Sidi shoes.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on August 5, 2009 at 6:32am

I wear the Shimano WM60s but I'm sure there's a men's version. They are the most comfortable things ever. I have to admit I unclip and stand on the left pedals for my dismount as I seem not to be able to master the whole swing the leg through and unclip thing very well and the Sidis were too slick and stiff for me. I didn't feel they had enough flex. These are awesome. Of course, they are white so now they are a brown/tan/sludge sort of color.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Nowak on July 14, 2009 at 1:27pm

sidi dominators. still have a pair that is 6 years old and in good shape. have not experienced any slipping or issues that others talk about.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Dolan on August 6, 2009 at 2:45pm

I really love the Adidas Hammer MTB shoes. There is a pretty large plate under the cleat, so they're stiff enough to crank, but the toe actually has a decent amount of flex so getting off the bike is bearable. The uppers are made a sort of thick, puffy mesh, so you can just hose them down, squeeze them and let them dry when they're muddy. They fasten with a string/locking pulley, which works for me, because velcro blows for cross in my opinion (it always gets worn out and loose). The kicker is you can get them for under a $100 USD.

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