QUOC MONO II
£270 Stylish high-performance road shoes
Quoc (abbreviated from Quoc Pham) is the eponymous cycling footwear brand founded by the British designer back in 2009. Originally concentrating on urban and classic shoe designs, more recently he’s branched out into gravel and road race shoes, in the shape of the Night Lace-up, the Mono and the improved Mono II, which is available in black or white.
The Mono IIs have a tough PU Microtex upper in a two-piece construction with a wrapover tongue, inspired by Quoc Pham’s excellent Gran Tourer gravel shoe. The closures may look like slightly bulkier Boas but are actually Quoc’s own design. They work well – small adjustments are easy to make and spare dials are available. The construction quality of the uppers is excellent with the padded heel inner a highlight, holding your foot snugly in place when you’re really putting down the power.
The 523.8g per pair weight is good for size 45 shoes, especially for a year-round option, as the fairly closed upper does a decent job of stopping rain and spray soaking your feet. The uni-directional carbon sole is one of the reasons for the shoes’ low weight. It boasts a classy-looking smooth graphite finish and, rather than being a flat sheet of carbon, its curved shape creates a natural footbed, while the raised inner offers a great arch support and a very stable pedalling platform. Etched graphics that aid cleat fitting are a smart touch, and the chunky bonded heel and rubber toe bumpers help to protect the sole.
Stiffness is ample and the equal of other race shoes. The single toe vent is mesh lined and stopped the front of my feet from overheating, though it’s fair to say that when it comes to summer rides, these are considerably warmer than shoes with breathable knitted uppers.
The new Mono IIs are a very, very welldesigned shoe. Typically for Quoc Pham, they are both stylish and understated, and they also have a natural and supportive fit. They’re highquality shoes that are ideal for all but the very hottest days and they remained comfortable over day-long rides. The dials let you adjust fit superbly but they’re chunkier than the Boa equivalents and, while it’s not a deal-breaker, they don’t have the same premium feel of the latest Boa Li2 dials found on similarly priced race shoes.