I almost didn't buy this pair of shoes. My wife told me that
since my birthday was quite near, she will close one eye
when she sees the price displayed on the Point Of Sales
machine and just enter her PIN very very quickly and so
I better go and buy what I really want!
... but still 335SGD is very very hard to swallow for some
thing that will offer benefits that can only be felt and
not measured. So, there I was, looking at the RXL, the RL
and the Race models of the Bontrager MTB line of shoes.
After looking (really just looking) long and hard at the RXL,
I decided not to buy them and went home ..... and then
I came back the next day and bought them hehehehehe.
Above picture shows the crux of the matter. The sole is
made up of carbon fiber. I mean the whole sole is carbon
fiber, not just the itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie 'window' where
you attach the cleats. Due to this construction, the shoe
is sooo stiff ... and it is sooo light that I am shedding tears
of joy whenever I am wearing them while climbing
Personal Challenge.
Note the 2 screws that are in place of the two 'cobra fangs'
or football studs. 2 pairs of football studs came with the
shoes as well as a tool to screw and unscrew said football
studs. However, I used them in KulaiJaya and I lost one
of them (remember to use Loctite!!). So instead of
going around with a pair and a half of football studs,
I decided to take them out and just use screws instead.
Anyway, I'll try and see if there are any spare football
studs in any of the T3/Treknology branches.
Also, if you could just go back to the first picture?
Notice that the buckle has these 2 black buttons? You
can't miss is it. The buckle is silver and the buttons are
black. Pressing the two black buttons simultaneously
will totally release the strap ... pressing just one button
will adjust the strap tension a little at a time. Neat eh!?
Now, refer to the red arrow in the photo above.
The red arrow is pointing to a metal band that I always
pinch before I wear these shoes. What it does is it 'narrows'
the part that touches my Achilles tendon. As you wear the
shoe, the back part then conforms to your Achilles tendon
leaving you with a really snug feeling ... ahhhh the devil
is in the details. Not just that! See the silvery cloth material
that will come into contact with your socks? Even that
material has a function! Your socks will slide down
perfectly when you are wearing these shoes. BUT in the
opposite direction, the material feels like velcro!
what this means is you will not encounter any
'resistance' when wearing these shoes BUT when you
are pedalling, this material is 'fighting' the tendency
of your heel to 'lift' your foot out of the shoe!
Very nice (thumbs up like Borat)!
Now, see the Aqua arrow? That arrow is pointing to
a vent protected by a mesh ... looks like it was taken
from a Maserati :)
Lastly, the insert that came with the shoes can
be baked and it will then conform to your feet! The
instructions came in the box ... but I'm lazy ... and
who really does these things? Maybe there will come
a day when I will appreciate these baked shoes/shoe
parts ... but for now ....
...and ok, I hear you, how does it 'ride' you say?
As I said at the beginning, there is no way to measure this
... maybe unless I buy a Power Meter? But I don't have
a Power Meter and I don't know if any of my Roadie
friends have one also. But the difference is very obvious!
Climbing is easier. Power transfer is very good as there
is less energy wasted on flex.
Now, I've professed my love for my new shoes, I would
just like to say that for me, shoes like these really make
XC a lot more enjoyable. Notice that I am not just singling
the Bontrager RXL. I believe you will not go wrong with the
top of the line Shimano, yellow Mavic Furies or SIDI Dragons.
The only consideration is how much money would you
be willing to part with to take advantage of these racing tools.
... ok, next post I'll be telling you about some thing that
I've noticed lately ...
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