- Cost: £93.99 (RRP £129.99)
- Bought from: Wiggle
- Time tested: 2 months
In the words of that advert from a few years back…”new shoes?…oooh!”
After the best part of 8 years rocking Shimano’s DX and AM45 SPD shoes on my feet, the time has come for something different. Enter the M200 ‘enduro’ shoe!
Those previous Shimano shoes were great for mountain biking, especially in the UK, as the laces flap was excellent at keeping rain and mud out and they were alright for commuting as well (for the same reason) but also with the SPD cleat recessed and fairly normal looks, I didn’t feel like a roadie goon walking in to the shops, click-clacking away. The biggest downside to the shoes however was how much water they soaked up and that they would literally take days to dry out after a wet ride!
I looked at the successor to those Shimanos, the AM9, but read a few comments saying they were a bit more flexier than before and I fancied something a bit stiffer if possible, plus, when it came to stumping up the cash, the M200s were on offer for not much more so I got them instead.
First point, I’m normally a size 8 in shoes, sometimes a size 9 and read a few comments that it was best to size up from your normal shoe, so I got a 9 and they fit well. There’s a bit of heel lift when walking but up front they feel good and they don’t feel too narrow for my feet.
Second point, these bad boys are so much lighter than my old AMs! Apparently there’s lighter density foam padding as well so when they get drenched they shouldn’t turn into two lead weights on my feet which can only be a good thing.
Third point, I’m on my third pair already! I’ll come to that further down.
So what about the rest? These are the first non-lace up shoe I’ve had, using a pull-cord to tighten them up with a slidey baffle thingy® (which has a bit of Velcro attached to stick it to the underside of the rain/lace flap), and a XC shoe-type ratchet buckle to tighten it up across the top of the foot.
The main flap velcros down over the lower 2/3 of the tongue and the ratchet strap has a wide cover to cover the top 1/3. I’ve found that the shoe does up nice and securely on my feet and feels comfy when riding, but I was a little disappointed with the first pair that whilst the two flaps sat close together on my right foot, there was a gap between them on my left, which could have potentially led to a bit more dirt and water getting into the shoe. Subsequent pairs haven’t had this niggle though. There’s a quality insole provided as well to help with fit and shock absorbtion and that has some pretty colours to prove it.
The bottom of the shoe is like a good MTB tyre with different rubber compounds – firm where it contacts caged pedals (like my Shimano XT Trail pedals) and soft for the tread to help you get some grip when pushing up muddy climbs or sketchy rocks. There’s also a bit of carbon thrown in there somewhere to keep the sole stiff, although there’s a sort of ‘ribbed for your pleasure’ mid-sole to allow your feet to twist when getting your swerve on through the trees. The cleat mounts also extend further back than normal, so if you like to ride clipped in but with your feet more centrally over the pedal axle, this is more possible. I’ve currently set mine up in a similar position to my old shoes which was as far back as possible then but I’ve now got more room to play with if desired. And of course, you still get those square stickers to stick inside the shoe to stop water getting in…(?)!
I got the black ones. I fancied the limited edition electric blue ones as they reminded me of the Nike Air Foamposite basketball shoes Anfernee Hardaway wore back in the mid-90’s that I lusted after for ages, but they’d not be so subtle for dropping into Tesco on the way back from work! They also come in a green with orange trim if you fancy something with just a mild enduro look.
Any issues? Unfortunately yes. After wearing them for a couple of weeks, mainly for commutes, the pull-cord on the right shoe snapped completely. I got in contact with Wiggle who offered some own-brand replacements free of charge or, a full warranty replacement. I’d only had them a few weeks so sent them back and got some new shoes back the following week. The good news with the second pair; the cord didn’t snap. The bad news; the replacement pair soon failed with a different issue!
The ratchet on the left shoe of the first replacement pair was faulty and began chewing up the serrated strap. This meant that it was increasingly trickier to tighten up the shoe and after a few weeks of use, just got worse. So these were also returned and now the third pair have arrived…so I’m giving them one last chance! Wiggle’s returns department have been great so far and sorted out replacements quickly which has been much appreciated but obviously, the reliability of these shoes has been disappointing so far.
So in summary, comfy, stiff enough for trail riding and light but, unusually for Shimano, very questionable reliability. Shimano have recently announced the new ME5 which might be more robust and could be a better option.
orena45blog - MTB Riding & Racing 