Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Eglin AFB, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2006
Strengths: Comfort and fit
Weaknesses: Construction
Bottom Line:
I'm writing this 3 days after getting them. They fall apart...
I bought them new from eBay from a triathalon athlete who had no need for them. The first day I put cleats on 'em, they felt great. Two days later, after a short ride, when I put them next to my other shoes, I saw that the outsole of my right shoe was coming off from the rest of the shoe. Also, the screw plate for the cleats slid around inside of the right shoe, which gave me a bit of free play.
They are junk. I am hoping that I can use some epoxy ("Double Bubble") from work on them. The epoxy is used on F-15s, so hopefully I can salvage them.
1 chili for value, since I consider them a complete waste of money.
2 chilis overall. The fit was the redeeming value. Style and construction make these shoes nearly worthless.
Strengths: comfort, fit, durabilty, just plain cool shoes
Weaknesses: little on the small side
Bottom Line:
I got these in middle of 1997, had to have a pair (i admit i love nike), paid full price $200-220 australian dollars, and after nearly 8 years, worth every cent and more. Apart from them not being a good match for those red shimano 636 pedals, they have been perfect. i really like the cairns, have 2 pair, but i think these are better, a little wider (but shorter) and they just keep going and going. mine arn't on their last legs yet, so long as you don't have to walk, theres not much tread left, click clack :-). So now i just have to track down a new pair.
Stiff but not too stiff (the cairns can be a bit stiff) and i just love them. maybe i'll get some of the new nike stuff, but if i can find some more of these, they will be mine.
Submitted by
Guccidon
a Weekend Warrior
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2003
Strengths: Great shoe for the money a little narrow but after a few rides broke in well very stiff sole lace&velcro keeps you in nice and tight toe spike for climbing a lot of shoe
Weaknesses: none what so ever
Bottom Line:
These shoes rock after a little over 2 years the shoes are starting to show signs of wear the sole is starting to seperate from the shoe I got my moneys worth If I know what i know now I would have bought as many as they had for 16$ bucks you can't go wrong
Bike Setup: 03 Heckler XT/XTR Z1 Fork, Disk Brakes, Thompson, Chris King,Panaracer Tyres
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
KitKat
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2001
Strengths: - Cheap!!! The cheapest pair of cycling shoes you can buy - OK so they were in the clearance warehouse. But still . . . - Good ventilation - Stiffness - Looks good (in the blue) - Don't know about durability yet
Weaknesses: - Time cleats don't work quite as well with this shoe as does the Specialized Comp - sole surgery needed to correct this. - Narrow cut - Otherwise I'm not going to complain because it is sooooooooooo cheap.
Bottom Line:
I'm not going to complain about anything!!! At $50 Aussie, it is so cheap that it doesn't matter how well it works. But it works well, stiff sole & excellent ventilation. I just wish it was cut a bit wider.
Unfortunately it is made by Nike (or someone in a sweat shop).
If I could find another pair I'll go buy one, but I think all the pairs in Sydney are now sold out now that everyone has found out about this deal . . .
Similar Products Used: - Cannondale C-Sole (good for recreation riding but anything else is too mcuh to ask of this shoe) - Specialized Comp - nice shoe & got it at a discount but not quite so big a discount as the Nike. Stiff and everything else but ventilation is not up to Nike standard. Works great with Time cleats.
Bike Setup: Cannondale CAAD3 hardtail with XT drivetrain (ok, Deore shifters & front mech), Avid SD7 brakes, Time ATAC Alium pedals
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Monument, CO
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2001
Strengths: durability, stiffness, ventilation
Weaknesses: ventilation in winter/water
Bottom Line:
I have had these shoes for at least 3 years, maybe closer to 4 years and they are just now finally falling apart. I ride exclusively off road and race the occasional 24 Hour race.
I have found these very durable. The toe stitching is finally coming apart and the sole is wearing down on the toe area to the point that it made me put the cleats in to get any traction at all. Other than that nothing. My wife says no one should ever offer me a warranty on anything 'cus I usually break everything. Not these shoes. To bad I can find 'em anywhere in my size anymore.
These are definately stiff shoes. I've been trying on a lot of shoes looking for replacements and I walk away think I had on a pair of sneakers they are all so flimsy.
Only real downside is the ventialtion which is a double edged sword. Great in the summer but a bit cold in the winter or when wet.
Bike Setup: GT Zaskar all XT, Tomac 78 Special all XT
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
TODD
a Cross Country Rider
from SMITHFIELD, NC
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2001
Strengths: THE PRICE
Bottom Line:
I used these shoes for about 3 months. The sole seperated from body of the shoe and I attempted to repair with superglue. they came apart again during a ride, now their taking up space in a landfill.
Submitted by
Citron
a Cross Country Rider
from bay area
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2001
Strengths: bombproof...at least for me, well ventilated in dry warm weather, great fit, gosh darn stiff
Weaknesses: a little to well ventilated in colder weather and thru water.
Bottom Line:
Reviews of these shoes have varied, which is pretty consistant with Nike's inconsistancy. I have narrow, kind of high-arched feet and the soles fit great. I like the lace/velcro combo, it allows for a lot of comfort adjustment. I've ridden these hard for a year and they have held up incredibly well - nothing's seperated, cracked or fallen off. The one problem I have is the ventilation: while they're cool enough in warm weather, they're almost too ventilated when it gets cold outside and they pick up a lot of water in heavy rain or creek riding. I love these shoes, the price was right, they look good, and ride great.
Submitted by
Jerry Harcek
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2001
Strengths: Stiff stiff stiff durable
Weaknesses: plastic on straps causes hot spots (for 1st few months) sole not super long lasting
Bottom Line:
Shoes are a bargain for the dough. Yeah, they'd give me hotspots when I wore em for too long during the first season with em. Yeah, a couple of the lugs chunked off (start of season #2?). And they take a while to dry out when you soak em good. But I got a pair of Diadora Chili's with my new bike, rode em a handful of times, and switched back to the Yuhas and put season number 3 on em. Chili's couldn't hang stiff-ness wise after I was used to the Yuha. Rode em in the Triple Bypass, even (120 miles because of a slight detour, and over 10,000 vertical feet of climb). But then the fact that I still ride pedals that were discontinued 3+ years ago may tell you something about me, too. If they still made replacement parts, I probably wouldn't be looking for replacements for the OnZa's yet... Buy em if you find a good deal on em, want stiffass shoes, and don't like switching out equipment every season.
Similar Products Used: specialized top of the line ('95) nike poobahs airwalk cheapo's
Bike Setup: DB XR w/ XTR/XT and ONZA HO pedals (on the roadbike, too)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Bob Dec
a Cross Country Rider
from Lagrange Park,IL USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001
Strengths: Good looking shoe, well ventilated,fairly stiff.
Weaknesses: Toe spikes are too close together, pressure points on foot.
Bottom Line:
I bought these 3 years ago and they have held up well for me.I don't run the toe spikes because they feel awkward.The velcro doesn't grab anymore. They cause pressure points on my feet if i cinch them snug, so they must be run looser than normal. I must be lucky because mine have not fallen apart. You can get them at a great price now also. I run speedplays and have no problems with the cleats. Might be a good shoe for someone that rides on weekends and doesn't want to spend a lot.
Similar Products Used: None. First pair of cycling shoes.
Bike Setup: Klein mantra race
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Wilmington, DE
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001
Strengths: Cheap
Weaknesses: Lugs falling off. To high an arch. Holes above toes.
Bottom Line:
I just got these shoes, and I'm already regreting I spent the money on them. I bought these over the internet and have learned a lesson I guess. They looked great, having all the features I was looking for and at an unbelivable price. Or so I thought. The soles rubber is to soft and the lugs are falling off left and right. There are holes in the shoe above your toes, that are making spring creek crossings less than fun. The toe spikes are kind of close together making the shoe a little less stable than it could be. Laces and velcro is a pain in the ass, but without the laces you won't get them tight enough. Also the laces don't seem to go as far up your foot as they could to even better secure your foot. With the velcro - to get it to wrap across my foot without pinpoint loading the velcro doesn't line up properly for secure it closed. And lastly the fit doesn't seem to match my foot to well. I have a large but normal width foot with a fairly high arch, and not to much pronation. These shoes are too high in the arch even for me, and I think require a little more pronation to fit well. For a shoe that looks so good in pictures, I can't beleive it sucks so bad.
Submitted by
karl emmerich
a Racer
from sterling hts mi usa
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Strengths: stiff, and holds you foot in place. not a bad shoe for when you have to dismount your ride either
Weaknesses: sometimes its not always easy to line up the cleat and pedal
Bottom Line:
I have a 13 size shoe, so finding a shoe that fits is a problem in the first place. I like how they feel under power. There stiff, solid, and comfortable
Bike Setup: Specialized FSR, Manitou, Race Face, Rolf
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Timothy Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from West Palm Beach, Florida
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2001
Strengths: Price, stiff sole
Weaknesses: not as comfortable as Sidi
Bottom Line:
This is the first pair of clipless shoes I've had. It's great with more efficient pedaling and control. I definitely would not have paid full price for these shoes but if you can get them at a good price, they may be worth it. At 16.00 you can't beat the price.
