If you’ve budgeted for one pair of shoes but need them to cover you for everything from fun days out to 24-hour racing, we may have found you a perfect match in the M086.
Ordinarily, recreational shoes are made on a slightly wider last – this gives you wiggle room and a place for your feet to expand into when they get hot.
When you want to turn the pressure up in a race, a more foot-conforming (yep, that means tighter) shape allows you greater pedalling efficiency. However, you do want to take them off after a couple of hours.
The great thing about the M086 is that, despite having a roomier feel, the closure combination of ratchet plus Velcro straps means far less compromise on power loss than we’d expect.
The sole feels more flexible than average when you walk, and although the shoe is heavy for a race model, it’s lighter than others with all-purpose style.
We’ve found ourselves turning to it for 24-hour races, where it’s coped with extended pedalling and proved more than comfortable running up climbs where needed.
Yes, straight out of the box, the gold colour could well be described as blingy, but with a light coating of dust and mud it tones down beautifully.
