Shimano SH-M085 MTB Cycling Shoes

Success! I managed to return the Exustar to Tay Cycles and got this Shimano SH-M085 shoes in exchange. But the wife is still angry as I had to top-up with 45SGD more. Anyway, I think this is better than being stuck with half a shoe on my foot and the other half on the pedal.

So, this calls for a review of M-085 :-)

I have always worn 41 size shoes (two Specialized shoes and one Shimano MT31). For some unexplainable reason, size 41 for M085 feels too tight for me. So I chose size 42 which feels just right.

M085 is dominantly silver colored synthetic leather with black mesh and some white and red highlights. The cuff is well padded. However, the tongue is not as well-padded as the Exustar. The sole looks to be made up of two pieces. One big black piece makes up the stud area and there is a 'window' which is made up of a grey plastic. This grey plastic feels harder than the surrounding black studs and is where the cleats are attached.

There are two velcros and one ratchet strap for securing the shoe. The middle velcro is offset. I am sure Shimano has a very good reason for doing this but for now all I can think of is it looks nice. The ratchet ! As usual, point of comparison will be the ratchet on my old specialized MTB shoes. I am glad to report that the ratchets on the M085s are very smooth. One push of the release button really releases the ratchet (I have always had to wrestle with my Specialized ratchets). Inserting them in is also a doodle. You can hear each click of the notched strap.

Test Ride

First, I walk a few steps on these shoes. People might question my testing cycling shoes while walking. Well, MTB riders are not roadies. We would have to walk parts of the trail we can't clear hence the test. Having said that, these shoes are precisely in between walking in road cycling shoes (which are very stiff) and your favourite sneakers (which should be very soft and comfy). So, I don't expect any problems on the hike-a-bike portions of the trail.

I'm going out for a ride now. I'll update this post when I'm back. Hopefully, these shoes don't do an Exustar on me.

Update : 40Km Ride

You might wonder why I took these shoes on a 40Km ride and for the last pair of shoes (Exustar AKA paperweights) I only went for 20Km. I used my hardtail on this ride. I also changed my Maxxis ADVantage to a pair of Maxxis CrossMarks. This setup is the closest thing that I have to a roadbike setup. Whereas for the paperweights, I was using my BeOne Nirvana (4in FS) shod with a pair Kenda Nevegal Stick-E 2.1 .

Anyway, what can I say? These are Shimanos and what they lack in the bling department they make up for reliabiliy. Nothing tore. Nothing came unglued. The shoe is perfect.

So, who are these shoes for? It's for people like me who chose the path of clipless pedals and yet don't have the full blown budget for a pair of Mavic Furies or SIDI Dragons. These shoes are not as bling as the top of the line MTB shoes but they are stiff enough for serious pedalling. I will be taking these on a trail ride on Saturday as well and I am quite sure the leather used on these shoes will easily shrug off the mud in Bukit Timah. For 115SGD these shoes are a bargain.

But the big question is, would I buy them again? No. I already have two pairs of middle offering from Spez, one starter MTB shoe from Shimano and now this middle offering from Shimano as well. I think next time, I'll go and treat myself to either the yellow Mavic Fury or red SIDI Dragons just to see if these top of the line shoes are really worth the 400-500SGD pricetag.

Before I conclude this post, I leave you with two photos I took from Tanjong Rhu on my way to ECP where I did the Test Ride.