Product review: 2014 Mavic Crossmax enduro shoe

This past season I was really in need of a new pair of mtb shoes and I wanted to make a step up from what I was using, luckily there were some new choices available on the market. With the announcement from Mavic that they were dedicating an entire product line geared towards enduro, I decided to narrow my search to their new Crossmax shoe.

After a minor delay in production , I recently received a pair of the new Mavic Crossmax shoes. Mavic being known for their high quality did not disappoint, out of the box these shoes look incredible! After a quick slip on my feet and playing with the Quick Lace system I was really impressed with the detail and fit. I’m not really sure how to properly tuck the Quick Lace straps under the protective lace cover but I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

After setting up my cleats and testing alignment on my pedals, I’m using these shoes with the Crank Brothers Mallet DH pedal but I’m sure you could use these on flat pedals if you wanted, I was ready to get on the trail and see how the shoes would feel after an hour of pedaling. My first ride was an hour and half XC ride on some local flat terrain so I hardly noticed the shoes, they were just comfortable and did the job.

For my next ride I made a trip to Middle Run Valley Park in Delaware with Susan to ride one of my favorite trail systems that has some super flowy trails that would have me in an out of the saddle. I would get to see how the shoes felt in varying pressure positions for a 2+hr day on the trails.

The shoes felt great! After initial setup in the parking lot I only needed to touch the buckle once for a click to snug them up a little after an hour of riding. During our ride I stopped for a trek up a hill to check the view and to see how the shoes felt walking. They were a little stiff and that was to be expected but they felt pretty decent walking. I wouldn’t say go take them for a walk but in enduro racing you might need to run up or through a rocky section of trail and these shoes would feel alright.

Since the Middle Run trip I’ve had a couple more XC type rides and an enduro style ride where I had to do a bit of pedaling. The shoes performed great and were still comfortable at the end of the long rides. I’m really glad to have these on my feet heading into the off season but I might have to get another pair for the 2014 enduro race season!

Some notes

According to Mavic’s website…
“An Enduro shoe for the toughest terrain and longest days. Developed in conjunction with Mavic pro riders to combine superb power transfer, all day long comfort and enhanced protection.
Weight : 460 grams (8.5)”
I don’t know about you but I’ve never weighed my shoes, I can tell you that these shoes were light enough where I didn’t notice them. In these days of hyped up marketing mumbo jumbo I would say that their description is right on the mark! So if you’re looking for a high quality enduro/all mountain shoe, look no further than the Mavic Crossmax!