Initial Review of Pearl Izumi Alp-X Mid Shoes

I picked up a pair of Pearl Izumi's Alp-X Mid shoes, mainly as a "town riding" shoe. My intent was to have a shoe that could use clipless pedal cleats, but also be comfy to hang out in while sitting in a coffee shop for a few hours, and also not look too dorky. I've had a few hours on these shoes now...

First, fit is great, very comfy shoes. They also are light weight, and seem to breathe well. Most of my riding buddies think they're ugly, although they've only seen the online pics. I think they're pretty nice actually, and they're slightly more subdued, and less space-agey than the web site picture.

These shoes will definitely rock for riding around town: comfy, easy to walk in, and most folks probably won't even notice they're a cycling shoe, and will just think they're trail running shoes. But, they are NOT shoes to use for serious riding. They're more squishy in the foot-bed overall. So while the shoe sole/shank itself is stiff, they feel squishy when you stand up and hammer on the pedals. If you're spinning, you don't notice it at all, and they're simply nice.

Thus, so far, they definitely satisfy the goals I had when I bought them. And, I may even use them for various mtb riding as well, we'll see.

Tags: PearlIzumi, shoes, cycling, bike, review