Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis/Rocky Mountain) adjusts himself to the race conditions

FONTANA, CA – The US National Mountain Bike Race Series kicked off in Southern California this weekend just an hour and a half outside Los Angeles in the industrial belly of Fontana, California. The Spring weather sunny and clear… but windy. The temperatures actually got above eighty degrees by race start time but the wind played a more major race factor blowing sand all over the course and into racer’s teeth. Some of the elite women were even blown off their bikes on the steep sandy climbs.

The wind was blustery enough to give Canadian racer Geoff Kabush a surprising slap in the face while he was trying to chill-lax pre-race outside his custom U-Haul trailer that acts as his team rig for Team Maxxis/Rocky Mountain. The experience left sand all the way from his lawn-chair to his sandals.

Upon getting up close and personal with a gail-forced dust devil he exclaimed, “I’ve been getting that from time to time all morning.” Kabush concluded that the wind might actually groom loose sand from the sketcher portions of the tail, “the corners might get a little more sticky,” he noted. Kabush was looking to win in Fontana for a fifth-consecutive year.

The wind gave it’s biggest due to the women sending their more petite frames scattered across the course. “I got blown off my bike on that one climb,” Willow Koerber (USA) Subaru-Gary reported after finishing third in her Shimano WM80′s.

Lene Byberg (Nor) racing for Specialized won the women’s field handily by over a minute. After the race she had a slight scratch above her left ankle but her Specialized Women’s BG Pro MTB Shoes looked unscathed.

From an overall footwear standpoint at this National level of Elite Pro Racing there were two surprises. One being how many feet Bontrager RLX race shoes were supporting, by far the most dominating shoe in both men’s and women’s Pro fields. Probably because Trek and Gary Fisher continue to be devoted to mountain bike racing in the US and sponsorships go further than just bike frames and jerseys.

There was also a surprising lack of Sidi shoes on Pro feet at this US National. While Sidi is currently the most popular shoemaker sold in the US, they aren’t appearing on Pro feet as much. So much so that you have to hunt to find them.

As the afternoon developed the wind subsided and the Elite Pro Men were called to the line. All the North American stars were in attendance including Jeremy Hogan-Kobelski, Ryan Trebon, Sid Taberlay, Todd Wells, Geoff Kabush, Eric Batty, Carl Decker, Barry Wicks and legendary veteran Tinker Juarez.

Just before staging I spied a sweet looking pair of Specialized S-Works on Todd Wells’ feet. I asked him if they were brand new but he confirmed that they were already three races old. Even though he was about to be called to the starting line he took time to explain how much he was enjoying his light-weight shoes and how easy they were to clean and keep their fresh look.

I asked Todd what size he wore. “I think they’re a 44,” he replied. Funny, I didn’t expect him to not be sure about his shoe size but he knew he was number one when he capped off his day with a big win.

It was a big day for Specialized and their shoes, both enjoying victories in the women’s and men’s elite races.

[View with PicLens]

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US Pro XCT #1, Fontana, CA March 27, 2010

Men’s Results

Women’s Results

Bontrager's new shoe for women provides all-day comfort

The newest model released this week is called the Cadence and is built for the off-bike versatility as well as being ideal for the active bike commuter on the go.

The shoe looks a lot like a tennis shoe with low profile tread suitable for walking without the need to change shoes after riding. These would be a great choice for any woman who doesn’t use clipless pedals, even though they do accept optional pedal cleats.

Bontrager Brand Manager, Natascha Grief, was quoted saying “It’s the perfect shoe for when you want some of the performance benefits of a cycling shoe without looking like you are wearing one.”

Bontrager constructs their shoes with four aspects of shoe design technology. They call them the four C’s: Construction, Cut, Cup, and Customization. This time all that attention is directed with women athletes in mind.

Construction
Bontrager starts with a women’s specific form (called a last) and uses a Strobel construction method that gives the Cadence a good blend of stability and comfort.

Cut
The Cadence features non-stretch synthetic uppers chosen specifically for their ability to provide support for on-bike efficiency and suppleness for street-shoe comfort, but again with a woman’s specific design in mind.

Cup
The Cadence uses an internal heel cup instead of a bulky looking external cup found in higher performance racing shoes.

Customization
All Bontrager inForm shoes can be customized. The Cadence will accept any custom or customizable insoles.

The shoe laces up with normal shoelaces. If you are shopping for this shoe you might want to make sure these won’t get caught and torn in your chainrings.

The Cadence will be available starting in October 2009 from Bontrager dealers.

price: $74.99
US sizes: 5.5 to 11

The Biomac Bio-MxC2 is an incredibly light and stiff shoe, but the fit may be controversial. That’s because the pedal cleats line up under your arch not along the ball of your foot. The idea may have logic but it may not have legs, only time will tell. If you currently ride with the pedal under the ball of your foot it may take some time for your sprint to come back to this design.

Biomac makers, and fitness coaching star Joe Friel argue that by moving the cleats back to the arch “might” considerably reduce calf workload leaving more oxygen and energy for larger muscle groups to produce more total power efficiently. In other words, the new position might allow you to go faster for longer with no additional training thanks to the mechanical leverage.

Personally, I used to ride with my cleats pushed back towards my arches for years. Then after a custom fit, I moved my cleats up just below my metatarsal bone and the results were astonishing – my legs got stronger and my spin evened out. I’ll be keeping them under the ball of my foot for now.

The construction of the Biomac shoes is suspect as well. Reporter James Huang notes the visible glue lines along the carbon soles and the strap enclosures don’t quite line up well. That may not sound like good news, but out of the box the shoes appear to perform very well. Who knows what condition they might be in after a couple thousand kilometers. Plus, the footbed sounds uncomfortable from almost no padding so you’ll want to drop in your own insoles to avoid hot spots and problems.

The bottom line on these shoes may be too pricey for your closet anyway. They cost over $712 in the United States. Ouch!

Colors: White
Sizes: 39-50
Weight: 348 g
Price: $712

Read the CyclingNews Review here.

sweet shoes from the swiss.

They start with lasts like these. Gaerne has a nice collection of fast feet here.
Those lasts are used to make fancy kicks with personalized graphics that tell the story of the rider or sport their team colors.

Let’s take a preview and guess what the Pro’s might be wearing this season… The DMT Dragon casual still is sporty enough to be on the bike, but it has a soft outsole and no inserts for cleats.

Specialized has a relaxed looker that comes in either black, white and brown.

These Nalini “Logho” shoes might take the cake.

If you’re spinning towards the beach or the park and looking for a tennis style shoe you can wear while you throw the Frisbee around – check these ideas out.

I’m not talking about flat pedal BMX-style shoes, these will all work with clipless pedals if you choose, accepting Shimano-style SPD cleats made for mountain biking.

But you don’t have to use them that way, just don’t cut the rubber out of the bottoms when you buy. You can save that project for later if you decide to upgrade the pedals on your bike and go clipless.

One thing to remember when shopping for casual, tennis-style cycling shoes is how to keep the laces from getting caught in the cranks and chainrings. I’ve ruined more than ten shoelaces with the chainring guillotine so be aware.

If you’re afraid of looking too goofy at the coffee shop try these five street styles that still play the role of ultimate cross trainer…

PEARL IZUMI X-ALP LOW – $90

Low cut construction for light, fast feel that will have you running. With all the mesh built-in you they will dry quickly if you get wet.

The laces are held back with a strap that Velcros across the upper.  Pearl Izumi also offers a mid-top model and more colors depending on the season as well as a women’s style.

CANNONDALE RANGE MTB SHOE – $79

Like the others my favorite feature in this shoe is the lace containment unit on the tongue to keep laces secure and away from the crank. The sole is a little stiffer for pedaling efficiency, but when you’re off the bike the heel has a dual compound meant to absorb shock.

They also come in black. The retail price might be close to $80, but I’ve seen them on sale for as little as $60 so they might be hard to find. Still, Cannondale has been making shoes for a long time and they come out with new styles all the time. There should be similar items available.

SHIMANO SH-FN22 – $89

This highly ventilated mesh shoe is as versatile as it is well made. The seamless interior allows you the freedom to go sockless.  The shank plate keeps the sole from marking up gymnasium floors and flexes for running comfort.

Shimano classifies this as an indoor cycling shoe making it an obvious choice for checking out spin classes at the fitness center.

An antibromic, antibacterial insole reduces smelly odors – even in the ladies style.
The laces sport almost has as much webbing as mesh. And like the Cannondale the integrated lace strap holds the laces safely in place.

Because it’s all black your kids may think you’re cooler than the other side of the pillow…  but no promises.

SPECIALIZED BG SONOMA SHOE – $75

Black is the trend for casual cycling but Specialized forgets the laces and gets back to Velcro basics. This also sports real suede leather in parts of the upper but adds reflective material on the toe and heel to keep you safer after hours.

Like the Cannondale, Specialized has a TrailTraction midsole plate is stiff for cycling, but flexible for walking.  The SPD compatible sole has a smooth walking tread.

The women’s style comes in two color choices.

Bontrager makes one like this with their $100 Street model, but I just don’t like it as much. They were trying for the corporate commute, but I like the chances Exustar’s Touring shoe takes instead. If you want a Bontrager, go for the Race Mountain which is also about $99, it’s not the formal inclanation but it will give you the eSole feature if you care.

KEEN COMMUTER CYCLING SANDAL – $115

For the spontaneity of summer cycling and sunset jaunts down to the local brewpub throw these Jesus shoes on and stay cool to the last drop.

Shimano pioneered the idea, but Keen might have perfected the design.

The added toe protection is nice to the shield your toes from bumps or flying pebbles. A laced drawcord closure quicklocks with a secure fit and a Microbe Shield liner is built in to keep odor to a minimum.

The Keen sandal comes in a women’s version too.

So now you have some ideas about cycling shoes that are styled to both ride in and hike in. If you still need more ideas you might ask the ladies of Denmark.

Check out America’s Best Prices At PerformanceBike.com
they have a great shoe selection.

You might see something unexpected the next time you are shopping for cycling shoes – lower prices on Sidi. There is planned reduction in overall pricing on Sidi shoes as early as this spring.

Veltec Sports distributes Sidi shoes in North America and plans to offset the turbulent economic climate by lowering prices by 8 to 15 percent. For example the Genius 6.6 Carbon road shoes new price is now $449.99. But all top-end shoes might also drop below the sensitive $500 ceiling.

The price reductions have been made to all carry-over stock as well as the new 2009 model year and it’s big news from one of the most popular and pricey shoe lines in the world.

The announcement comes as shoe companies have launched new shoes this spring. New models of Bontrager, Specialized and Mavic have already hit the shelves in many parts of the United States. But the Sidi price reduction actually reflects the current global economic concerns rather than in response to competitors.

In the past seven years the Italian shoemaker has seen significant gains in the United States but at that same time the value of the euro has greatly surpassed the dollar. In fact between 2002 and the start of 2009 the euro increased by 88 percent. While the dollar has declined Sidi sales have still more than doubled in North America.

Ivan Basso at Sidi Factory

Manfred Krikke, CEO of Veltec Sports said, “The price reduction is intended to stimulate sell-through and to support our bicycle retailer partners during a tough economy.”

Veltec has been distributing Sidi for more than 30 years and some of the shoe models are designed specifically for American riders. Even though Veltec will not immediately benefit from the change, it anticipates the euro to lower in the remainder of 2009 and wants to pass on the savings now rather than waiting until 2010.

Shop for the
Sidi Genius 5 Road Shoe
and other Sidi’s now.

Even if you just do one triathlon every year this shoe might be a good choice. It still has all the functions for a high-mileage cyclist with two Velcro straps across the top.

The triathlon specific design comes from a brushed interior for sock-free comfort. If you don’t like to wear socks when you ride you might think about a pair of triathlon shoes for that specific reason.

The top strap opens away from inside to out away from the bike and the large heel loop in the back will help make transitions faster.

These shoes combine Sidi’s reputation for high-performance quality with a women’s specific fit.  The carbon composite sole is a multi-flex design. Sidi knows that the sole should be stiff over the ball of your foot for efficient power transfer but flex slightly in other areas to prevent hot spots by making room for blood flow without stressing your nervous system.

Because these shoes will last for a long time, the heel pad on the bottom of the shoe is replaceable.

The Women’s Sidi T2 would also be another great choice for spinning class at the gym.

The white and pink colors give a shout out for breast cancer research as Sidi gives a portion of the proceeds to the Pink Ribbon Program fighting against breast cancer.

Sizes 38-43
Price: $259

The style of this shoe is relaxed with a pearlescent white finish and a light blue script that reads, “women’s specific fit.”

With 3 Velcro straps and a stiff rubber sole this simple, classic design from Shimano has been created with the nuances of a woman’s foot in mind offering a low, narrow heel coupled with low volume at the toe.

The first thing my girlfriend said when she got her pair to test was, “They don’t look so much like a space boot,” referring to how she feels about most cycling shoe styles. I think this comes from the impression that most athletic shoes are styled for men.

These are comfortable and lightweight, the breathable mesh does its job keeping your foot cool while also remaining quite adjustable with the Velcro straps.

The bottom soles are not carbon, but do have a complete set of tread for excellent traction and walking comfort while still being stiff enough for serious power transfer.

A nice detail that sets Shimano’s design a part is the stretchy neoprene tops on the tongues that prohibit any irritation on top of your feet.

While these are designed for mountain biking, they are also versatile enough to be a cuter choice for spinning at the gym. All you need are some SPD clips and you are ready to workout.

Sizes: 5 to 10 ½ (Euro 36 to 43)