Carbon soled shoes

rockmonkeysc

My old xc shoes have come to the end of their life after 4 years. As these are the only SPD shoes I have owned im wondering how much (if any) difference the carbon sole makes. They feel very stiff, like having a huge pedal platform.
These are what I have :
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... -prod22306

miceden

Carbon soled shoes are, in majority of cases, far stiffer compared to plastic soled shoes, this means better power transfer, they also tend to be lighter and last longer on account they don't flex... the main trade off is that they are not good for walking in.

Greer_

You can definitely notice the carbon sole stiffness wise, but I find that better for the road, not so much on the mtb. I'd recommend something like the Shimano M088's (anything with a ratchet closure).

njee20

Thing I notice when I switch from my summer shoes (S-Works) to winter (Northwave Fahrenheit/Celsius), is how much thinner the carbon sole is, I actually have to adjust my saddle slightly on the road bike. They are stiffer, and feel more comfy, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the winter shoes.

rockmonkeysc

As I have been using a carbon sole for the last 4 years I think I might stick with it.
Are there any AM/Trail shoes with carbon soles?

lawman

Not sure of any carbon soled Am shoes, but if you really don't want something like AM45s or Fivetens then the Mavic Crossmax and Specialized Rime are the ones I can think of.

rockmonkeysc

I have AM45's for downhill and they're a bit heavy and flexible for long distances and big climbs.
I have had 5.10 shoes and I don't like wearing sponges on my feet.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have AM45's for downhill and they're a bit heavy and flexible for long distances and big climbs.
I have had 5.10 shoes and I don't like wearing sponges on my feet.

The new impact XVI clipless ones look alot more waterproof than previous FiveTen's and they're a fair bit lighter too.