Strengths: Durability!, ankle protection, good grip on foot
Weaknesses: not too good paint on robber parts
Bottom Line:
I have them since 2000, so they're quite old. God, it's been 7 years! It's a long time, but unfortunately, I haven't found any other worth replacement for these shoes. I stopped using SPD pedals a year ago, so this and plus other breaks, will give like 4 years of using those shoes. Well, okey - the're going down right now, the heel support goes in pieces, paint on rubber straps is gone, but who cares? They still work fine, hold my feet pretty strong and makes my pedaling more effective than with DC M-Courts with X-Tension pedals. Great shoes if you need something for downhill racing, otherwise don't even bother.
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Missoula, MT
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003
Strengths: Breathable Tough Stiff
Weaknesses: A bit narrow at first, formed to my feet in a few weeks
Bottom Line:
I have had these shoes for two years and have put 5K miles on them. I was gonna buy another pair of shoes this year but these guys won't die. The shoe fit is on the narrow side. The soles are hanging tough and are still as stiff as day one. Some of the stiching has become loose but nothing serious. They breath well, but as a consequence water soaks right to your feet if your caught out in the rain. The ankle biter system is only really useful for keeping the ticks out. Straps work well. Bottom line, durable, breathable shoe that is best in dry climates.
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from Katy, TX
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2002
Strengths: Ankle protection Stiff sole
Weaknesses: Velcro on neoprene ankle gaiter sticks to inside of shoe making it difficult to get on easily
Bottom Line:
Just what I was looking for. The velcro straps seem to be fine in terms of stiffness unlike the earlier reviewers experience. I wnat a shoe that protects the ankle without being overly heavy or restricting too much movement. I noticed on my first ride that they were heavier than my low shoes and did require a bit of adjustment time to get a feel for the minor restriction in ankle movement. Overall I am happy with their performance, especially for the price.
Submitted by
Bryan Sands
a Weekend Warrior
from Buda, TX USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Strengths: -Looks OK. -Protects feet & ankles from abrasions. -Some ankle support. -Sole is very tough and stiff.
Weaknesses: -Velcro straps & buckles. -Sole doesn't grip well for foot travel. -No laces. -No spikes included. -Interior fabric being "eaten" by the velcro. -Either too loose or too tight.
Bottom Line:
Vertigo's are an upgrade from Rockhoppers but not worth the money. I bought them for their claimed "ankle support" and found that it is negligible. Now I have installed spikes and sawed the heel nearly flat for stability. The jagged edge now grips better than the molded tread. It is much more stable now. I haven't been inspired to modify the strap system. I wish it had laces.
Submitted by
joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Hibbing, Mn. U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2001
Strengths: they work great with my Times! great tread, i've given these shoe one hell of a beating and the tread still looks new!!
Weaknesses: funky fit. wish they came in 1/2 sizes. i order a 44 (to big) sent back and got a 43, were tight for the first few rides. then they seemed to form to my feet perfect. the velcro inner straps didn't hold up very well. mine are torn and taddered, but still work (most of the time). the velcro tighten system needs some work. i fiddled with them on both shoes and got them to work, but should you really have to mess around with a companies design?? i think not.
Bottom Line:
i don't know about the bottom line. i know i won't buy these shoes or any other AXO shoe. poor customer support, they could not have cared less with the problems i had with these shoes. that about sums it up in my book. if customer service treated me better i guess i would give higher ratings, but so is life.
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from epping
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2000
Strengths: good ankle support, ease of entry for most cleat types.
Weaknesses: Nylon straps, spikes not provided.
Bottom Line:
I would absolutely love these shoes if it were not for the inferior nylon strap system. If you know Axo they use a strap system with two o-rings that interloop. Then just feed the tension strap through the o-ring and pull to your desired fit. The nylon is so week at the arch points that it just collapses and the o-ring pulls lengthwise, thus giving more that an inch of excess strap. I have it pulled so far that it goes from the inside of the arch and touches the ground on the other side, thus compromising the fit as well. I was hoping this shoe would fit the bill for what I was looking for. An over the ankle mtb. shoe, not just a downhiller or a hiking boot with a cutout for a cleat. It's hard to rate for value when something does not perform as expected. Wait for a second generation of this shoe if you want an ankle height spd, time, etc. compatible shoe. There are still bugs to be worked out here.
Submitted by
Tony Laibach
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000
Strengths: All velcro closures: quick, secure, infinite adjustability Super stiff soles: great power transfer Great ankle protection: helps prevent twisted ankles Lighter than they look
Weaknesses: Have toe spike holes but weren't provided, so use old Shimano's. Pain to clean soles: mud gets stuck pretty good Not water-proof: would expect so for this kind of money Nothing to do with quality: Cost too much for a China-made product, we all know how cheap labor is over there now don't we?
Bottom Line:
Bought them directly from AXO via the Net, asked for regular shipping mode but they sent them FedEx, thx a lot. First ride was muddy and technical, frequent off-bike hiking proved good foothold and traction with toe spikes. Very stiff soles as said earlier, great pedalling efficiency. Looks good, though some friends say they look sick, can't figure out if compliment or not. And why the hell, for that kind of money, are they not Gore-Tex'ed? They got everything else already, heavily padded, double velcro at ankle...
I came up and talked to you and Sean on Sunday. Hope your trip back to Scotland goes well.
You have a beautiful bike there, and I enjoyed the conversation!
It's a shame that Sean Read More »
Ok. It has been about a year now, so i thought i'd do a little update on BA....
[img]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5574981666_70deb65538.jpg[/img]
For those who missed this Read More »
So I've been ruminating a fatbike for a while now, talked in earnest to several builders, but finally hired Sean of Vertigo Cycles to build one for me. I decided to go with him bec Read More »
