REVIEW: LANCE PILBROW
DISTRIBUTOR: SOLIS NZ
RRP: $279
“Finding the ‘just right’ pair of shoes has been something of a challenge for me; admittedly I have, as my wife kindly reminds me, ‘Hobbit feet’.”
Not too hot, not too cold — just right. That’s the Goldilocks approach right? And it pretty much sums up how I approach shoes: always looking for a pair that are just right.
Not too light, not too chunky — just right. Not too subtle, not too gaudy — just right. Not too thin, not too fat — just right. Not too breathable, not too cushioned — just right.
Finding the ‘just right’ pair of shoes has been something of a challenge for me; admittedly I have, as my wife kindly reminds me, ‘Hobbit feet’. Flat and wide. That rules out about 50% of available shoes right away, so trying to find the ‘just right’ pair from the remaining 50% can be tricky. Anyway, first world problems aside, I’ve been pretty happy with the Ride Concepts Tallac Flat.
The Tallac is Ride Concepts’ (RC) latest release and, to me, it’s a bit of a Goldilocks shoe. The sole is decently thick to provide good cushioning without feeling overdone. It almost Not too hot, not too cold — just right. That’s the Goldilocks approach right? And it pretty much sums up how I approach shoes: always looking for a pair that are just right. Not too light, not too chunky — just right. Not too subtle, not too gaudy — just right. Not too thin, not too fat — just right. Not too breathable, not too cushioned — just right. Finding the ‘just right’ pair of shoes has been something of a challenge for me; admittedly I have, as my feels like a more downhill oriented shoe… but, not quite. As I said, just right. The sole is their MAX GRIP compound, and is dialed specifically for the utmost pedal contact and feel whilst also upholding a high level of durability. It’s tacky but not so much that you feel like you are unhelpfully glued to the pedal. The sole also contains some D30 material to help with shock absorption. I really liked the overall feel underfoot. The D30 gives it a noticeably cushioned feeling and the tackiness seemed to be just right for my style of all-day trail riding.
The uppers are made of Cordura and keeping them on are regular ol’ laces. Laces! No boa, no ratchets, no Velcro — good old laces still work great as it turns out. They also have the advantage of just looking like, well, shoes. As a result, these have been on my feet walking around town and getting a drink at the pub as much as they have been used on my bike, which I see as a great bonus. (Admittedly they are a little on the stiff side for walking in, but that’s not what they were designed for, obviously.) In terms of style, the Tallac is available in three colour ways, the Charcoal/ Oxblood that I have had on review, a plain Black/Charcoal, and a bit more wild Olive/Lime. I think the Charcoal/Oxblood is the Goldilocks option – not too Plain Jane, not too ‘look at me!’ either.
After a summer of riding (and walking), I’m still really impressed with the fit, especially for my aforementioned Hobbit feet. I often find shoes feel too tight across the widest part of my foot, (kind of laterally across from the ball of my feet), however, these feel great. They also seem to strike a nice balance between having enough padding internally that they feel really comfortable, without feeling like they will be a complete sponge which will weigh a tonne when it rains. The toe box also offers good protection. While it’s no steel capped work boot, I donked my foot head on (toe on?) — pretty nastily — into a surprise tree stump once and was stoked that my foot came out unscathed, well protected by the Tallac. The tread has also had some thought put into it, with a bit more of an aggressive pattern at the toe and heel — this gives the shoe the ability to hook in nicely if you’re walking up a slippery bit of trail. The Cordura outer seems to have a certain slickness to it as well — mud doesn’t appear to stick and absorb, so they just always look sharp. I reviewed the new Specialized 2F0 Flat last year and while they were fantastic as well, I found they had skimped on the inner padding (presumably in an effort to keep weight down and to help them dry out fast). The downside for me was that they just weren’t as comfortable as I thought they could be. If I was choosing one, I’d personally go for the Tallac. The Tallac is a bit thicker, a bit burlier, and just a bit comfier all round.
Weight wise, my size 44 weighed in at 870g for the pair. That’s fairly hefty compared to some other offerings (the Specialized 2F0’s were around 740g by comparison), but to me it’s a fair tradeoff for a great feeling shoe. I never felt like I had ‘heavy’ shoes on, but I did appreciate the added support underfoot. All in all, this is a great shoe for anyone looking for something with just a bit more to it than some of the other lighter offerings on the market.
