ENDURA MT500 BURNER FLAT SHOE £119.99

Endura makes some of the best mountain bike clothing, regularly winning our group tests and scoring highly with real riders for its level of support and customer service. If only it did shoes, we’ve always thought. Step forward the MT500 Burner, a flat-pedal shoe designed by Endura from the ground up, now meaning you can clad yourself head to toe in Endura if you want.

There are three shoes in the new Endura footwear range: the premium MT500 range consists of this flatpedal Burner along with a clipless version that uses the same upper and a stiffer sole. And then there’s a more Bmx-inspired Hummvee Flat Pedal shoe for dirt jumps, BMX, trail riding and anything else you fancy.

All feature something called Stickyfoot, Endura’s own rubber compound, with the MT500 versions getting dual-compound soles featuring stickier rubber in the pedal contact area, and harder-wearing material at the toe and heel. The Hummvee gets the grippy stuff throughout, in keeping with its intended use as an all-round shoe.

The two MT500 shoes get posher uppers and insoles, and that’s really the key difference here, besides the price (£119.99 for the MT500 and £89.99 for the Hummvee). The uppers feature a water-resistant combination of welded panels and there’s reinforced stitching and an EVA midsole. Look inside and you’ll see a funky-looking insole with something called Sole Stimulant, a collection of raised dots Endura says will improve proprioception (your understanding of where your body is and how it’s moving, sensed by neurons within the muscles). In short, the idea is to boost your contact with the pedal and let you be at one with the bike. There’s also a Metatarsal button to spread your toes out, and a supportive arch. To cap it all off, the range comes in a huge spread of sizes, from

5-12 including half sizes in the middle spread.

Can Endura make a better shoe than Five Ten, Ride Concepts or Specialized? It’s certainly got the pedigree in terms of mountain bike kit, and after its acquisition by shoe brand Pentland four years ago, it’s got the footwear experience too. Check out a review coming soon. endurasport.com

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