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Polaris Splinter mountain bike shoes review

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Polaris Splinter shoes

BikeRadar verdict

2 out of 5 stars

"We’re a little confused by these, but if you want casual-looking, stiff-soled SPD shoes, they’d do the job"

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Wed 30 Nov 2011, 10:00 am GMTBy

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These Splinter shoes from Polaris are designed for trail riding and on paper they look very impressive, especially the Vibram sole. The first thing we noticed when we slipped them on is how narrow the fit is and how tight the heel is – it really grasps your foot, and even digs in in places. Once we’d cleated the shoes up, we went straight out for a spin.

The Vibram sole, while grippy, is a bit on the stiff side for a general trail shoe – and it’s definitely too stiff for any kind of off-the-bike activity. We also found that the sole was too thick and chunky to be worn with platform-style clipless pedals, which meant we had trouble getting in and out – they almost forced the Crank Brothers Candy pedals mechanism open, so the spring couldn’t close around the cleat.

The narrow fitting didn’t loosen much with extended use either, but the digging-in around the heel improved marginally. The laces are high quality so they tie easily and don’t slip undone, and the straps are well made and have a bit of excess, which means they can easily be grabbed with gloves on.

This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK

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Specification

Name:
Splinter shoes (11)
Built by:
Polaris
Price:
n/a

Features:
• Trail shoe with an aggressive SPD compatible sole • Lace up closure system with velcro security strap • Reinforced toe box and heel cup • Hard wearing synthetic suede and PU upper • Heel loop for ease of fitting • Vibram sole provides great comfort and traction off the bike • Reflective heel detail for night time safety
Shoe Sizes Available:
41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 UK

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