You may notice that I said, ‘short,’ local blasts, and that is because I found the toe box to be quite snug in the height department and if I rode for much over an hour, the tops of my toes would rub and eventually blister. This is not something I have ever encountered when testing MTB shoes for the last 7 years, so I would suggest trying them on in a local shop to see how they fit, especially if you have fat toes. Ben has put the flat pedal shoes, from Specialized, Ride Concepts and Etnies head to head to see which comes out on top. Etnies are not the first name you think of when it comes to MTB shoes, but over the past few years the skate brand has been developing and releasing an ever-growing line up of MTB shoes, from freestyle and more casual models developed with Brandon Semenuk, to more trail-focused ones like the Camber Crank tested here. The 2FO Roost feels firm and quite sporty without being too stiff, although they do feel stiffer than the previous versions. The upper is a strange choice with a brushed leather toe and heel area that changes colour to darker green as soon as it gets wet. It also seems to hold onto dirt for longer than the smooth finish on the Etnies and on previous versions of the 2FO. Neither thing is a big deal, but I didn’t really like this aspect of the styling.

As always, there is a trade off with shoes and pedals between outright grip and the ability to slightly adjust your foot position on the fly. I err on the side of outright grip and don’t mind riding a section with one foot a bit wonky or out of place if it means my feet won’t blow off. The Specialized 2FO’s excellent sole gives you the option to have max grip by running them with long pedal pins or you can have more movement by running shorter, less aggressive pins. A grippy soles gives you that choice where a less grippy one only gives you one option.

Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply. For outright grip and feel, the Specialized 2FO Roost wins hands down. For riders on a budget, the Etnies Camber Crank are a really decent shoe that also offers great weather proofing. For the nastiest weather or for riders who seek the extra ankle protection, the Wildcats are hard to beat. Right out the box the Etnies Camber CLs have an aura of high-quality craftsmanship, and just by looking at the way everything is stitched and bonded together, it’s clear that Etnies have perfected the manufacturing process with this particular shoe. This feeling continues when you first slip through the compression tongue and the size of our UK7.5 sample felt exactly as we’d expect. The toe box was wide enough that the toes can splay comfortably, and the insole supported our relatively neutral arches well. The cleat recess offers lots of adjustment and set-up options in all directions, but due to it being deeper than most we did have to spend more time than usual playing with cleat spacers and the pin height of our Crank Brothers Mallet DH pedals – we ended up with two spacers beneath the cleat and the pins wound almost flush with the pedal body before we reached a set-up we were happy with. While this is something you should only have to do in the event of getting new cleats or pedals, it still adds faff during the initial set-up phase.

The Etnies Camber CLs are a great option for anyone wanting a sorted clipless shoe for gravity riding. Plus we can’t help but feel that anyone with history or interest in skateboarding and/or BMX will be proud to sport the Etnies logo in the woods. Tech specs: Etnies Camber CL All three shoes have been very durable over the winter of riding and testing and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses making them more suited to different riders. This is not so much of a test to see which is best, but a comparison to help you decide which is the type of shoe for you and your riding. So, with three new sets of shoes and a long, cold and wet winter of riding, I have been putting in plenty of miles to see if any of these fresh offerings can compare to my benchmark shoe, the 5.10 Freerider Pro. Sole grip was similar to the Michelin rubber on the Etnies, although the general feel of the sole was somewhat stiffer. That stiffness does limit how much your foot wraps itself around the pedal, but it also feels pretty efficient on all day missions. Testing was limited somewhat due to COVID, so I didn’t get any long, rough laps of Bike Park Wales but I am going to speculate that the supportive design and stiff sole would make these comfy options for all day party laps, where a softer shoe can be tiring, leaving you with sore feet when the vertical metres descended gets into the 1500+ range.Chain reaction Cycles and CRC are trading names of Wiggle Ltd (In Administration) registered in the United Kingdom at 1000 Lakeside, Suite 310, Third Floor N E Wing, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3EN,

It is also worth noting that all testing was cold and wet and these have not been ridden in hot, summer conditions. Looking at the level of waterproofing and the amount of venting I would suggest that the 2FO Roost would be the coolest with the Etnies in the middle and then the big padded ,Ride Concepts being the warmest.