Phatman

My beloved Giro Codes from 2015 are in the process of biting the dust, and the updated last that Giro is using just doesn't work with my foot. My road shoes are Shimanos, and they work okay so I ordered a set of Shimano XC501s to replace the Codes as my gravel/MTB shoe. Its weird, they feel high end, with nice materials and construction but the sole feels pretty flexy? Anyone used a set of these? I don't want to put the cleats on and ride them because I can't return them once I do, but does anyone know if you feel that flex while riding? Its hard to tell if its just in the toe or in the arch where it matters.

Kabuto

The flex is probably just in the toe. I use Shimano XC501s in combo with cageless XTR pedals for regular road riding, and I've never felt the sole was too flexible. The opposite actually, they feel plenty stiff with no hot spots. They feel stiffer to me than the Shimano rating of 7 suggests. I certainly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by not using "proper" road shoes and pedals.

Phatman

Cool, good to know. Any other shoes you’ve used that you can compare to? The Giros are/were super stiff and so are my (road only) RP9s that I’m currently using. With that said, I could totally see a shoe maker putting a bit of flex in the shoe past the cleat area to make walking easier.

Motorazr

For anyone looking at the XC5 or the chunkier, much less stiff MT5/MT7 shoes (stiffness level 4 on Shimano's scale) , I'd highly recommend giving the Scott MTB Comp/Elite/Team Boa shoes a look. The price ($120-150) of the Scott MTB shoes is less than the XC5 ($170) with nice fit, features, and enough stiffness (sizing is the same as Shimano).

The Scott MTB shoes (rated as "stiffness 6" on Scott's scale) aren't as chunky or as flexy as the Shimano MTB shoes - the outsole is more like the XC5 (stiffness 7) but with the comfort of the XC3 (stiffness 6). Different colorway choices than Shimano too. FYI, YMMV.

Phatman

Well I decided that the XC501s weren't stiff enough so I returned them and got a pair of the XC7s. The XC7s felt like the "right" amount of stiffness, but they jabbed me in the side of my foot, so I returned them too. I ******g hate buying shoes online but the only place within 30 miles that has shoes to try on is a specialized only dealer and the latest specialized shoes are awful.

A set of Lake MX218s are on the way, lets see if they're comfortable.

Motorazr

For reference, Shimano lists their XC701 shoes as being stiffness level 9 (Shimano scale 0-12).

I'm not yet allow to post external links here but if you search the internet for "Shimano Stiffness Index" you'll find a chart showing where all of Shimano's shoes fit on their stiffness scale.

Phatman

Right, it says that right on the shoe. The issue is that the numbers don’t mean anything. I don’t have anyway to compare a Shimano to a Giro or a Lake.

on the XC501s, the main thing I was trying to figure out is if they had done some kind of trickery to get the toe area to flex while keeping the rest of the shoe stiff. My conclusion was that they had not, which is why I tried the XC701s but they didn’t fit.

scottfsmith

Fizik Infinito X1 are very stiff and are fantastic shoes. Also very expensive. I got a deal on them though so it might be worth a look around.

I am a one-bike guy (road, gravel, commute) so I need super stiff SPD shoes to cover all bases.. these guys do the trick. I had some Shimanos before that but they didn't fit my foot so well.

himespau 

Why the F do they have a scale that runs to 12? Why not 1-10 like a normal scale? That just pisses me off.

Phatman

Yeah, the shimanos are...unique. I use an orthotic insert though, and the completely flat footbed of the older shimanos works for me. I'm not crazy about the super tight heel fit, but it wasn't bad on the XC5 or the XC7. The pair of XC7s I had, I'm not sure if they were defective or not. When I put them on, I felt something stabbing the outside/bottom of my foot on the left side under my ankle bone. When I took the insole out, I found that I could see the carbon fiber stiffener part of the shoe, but it had a little "wall" running along the outside of the stiffener. I should've taken a picture of it, but it was very strange and super uncomfortable so they were sent back.

I've heard that the Fiziks use a lot of built-in arch support, which eliminates them from the running for me, since I need a nice flat footbed for my inserts.

I'm hoping the Lakes I ordered work out, they seem super popular on the forums. They come today.

uh because 11 is definitely not enough.


It really doesn't matter though, even if it was 1-10, you still wouldn't be able to compare brands I don't think.

scottfsmith

The Infinito X1's are flat-bedded. There is arch to the factory inserts but those get removed.

I have some G8 inserts on order, my bike fitter recommended that brand. I have high arches. He also sells Lakes, I probably would have gotten Lakes had I not bumped into a deal on these Infinitos.

Phatman

Ah, weird. Not sure where I heard that they had a contoured footbed then. Maybe I'll try out the Fiziks if the Lakes don't work out.