Shimano DX MP66 Shoes Review

Shimano DX MP66 shoes have now been around a fair few years now with very minimal changes, and there’s a very simple reason for this in that they were very good when they were released and they still are now for their price. The shoes themselves are very solid and aesthetically look very modern and reasonably subtle in comparison to some of Shimano’s other offerings, they are however no skate shoes in terms of padding, size and design. When I first got them I was somewhat concerned they would be too narrow given my rather large and wide size 13 feet however they fitted very well, despite being a little snug. There is no in-built arch support, but bearing in mind their intended purpose it’s really not necessary. The sole is a very stiff plastic composite; this really helps with power transfer, especially if your using SPD’s however for anything they might be a little too stiff. Though they give a little after time they still remain pretty stiff. The tread is very basic comprising of many little circles, which is fine on anything dry but they become very slippery when it’s wet. Its not advisable to take them anywhere near mud given their lack of grip. In my opinion the tread would benefit tremendously with being a little deeper and feature a different grippier tread pattern. The uppers are all man made and interestingly styled, the vast majority is synthetic grey leather with black mesh accents the inner side of each shoe at the back is contrasted in a faux suede like material. Inside the tongue is well padded and around 1cm thick with padding, the rest of the internals are similarly well padded and very comfortable. At first it looks like there is no opening as it’s basically a huge flap over the entire front of the shoe, which is fastened down on one side with strong velcro. Under the flap they feature a standard set of round laces for customising your fit. The flap does two main things the first is stop any stray laces getting caught in the chain ring and also it’s a weather guard of sorts its not a winter shoe by any means, but should protect you from the odd puddle and so forth. The only issue I have with the flap is if your not careful it has a nasty tendency to eat your laces. The most predominant feature is the raised inner ankle guard on each shoe on the crank side. It works surprisingly well and is padded accordingly, however I feel that it should be on both sides as it could then give some limited ankle support as well. But either way it’s a nice feature. At the back it features a wide donning strap embroidered rather blatantly with Shimanos logo. Also on either side it has some reflective silver painted piping. In use of which I’ve put them through a lot, power transfer is fantastic due to the tremendously stiff sole which gives only a little over time. The shoes have remained remarkably solid none of the glue or stitching has come undone in over three years of use, which I consider very impressive given their price bracket. What has however born the brunt of the wear is the sole of which on the pedal contact area there is very little left, it wears down at quite a rate. Its probably not helped by me riding a lot of urban. For the price though I cant complain. Also sadly due to the man made uppers they don’t breath very well added to the rather snug fit and they can get very smelly very quickly, again a minor issue. The other issue I have with them is the flap though a good idea it does have a nasty habit of eating the laces as I’ve mentioned, I would prefer a ratchet system to hold it down, the downside to this would the price would also go up with it. Overall then for the very wallet friendly price of around £40 you get some great if not fantastic DH and FR shoes. Though they have some minor flaws primarily the sole being so stiff and the tread patter could do with changing. But if your looking for a pair of reasonably affordable shoes and wanting something a little more bike orientated and cheaper than a pair of Vans I would recommend these. © 2008 Review by Johnathan Clark