Submitted by
Edson Sandoval
a Cross Country Rider
from Mexico City
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2004
Strengths: Look, durability, comfort
Weaknesses: Maybe weight
Bottom Line:
They´re a excellent shoes in all aspects. I have 3 pairs of shoes and the others are stored because a never use them becaus My aragos are better than them except in the weight (200 g/ a half pound). This pair of shoes permits use it like a tennis shoe and the cleat don't difficult the walk.
Strengths: This is an addendum to my previous review below...
Weaknesses: This is an addendum to my previous review below...
Bottom Line:
Ok after some thought, I figured let me see if I can maybe replace the actual cleat holding body with another. Took out the insole, and there was a cardboard cutout right beneath the cleat holding assembly. Took that and cleaned the screws and assembly, everything looked and worked fine. Put everything back in and tightened it up, went on the 40 mile NYC bike tour, no problems. Dont know why it seemed to be stripped, and why one of the screws initially fell out, but all seems fine now except...I notice with these shoes you have to have the laces wound tight, cause if not they move around and wont disengage quickly enough for me (I guess thats why other shoes are so damned stiff). Not a big problem unless, your gonna fall off a cliff or get hit by a truck. Overall a good shoe in all categories, that have held up well for me and are very comfortable.
Strengths: Looks nice, not like your conventional "Thief of Baghdad" looking cycling shoe, with the front toe going up. Rugged and durable, as well as being comfortable.
Weaknesses: Part where cleat screws in to the actual shoe, gets stripped too easily and wont hold cleat.
Bottom Line:
Shoe wont make you look like a fool in non cycling circles, cleat screws strip way too easily. Shoe is rugged and strong, grips well and wont fall apart on your feet, and I must say it is very comfy. Whats the sense of making such a good shoe if it wont hold the cleat, not a good value if everything else works except the intended function.
Similar Products Used: Alpine stars (great shoe, you just look like a clown wearing them).
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain Element Race, hooked up to the max.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
kiko toying
a Cross Country Rider
from chi town USA
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2003
Strengths: nice design you don't look like some neon sign
Weaknesses: the tongue broke after 1 ride real bad
Bottom Line:
really bad experience with the shoe can't return it to performance 'coz I can't find the receipt emailed cannondale said they can't help out real bad for a shoe I use for 1 ride it still smells new bad durability
Bike Setup: taccoa full xtr rf cranks BB and ck wheelset
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Shawn
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2002
Strengths: comfort light weight dries fast very walkable great tread/traction
Weaknesses: some clicking at cleat attachments under heavy load new and improved price: $100
Bottom Line:
Great shoes. Extremely comfortable. And all MTB shoes should have this kind of traction -- I should know: I suffered a broken back due to a clumsy fall while wearing harder&smaller-soled shoes that slipped in a crash and threw me into an awkward landing position. Spinal injuries are not fun. Get some traction on your feet!
These shoes, purchased while injured, gave me the confidence to get back on my bike and make it through a tough recovery.
HOWEVER: It is my understanding that the history of these shoes is this: They were called "MC-900" through 2001, and they were widely available for $40. For 2002 and beyond, they have been renamed "Arago", and other than color scheme, the only thing that has changed is the price: $100. What happened? Sorry -- no deal! I would buy THREE more pairs if I could get them for $40 again, but at $100 for the very same product, I'll be shopping a manufacturer other than Cannondale when my two current pairs wear out. What a filthy, greedy shame.
Submitted by
Gudmundur Thorisson
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island, USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2002
Strengths: Wide, for my clunky, wide feet. Mesh upper allows good breathing High heel keeps foot in shoe
Weaknesses: None so far, will report later if any
Bottom Line:
Actually, just bought those today and have been walking around for a few hours. A good variation on the biking show theme; fairly wide and comfortable for my wide feet. Has clipless attachments which are essential in my opinion, recreational or not. These will be used to get to and from work and other places, hence will get quite a bit of usage beyond the weekend warrior kind of thing... Only concerns are with wet/cold weather performance in my home country Iceland, but I believe the quick-drying attribute other reviewers have described could do the trick for me.
NB: will report later once I've used them for a couple of months
Submitted by
Tex
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2002
Strengths: Review is for the MC900. Best looking shoe I could find, very comfortable, well-built, reasonable price.
Weaknesses: None that I've found yet.
Bottom Line:
A great shoe that hasn't let me down yet. It's held up well so far and is one of the few normal looking shoes out on the market. It's very comfortable and works well with my shimano 959's without any modification to the sole. Looked at a lot of others that had good reviews but didn't like the psychedelic neon baseball cleat look. Don't think you'll be disappointed, especially for the price.
Strengths: - comfort, even when wet - durability (SEE BELOW) - great in dirt, mud, etc. - fairly breathable, seem to dry quickly
Weaknesses: - Probably not ideal for racing (if you're into that) - So comfortable I find myself running around all day in them, to the detriment of my cleats. - Had to trim a little rubber off the bottom of one shoe- apparently a cutter in the factory wasn't working quite right and had an incorrectly threaded screw due to the misaligned cover over the screw holes. Fortunately they hadn't messed up the threads.
Bottom Line:
THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE WOMAN'S VERSION- which probably has a different last and color, but other than that it's the same. This weekend I accidently ended up riding over some hidden barbed wire. My front tire threw the wire up over the front my shoe, pulled a substantial length across the toebox sideways like a saw blade, then ended up buried in the tread of my back tire. I fully expected to see a torn up shoe and some blood when I stopped, but THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE SHOE. !!!!
I'd give it one less flaming turd for having the minor sole rubber I had to cut out, but I've never seen a "tennis shoe" that could survive barbed wire zipping across the toes. It actually gained that one star back this weekend and then some.
Strengths: sooo comfy and light. don't look like cycling shoes. loads of mesh for venting and drying quick. chunky grippy soles. subtle colours.
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
brilliantly comfy and cool for the summer. can wear them to work without looking stupid. sensible colours and look like i can chuck them in the washing machine. don't buy if you want race shoes - they're trail/looning about boots.
Similar Products Used: shimano m-055 (had 'em for 5 years so time for a change) shimano w-100 (too heavy and waterproof for summer)
Bike Setup: mantra comp, x-vert supers, xt/xtr, machinetech, thompson, hope+617 ceramics, panaracer fire 1.8's
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
dave h.
a Cross Country Rider
from israel
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2001
Strengths: very solid, its a quality purchase and it handels great so far under intensive work and harsh conditions.
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
saw it on the net, checket the reviews on mtbr, got it and im happy ever since! good for traveling-cross country style, looks nice and very comfortable.
Strengths: Great looks, have held up much better than Nikes I previously had. Plus, you don't look like a gay genie if you wear them into the grocery store.
Weaknesses: Wore them last weekend in an adventure race. It had thunderstormed the night before, and the soles held mud like it was nobody's business. I had to run most of the bike trail, and when I was on the bike, I could not clip in because my shoes were so gunked up.
Bottom Line:
Cool shoes, great for tooling around, but not the best for racing. Price is right too. I'd give them 5 chilis overall if they worked a little better in adverse conditions.
Submitted by
David Tishenkel
a Downhiller
from San Diego, Ca
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2000
Strengths: These shoes are the best I have seen to date. I am basically a downhiller and needed a good pair of shoes that I could wear and not clip in if needed. These shoes are great! They are like sneakers. I use them in spinning class to clip in and go right to downhilling without clipping in. I can even wear them to work if I want. As I said they finally have a pair of shoes that look like sneakers. cool ones to boot.
Weaknesses: laces can get in the way sometimes.
Bottom Line:
Best all purpose comfortable shoe I have ever seen.
Bike Setup: gary fisher level betty marzochi JRt manitou bazooka xtr hayes
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
frank
a Cross-Country Rider
from florida
Date Reviewed: December 25, 1999
Strengths: looks and durability
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
these are the best shoes out, im surprised the other companies are still making ugly shoes and not trying to copy these.. i wear em everywhere. click click click click
Similar Products Used: none, these shoes convinced me to go clipless
Bike Setup: Haro. with race face and xtr goodies
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Vinnie
a Cross-Country Rider
from blacksburg, va
Date Reviewed: October 13, 1999
Strengths: durable construction cool-ass style laces nobody knows they are bike shoes
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
These things kick ass. Super easy to clean up, decent ventilation, and after three months of daily use the shoes are still in excellent condition. If you are not a racer and want to go clipless, get these shoes. Oh yeah and people think that they are regular shoes, they always ask about the clicking noise when I walk from the bike rack to class.
