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The Ride Concepts Accomplice Clip BOA is a great-looking trail and enduro clipless shoe that garners plenty of attention on the trail and comes in at a mid-priced £159.95 / $176.
The Accomplice is well-padded, comfortable and efficient on the pedals.
However, its bulk adds warmth and slows the drying time.
Shoes that slip straight on
Ride Concepts' Accomplice shoes have a simple padded-mesh upper that’s tightened using a single Boa dial. The outer material is hardwearing, barely scuffing up through abrasion and shrugging off the attention of undergrowth.
Its white finish does attract dirt, though.
Crank rub started to wear the seam between the mesh and the padded lining on the inside of the heel earlier than expected. This wasn’t helped by the ankle cuff being a little thicker than on many MTB shoes.
On the positive side, this means it delivers a good, secure fit around the ankle, reducing heel lift when walking. It also works with the rest of the padding to aid comfort.
Furthermore, it helps prevent too much trail debris working its way into the shoe. The tongue is fully connected to the upper, further preventing dirt ingress.
The outer edge of the single Boa dial is rubberised to boost grip, while there’s a small protective shield to prevent it being knocked open accidentally.
Rather than it pulling a wire, Ride Concepts specs a textile lace, which slips through easily and adds to the premium feel. Dialling in foot tension is appreciatively straightforward.
Comfortable, as long as they fit your feet
While the last of the shoe isn’t particularly narrow, it tapers towards the toes a touch earlier than some. This might cause issues for those with wider feet. I found that this, combined with the flexible upper, contributed to the outside of my feet feeling fatigued on longer days on the bike.
There’s good toe protection and a little rubber bumper at the rear of the heel, although side-foot protection could be improved.
Internally, the dual-density insole is comfortable with a fairly neutral level of arch support.
The outsole is flat, so there’s plenty of contact with the pins – if your pedals have them – offering an almost flat-pedal-like feeling of security.
With one set of large-platform, Shimano-mechanism test pedals, I struggled to engage the cleat when it was set in its most rearward position. However, five other pedal designs posed no such issues.
At 40mm, the cleat channel is narrower than on other shoes I tested, but includes position markers.
A little upturn at the toe helps when walking, while the hexagonal tread blocks and soft rubber grip OK on dirt.
Although the sole is fairly thick, the pedal feel is reasonable and power transfer feels good – the shoe is moderately but not overly stiff.
As for aesthetics, the white version loses its shine quickly, while the black offering won’t show the dirt as much.
The padded upper makes these warmer in use than shoes made from a single layer of material and they take longer to dry out. However, splash resistance seems better than most.
How we tested | trail shoes
Key to the performance of trail shoes is how they feel on the bike, and so these shoes have been in rotation for months, often with different shoes on either foot to dig into the differences between them.
While it may not be obvious, shoes interact with different pedals in a range of ways, so every shoe has been tested with small- and large-platform pedals – some with pins, some without, and with both Crankbrothers and Shimano-style mechanisms.
Finally, all the shoes have been taken into the workshop for a full set of measurements.
Shoes tested
- Ride Concepts Accomplice Clip BOA
- Crankbrothers Mallet Trail Lace Clip-In Shoes
- Fox Union
- Giro Chamber TR
Ride Concepts Accomplice Clip BOA bottom line
The Accomplice is a shoe that's certain to make it into regular rotation for me. However, I will be dodging the hottest and wettest days to avoid overheating or prolonged drying times.
The padding adds plenty of comfort, and only on the longest days did I suffer from foot ache due to the slightly tapered fit on my moderately wide feet.
As a gravity-focused shoe, the Accomplice ticks a lot of boxes, and it looks great.
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