ENDURA HUMMVEE FLAT FLAT PEDAL SHOE
And these individual preferences form my problem with this Motorex kit in a nutshell; it might look convenient, but there are better individual products out there. Bunging some OK bits in a brittle plastic tub (that doesn’t hold as much water as you’ll need if the bike is really muddy) with a sponge and cloth you’ll likely already have under the kitchen sink doesn’t scream great value.
If you do crave a complete specific cleaning kit, Fenwicks does a similar functional package for almost half the price that also includes brushes, so it’s even harder to recommend this Motorex set.
£89.99 SPECIFICATION Sizes: 38-47• Colours: Black, blue, green, stone • Weight: 938g • contact: endura.com
Endura launched its shoe line at the beginning of the year, meaning you can now clad yourself in finest Scotch literally from head to toe if you choose. There are three options in the new range, two top-end MT500 shoes including a flat pedal and a clipless offering, and this more keenly priced Hummvee – it gets the new sticky sole and, let’s be honest, looks a lot less nerdy.
Flat pedal shoes have to grip your pedals well, in fact we can live with almost any other fault if they stick to the bike like a leech. So let’s cut to the chase, the Hummvee does indeed use a pleasingly tacky rubber compound. Called Stickyfoot, it’s Endura’s home brew and covers the sole from toe to heel. In fact, this is one of the reasons we’re testing the Hummvee over the MT500, the latter uses the same Stickyfoot formula but it doesn’t give full coverage, instead there are harder wearing and less grippy patches under your toes and heels. I’m baffled when I see brands do this, as you never spend enough time trudging around to warrant this kind of detail, and it makes a shoe less secure when you misplace a foot on the pedal.
Back to the Hummvee then, it’s sticky but not quite as good as Fiveten’s famous Stealth S1 Dotty rubber that adheres to the Freerider Pro. For the most part it’s grippy and secure, but on just a few occasions over the past months I’d slipped a pedal in wet conditions, something I really don’t think would have happened on Stealth. I’ve swapped between the Freerider
Pro, Hummvee, Specialized 2FO Roost and Ride Concepts Hellion Elite, and my grip ranking puts Endura’s offering about middle in this list of all– excellent shoes. Grip from the sole is a function of the chemical tackiness of the rubber, and the mechanical grip offered by the lugs and the flex of the sole. Given that the Hummvee is easily the flexiest of these top-performing shoes my guess is that the compound or the Endura logo, arrow-shaped lugs give up a little grip to the competition.
Endura says it designed its own last (or sizing and shape of the shoe) and it’s done a brilliant job of it. There are an incredible 13 sizes to choose from, with half sizes populating the middle spread, so everyone will be able to get a great fit. I have pretty wide feet, and I struggle to enjoy life in a slimmer Trailcross XT or the Hellion Elite, but the Hummvees are spot on, with enough room in the toebox and enough spread to prevent the tops of my feet being pinched and let my foot spread out for grip.
The Hummvee is supremely comfortable to walk or ride in and it has just the right amount of padding around the heel and tongue. It also offers more cushioning than the Freerider Pro on rough tracks, I felt cossetted from harsh impacts better than most, although I should point out there’s very little protection around the toe if you’re heading into rocky terrain. Build quality is also top end, with bonded panels and double stitching all over the place, and besides the murky mud and grass smears it’s still looking like new, without a crushed heel cup or scuffed upper to show for it.
I like the Hummvee, it’s a really simple and conventional looking mountain bike shoe that’s been executed extremely well. I can’t fault it for fit, build quality or comfort, and the price is great when you compare it to the £130 or more competition. Now if Endura could just make the sole a little grippier it would easily score top marks.