Single-speeding wrecks, ravages, ruins everything and footwear is not an exception. A couple of weeks back, my favourite pair of flat pedal pumps, my Shimano GF6 (GF600) shoes, hit that point in the longevity curve where all the elegance had gone out of them. No matter which pedals I was using, traction was compromised by the terminally assaulted soles. As it turns out, that was not my biggest issue.
The slow, steady, un-detected deterioration of performance is a rather common theme with mountain biking. For forks, shocks, frame bearings, brakes, grips, and even shifter cables & housing the meandering diminishment means we don’t necessarily notice how bad things are until we repair or replace them. This turned into just such a story.
Riding single-track on my mountain bikes, even standing for climbs on my Waltworks(x)WZRD one-speed, I knew that it was about time for some fresh loam loafers. But, other than a couple of my pedal pins obviously not biting, I would have told you my Shimano shoes were in good shape.
It was riding Steve’s {ruined} Talbot, for the first time in months, that really shined a light on just how flexy my shoes had become. I’m not strong enough to hide from the 45x18t gearing in the hills of North Vancouver and my feet were actually hot after that first hectic, frothy, climb.
Okay, fair enough, I have other shoes, but the GF6 separates itself through the combination of a properly stiff sole for pedaling power transfer that also has excellent mechanical and rubber grip. It’s also the best flat pedal shoe I’ve used for hike-a-biking, thanks to front and rear traction areas, and I’ve been using a lot of third gear* lately.
*{1) Sitting, 2) Standing, 3) Walking}.
So yeah, looking at my fresh full-power Plimsolls my first thought, uppers to uppers, was that my last set of Shimano’s was in very decent shape. Putting them on my feet was another story. The difference in stiffness, just standing there, new vs. old was revelationary.
I pulled out my Esker wool insoles {Canadian made from Canadian wool} and this pair is still in great shape so in they went. Esker makes versions with and without arch support and, either way, the bump up in moisture control and comfort {and decrease in smell} is appreciated for any footwear application.
The ride home was amazing. Grip, yes, mechanical and rubber. But then, on a big platform riding up pavement that’s a given. I’m looking forward to wearing them on the trails soon. But more than traction was that support that I now clearly remember as I hammered the big {for me} gear uphill. You can spend a few grand on ceramic this-and-that and not capture the bonus watts I picked up by swapping out my shoes.
So I was wrong, in September, when I wrote about the half-life of these shoes. I put a note in my calendar to grab a fresh pair a year from now. Maybe I won’t need-need them but I can compare them to my freshies now. Maybe I’ll retire this fresh set to riding multi-speed bikes before I bin them entirely?
Anywho, Ultread GF slow-rebound rubber sole this and Torbal 2.0 midsole that. The important review conclusion is that, in an ever-growing sea of options, including some on super-clearout pricing, I bought another pair.
If they fit you well, the GF6 shoes continue to be the best flat pedal shoes for one-speeding. And hiking or biking, they’re my favourite overall footwear choice for riding. Oh, and my fresh ones are black because that’s what Shimano had in stock – in Canada.
Oh, and finally, I always recommend trying on shoes first, but if you can’t. I find they fit true to the European sizing (I wear a 43) and volume is slightly generous compared to most flat pedal footwear options.
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