|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
bandit350
a Cross Country Rider
from asheville, nc
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | solid, simple shoe | | Weaknesses: | tend to stretch during the ride so they need to be tightened after a mile. | | Similar Products Used: | 661, diadora, shimano shoes | | Bike Setup: | yeti 575, just sold a coilar | | Bottom Line: | good, simple shoe. good size toe box compared to similar shoes. i am not a racer and don't want racer shoes. i had to dremel part of the tread to work w/ my time z pedals and still love them. no issues. i'd probably prefer 3 velcro straps instead of 2 and the ratchet (seems like everyone thinks that is a value added item). | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shamus Yandle
a Weekend Warrior
from Roswell, GA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Pearl Izumi Outlet store | | Strengths: | Take them back to a Pearl Izumi Outlet Store if you had any problems with them!! | | Weaknesses: | The sole sucks! | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Isis, Manitou Minute 2 fork, Avid mechanical disk brakes, XT and XTR components. | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up of my post below. If you had problems with the soles on these shoes, take them back to a Pearl Izumi Outlet Store. I had these shoes for 2.5 years and the sole on one the shoes was pretty much dettached. I just rode with it like that (DON'T ASK). I mean I wore the heck out of these shoes. On a trip up to the mountains which drives right past an Outlet Store. I stopped in and showed them the shoes. And they gave me a brand new pair of the Vortex equivalent. The Vortex shoes sucks!!!! But I was really impressed with Pearl Izumi sticking behind these products. Thumbs down to the older Vortex shoes, but two thumbs up to Pearl Izumi!!! The new shoes don't have the problems with the soles. Giving 2 flamin chilis for value but 5 flamin chilies for Pearl Izumi backing their products! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ari
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver, Colorado, USA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Enchanted Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheat Ridge Cyclery | | Strengths: | Excellent shoe. Lightweight, yet stiff, and breathable. | | Weaknesses: | As happened with many other reviewers, the sole came apart from the shoe. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fischer Sugar 3+ stock | | Bottom Line: | I really liked this shoe, but for the sole separating from the shoe itself. However, after seeing other reviewers note the same problem, I contacted Pearl Izumi, and they gave me full warranty. I just returned the shoes to a dealer and swapped them out, even up, for a new, 2005 PI Vortex II. Have only ridden with them once, and not sure I like the one velcro strap and ratchet system better than the old three velcro straps system. Seems that the older version fit snugger. BUT, kudos to Pearl Izumi for acknowleding the defect and agreeing to replace with new version at no cost, with no questions asked. I will be a PI customer for life. Will post review on the new model after use for a while. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lewi
a Racer
from Vic, Aus
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | lysterfield | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Comfortable, Lightweight | | Similar Products Used: | Axiom cheapo shoe | | Bike Setup: | xtc 1, full x.o and juicys | | Bottom Line: | An awesome shoe, not one thing bad about it, superb quality and amazing comfort | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Calvin
a Cross Country Rider
from Nor Cal
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Shoes fit wide feet with such comfort unmatched from other brands. comfortable, ratcheting system tigtens nicely. good traction. Good looking all black shoe. | | Weaknesses: | The rubber lugs on the bottom were supposedly designed for any kinds of cleats, but I had to cut it for put frog cleats on. One spike came off as I was trying to hike up a bike during a race | | Similar Products Used: | I tried Sidi Dominator Megas 4's they were okay, but I didn't think they fit quite as well. | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS | | Bottom Line: | Great, awesome shoes that I would deifinitely buy another pair. And the price of theses shoes are half the cost of sidi's new, so I can buy 2 pairs of these, and no problems with shoe falling apart nor sole or lugs coming off. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a
from St. Louis, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Lost Valley | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | EBay | | Strengths: | Great shoes. Cool design. Comfortable. Very light. | | Weaknesses: | None that I know. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano M038 | | Bike Setup: | 04 Specialized Rockhopper with SPDs. | | Bottom Line: | These shoes are great. They are made of very flexible material, so they actually fit my wide feet. Very light, very cool, very comfortable. They clip in great and have good traction in dirt. What more could you ask for? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chad A
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids, MI USA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Goat Trail, MQT MI | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$109.00 | | Purchased At: | Kentwood Schwinn | | Strengths: | Brand new design from last year, all black is cool. Affordability, ratchet system, good fit, VERY comfortable, great venting system. Also the best value in this price range. Nice stiff sole, race quality stiffness really. | | Weaknesses: | Only weakness is that one cleat plate broke when installing the cleat screws. My LBS promptly replaced this and I was on my way in less than 5 minutes. Thanks! | | Similar Products Used: | Nike Carinis, Nashbar cheapies | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Kona Unit ss, 2003 Litespeed Vela, 2002 Redline Monocog ss, 2001 Trek 8000...all with Shimano 515's | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the new 2004 model shoe. The color is now all black and they have 2 velcro straps and most importantly a ratchet at the top. This is what really holds the heel in and makes a shoe fit in my opinion. They are the most comforatble shoes I have ever owned, period. I looked for a long time for a replacement for my Nikes which I paid $250 for 4 years ago. Nothing comes close in this pricerange, nothing else has the ratchet or stiff sole that these do. I race and am more than happy in my shoes. I did have to trim the sole on the shoes, but this was pretty easy. The rubber is actually pretty hard this year and the soles seem very well attatched. I have 300 miles in them with no complaints at all so far. In fact my feet are better off now than with more expensive shoes. Probably best for the high performance rider/racer on a budget. Also good for beginner/intermediate riders as a first shoe, might as well get something stiff to work into. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
michael hsu
a
from austin
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Great customer service | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up to my post directly below. Pearl Izumi returned my call and told me to take it to any PI dealer since they have a lifetime warranty....a week later I have a new pair of the improved Vortex shoes. So the story goes....defective product, they fix the design/assembly, and they give me a new pair...all customer relationships should be this positive.
Thanks PI. My new ratings are based on the shoe staying in one piece. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
michael hsu
a Cross Country Rider
from austin
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | Wide footbed last. I bought these as a less expensive option to Sidi Mega D 4s or the Carnacs they replaced...oops. Nice stiff platform. | | Weaknesses: | Decent fit, but the shoe didn't hold my heel as well as other shoes have in the past making walking sections a bit more difficult. Sole delaminated at the heel on one shoe after not much use, maybe 30 rides. | | Similar Products Used: | various Sidi's, Shimano shoes, Answer shoes, Carnac shoes | | Bike Setup: | Spyder, Fox 80 with tires and a handlebar...just about everything you need to go ridin' | | Bottom Line: | Bad assembly. Everyone knows that this is where MTB shoes come apart....you'd think that they could've gotten it right. Others and newer models seem to be improved...I seem to have been a beta tester for a new product. Really dissappointed in PI, typically good stuff. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nic lanzarone
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | the dam | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | Super comfortable, no pressure points from this shoe | | Weaknesses: | Judging from the no. of reviewers with sole peel off problems I'd say you could get stuck with a bad production batch! | | Similar Products Used: | shimano mtb shoes | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz heckler | | Bottom Line: | At this stage I am really happy with the shoes performance. I have used them regulary and am very hard on them.
Very stiff sole, nice and light for long rides. great comfort. look good, great tread, removable studs up front, shed water well thro well placed mesh panels.
I probably would not have bought this shoe had I read the reviews below. But I have to say that SO FAR I am wrapped. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shamus Yandle
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | all trails | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Pearl Izumi Outlet store | | Strengths: | Stiff shoe, comfortable fit | | Weaknesses: | Poor construction | | Bike Setup: | Wolf Creek titanium hardtail, Kooka crank, Avid Arch Rivals brakes, etc | | Bottom Line: | These shoes suck! Do not buy them. I bought a pair from the Pearl Izumi Outlet store. When I got a few miles away, I opened the box and noticed that the sole on one of the shoes was starting to come off. I turned around and drove back to the outlet and they exchanged them for another pair that looked better. Well, then after about 7 or 8 rides on them, one of the soles started to come off as well. I'm never going to buy another pair of Pearl Izumi shoes again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Weiss
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Hall Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Cool colors. | | Weaknesses: | Stitching came apart after ONE ride! | | Bike Setup: | Specialized StumpJumper | | Bottom Line: | Pearl Izumi should not be making shoes. I bought this pair which literally unstitched itself during my first ride. I then exchanged this pair for PI's next best model. AND again, the stitching came apart. I attribute both occurences the result of a poorly made shoe. Save your money and buy Sidi. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
paul shell
a Weekend Warrior
from alpharetta, ga
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$109.00 | | Strengths: | great fit, seemed like a quality mountain bike shoe. | | Weaknesses: | after 5 weeks, they tore apart @ the sole. Do not buy !! | | Similar Products Used: | replaced with sidi | | Bottom Line: | the shoe fit really well, looked like a good midpriced shoe, however the sole came off after 5 weeks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Micah Hayes
a Cross Country Rider
from Sherman,Tx,Grayson
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Bar-H | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | excel sports.com | | Strengths: | GO hard soul | | Weaknesses: | Tears a part at soul | | Bottom Line: | It sucks and i can't get my money back. Don't buy them!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jarrod
a Weekend Warrior
from Fresno, California, USA
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Strengths: | Not a whole lot.. | | Weaknesses: | SOle is coming off of the shoe.. Uncomfortable for the first couple of rides.. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Fisher Sugar 2 | | Bottom Line: | Its an ok shoe.. just wish they wouldnt have come apart... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geoff
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Works Orlando | | Strengths: | Shoe fits really well and looks nice also. Stiff shoe, perhaps too stiff. | | Weaknesses: | Sole separating. Just noticed about six months after purchase but I have a sneaky suspicion it has been like this for a while longer. This is disappointing considering the actual time I used the shoes. Not a whole lot. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized S Works, TIME ATAC pedals | | Bottom Line: | I really thought these shoes would be the best of both worlds; more affordable and effective. So much that I thought of buying the road shoe. No chance of that now. I'll shell out a bit more and get a better quality shoe. These were great shoes right up until the sole decided it didn't want to be part of the shoe any longer. Anyhow, I wouldn't recommend this shoe, especially with all the other reviewers experiencing the same problem. I just noticed this problem and I am going to try to see what the dealer as well as Pearl has to say. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Spiff
a Cross Country Rider
from Davis
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$98.00 | | Strengths: | Good fit, very stiff sole, nice looking. | | Weaknesses: | sole coming off, rubber on the sole seem way too soft | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | used with Time pedals | | Bottom Line: | The rubber on the sole is soft and wear easily. After 4 rides only I noticed the sole starting to separate from the shoe on the heel. It may be a bug of first year product but I'm not getting another one to find out. Got it warrantied in my LBS and bought a Sidi. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wilson
a
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Same as before but with the addition of terrific customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Found a new weakness, maybe. Sole is stiff as I mentioned before. Perhaps too stiff? I rode them a few times and the sole began to separate from the shoe. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale CAAD4 w/ avid mech disc, Cane Creek WAM rear, ESP9.0SL, LP bar, Thomson seatpot and whatnot | | Bottom Line: | This is an update to my earlier post. The sole began to slightly separate from the rest of the shoe. This was a bummer, but not a major problem for 2 reasons: 1) I think it was pretty minimal and might've been fixed by epoxy or something akin and 2) I called up Pearl Izumi and spoke to Jeremy. He was totally helpful and had a called my LBS to authorize the return and shipped out new shoes (the LBS didn't have my size in stock) the same day. One suggestion though, email took a couple days to get back to me so calling was the most immediate and effective. Thanks again Pearl Izumi... now if only the rest of your stuff was a little more affordable....=P | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wilson
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Stiff. Good fit. Good looks. | | Weaknesses: | Tread seems a little soft. Also, gap is a bit too narrow for Speedplay Frogs (but most shoes are) so requires some grinding. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bottom Line: | I haven't ridden with the shoe a ton yet, but so far I like how it works. The toe box is nice and roomy, which is a nice change from having to buy Shimano shoes 2, 3 sizes too big. I really like the look of the shoe and it fits very well too. As said above, the gap between the treads for the cleat is pretty straight and narrow, so keep that in mind if you run any pedals with a weird cleat. I had to grind out some tread to accomodate the Frog cleats. The plastic was surprisingly soft under the dremel tool. It just plain melted away. I don't know if this will cause problems with long term durability. We shall see. Also, I got these for 25% off so I'll bump up the value rating on chili. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Orland Park, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Three ravines, Palos | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Shop | | Strengths: | Stiff, Light, and a great fit. They also come with removable toe cleats....which is nice.They have three well placed velcro straps which means that laces aren't needed. The tongue wraps over the side of your foot and is big enough to keep the crud out. Oh yeah, they look cool. | | Weaknesses: | It is only made on the whole euro size, no half sizes. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano m200 | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi hard tail with Manitou Black super air. | | Bottom Line: | If they fit, get a pair. These babies ride great. These aren't for the recreational rider that is new to clipless pedals because if you miss your clip in the sole is a little slippery but anyone with some experience should have little problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$ 109.99
