Ridden and Reviewed
Ride Concepts Tallac Mid Shoe
Ride Concepts launched in the fall of 2018 with the intent of being the first mountain bike specific shoe company. Based near Lake Tahoe they've been making shoes ever since.
The RC Tallac Mid Clip.
Ride Concepts (RC) intends the Tallac Mid to be an enduro and downhill shoe with a stiff sole and medium internal volume. Closure of the Tallac Mid is provided by a single BOA®, which is intended to provide a micro-adjustable, precision fit you can adjust on the fly. A mid-height collar seamlessly integrates 3D-molded D3O® protection on the medial and lateral sides that, according to RC, provides extra support and keeps your ankles safe from impacts. RC has also integrated D3O® padding to the top-of-foot for impact protection. All of this is wrapped in a durable Cordura outer. The Tallac Mid Clip retails for 230 CAD, and is also available in a softer non-clip version for 220 CAD.
A Cordura outer, with ankle protection; these are stout protective units.
Thick inner ankle protection.
A thick grippy sole, with a nice cleat tunnel that is well-judged, at least for use on Shimano pedals.
Thick protective sole, and a nice loop for making them easier to pull on.
A couple of us at NSMB tried these shoes on, and it seems like all of us had some issues with the fit. Every pair of shoes I own is an EU42, and so got these in an EU42 / US9. These long with lots of room in the toe box, but also a bit tight around the widest part of my foot. The problem with this is that I had to run the BOA about as small as it would go to keep my foot from sliding forwards and backward, which made it uncomfortably tight around the widest part of my foot. The protective materials also made the outer of the shoe stiffer and less compliant, and therefore less comfortable. Unfortunately, the discomfort didn't end there for me. I found the ankle protection was a bit too high and rubbed on my ankle bone. I was hoping these would break in after a few days of use, but they just never became comfortable for me. By the end of a bike park day, I thoroughly looked forward to taking these off.
Outside of these not being a great fit for me I like the idea of a protective shoe, especially for downhill and bike park use. Foot protection is often overlooked, and I think these are a good solution if you're looking for a more armoured shoe. I liked the stiff sole, and these worked perfectly with my Shimano pedals. I did a number of pedally rides in these shoes, and while they're bigger in volume, I didn't find them noticeably heavier or bulkier on a long ride.
Given the protective nature of the Tallac Mid, most of the miles in these were in the Whistler Bike Park.
Unfortunately, the fit of the Ride Concept's Tallac Mid Clip shoe didn't agree with my foot. I these a bit long and narrow. That said these do have protective materials in locations that make sense. I think these would make sense as a durable, protective shoe for use in bike parks, but also a shoe that was plenty capable of pedaling. Given the cost of shoes these days, I think the asking price is reasonable. I'd just recommend trying these on before buying if you're interested.
For those of you who ride unclipped, these come in a flat version as well.
Age: 42
Height: 183 cm / 6'
Weight: 83 kg / 182 lbs
Ape Index: 1.055 / +10 cm
Inseam: 81 cm / 32"
Preferred Riding: Gravity Mountain Bike
Bar Width: 800 mm
Preferred Reach: 500 - 520 mm (but this is stack and head angle dependent)
Comments
AndrewR
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Both as a product development test rider and a curious rider in general I often wonder just what goes on during a lot of companies' test protocols/ development cycles: shoes with too high ankle protection; the upper/ inner lace anchor in too high a position (on a $300 shoe); too much heel drop to allow for any kind of walking (on a $600 shoe); shorts or trousers in size 34/36 that do not scale for the reasonably common longer legs for cyclist type bodies; the same clothing items without left hand phone pockets; phone pockets on the front of the thigh; belt loops that are so thick that they dig in if one is wearing a hip or back pack; any kind of clothing item that does not incorporate a hanging loop but has a label so large and scratchy that it will cause a minor wound; helmets that don't work with the same company's sunglasses etc etc.
I am not commenting personally on these shoes as I have not tried them and nor are they a 'type' that would appeal to me and my kind of riding, however the comments from Tim do cause one to ask the question?
I have to wonder who actually rode proper trails for a decent length of time with a lot of kit in the industry and then went back to the office and told some product development manager (or worse a committee) that said product was "good to go" on production.
Reply
Andeh
3 weeks ago
I got the flat pedal version of these, and agree that they're the most profoundly uncomfortable pair of bike shoes I've ever ridden. I had a 9.5 of the low top and my big toe would get bruised from the toe cap, so I sized up to 10 for these. My toe is back from the hard cap now, but to keep my feet from sliding forward I have to crank the BOA so tight it bottoms out, causing a ton of discomfort across the mets. Also the ankle padding is extremely stiff and chafes.
Reply
Andy Eunson
3 weeks ago
Fit is in the feet. I have the women’s low lace up version of this shoe and it’s fantastic. The fit of RC shoes in a few models is a bit smaller than indicated. I sized up a half size on my other pair of RC shoes and the fit is very good. In Shimano shoes I need a 39.5 which they don’t offer in the shoes I’m interested in.
Reply
Peter Leeds
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Where are they available? I have used North Wave Gran Canyon shoes for 20 years and they are NLA. Look interesting and would like to actually see a pair before making a decision. Also, shoes don't all fit the same based on the sizing. You can only know this by actually trying them which buying online makes a hard option.
Reply
XXX_er
3 weeks ago
I've had 661 axo dualies wth the heavily padded high top and there has been more than a few times I was glad to have the extra padding
Reply
Duncan Blair
2 weeks, 5 days ago
This comment has been removed.
Morgan Heater
2 weeks, 4 days ago
I think they might work for people with long skinny feet, but my feet would slowly go numb whenever I wore mine.
Reply
Please log in to leave a comment.