Roughly a month ago I blew threw my favorite pair of do all cycling shoes, Sidi Dominators. They have had a good life, and just needed a cleat repair so I put them on the rack until they could be repaired and went hunting for a new pair of shoes in the shop. Originally the new Bontrager shoes were on my want list, but not being released until just recently, they weren’t available at that time. I opted for the cheapest option for my commute that was 99% of my recent riding.
The option :
Pearl Izumi Sprint Shoes (womens of course.) MSRP $74.99
This shoe is much different than most of my cycling shoes, I’ll be honest I’ve never worn a “recreational” shoe before. All my shoes have been high performance road or mountain shoes. I’ve been rather amazed how easy the transition has been. It is easy to walk in this shoe as it’s not as stiff as a higher end shoe but it does not flex over the pedal either. Walking on and off my bus, even in the rain. has never been easier. The other reason for purchasing these was the fact that Pearl Izumi runs larger than most. This means I can wear big socks for the cold winter commute and still put a shoe cover over the top if I need.
There are a many pluses to this shoe and for the normal commuter I think the positives will fully out weigh the negatives I have encountered. These shoes will never replace my dedicated road or mountain shoes but for my commute I think they will be the perfect ticket. Once I have a month of cold and wet riding I will report back on how they are holding up.
Pro’s:
Great traction, easy to walk in and a good comfortable shoe. I worked a few days in a row in mine and didn’t have too many issues (see con’s.) The reflective stripes that are built in under the mesh on the sides is great. The fact they are under the mesh makes it so they don’t wear off in normal every day wear like on other shoes I have owned. If I did spin, which I don’t, these would be great for it.
Con’s:
Heavier than a shoe that is 30 or so dollars more. Very wide and does not fit well in toe clips. The SPD mount is very long and not average. I normally run my cleat about middle of the mount or towards the top. I needed to slam my cleat all the way to the back on these pedals. Not horrible, but something to be aware of. Support is not good but I am coming off of Sidi’s which are known to have a great support system in them.