Ben puts Leatt’s first foray into the shoe game to the test with his thoughts on the DBX 3.0 flat pedal shoe review.
With a premium price tag and packed full of new features, the DBX 3.0 promises top level performance. Ben wanted to find out how it compared to his benchmark shoe, the 5.10 Freerider Pro.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- RideGrip compound soles
- ControlFlex shank
- Padded ankle protection
- Reinforced toe box
- Anti-stretch laces
- Anti-bacterial, anti-odour material
- UK size 5.5-11.5
- £94.99 RRP
- Leatt.com
Out the box, you can immediately see that these are well-made shoes. They feel really solid, with a smooth finish and neat stitching. The textured surface feels tough and robust and the black reinforced toe area feels really sturdy, which is good to know as someone who often clips a pedal.
The main unique feature is the addition of a padded, raised area on the inside of the ankle, apparently designed to protect you from your cranks and chain stays. The problem is, that I don’t think I have ever banged the inside of my ankle bone. In fact, the part of my ankle that I have cut, grazed and abused multiple times over the years, is the outside, catching it on rocks, branches and stumps. I am sure that there are riders out there who need protection on the inside, but I don’t know who they are.
On the pedals they are OK, with the firmer rubber and unique sole pattern giving adequate grip in the dry and on more chilled out trails. The problem is that they lack the outright grip of a 5.10, and even fall short of the Shimano GR5 and Ride Concepts Helion that I reviewed last year. Only the GR5 comes in cheaper though, with the GR9 having similar features at £130. The 5.10s, Specialized and Ride Concept offerings are also similarly expensive.
The shoe feels pretty wooden and does not mould over the pedal the way my Freerider Pros do. To feel really connected and confident you need a very aggressive pedal with long pins, like the Deity T-Macs. On pedals with shorter pins and less concave I found myself losing grip on the wet and wild DH tracks of Triscombe in Somerset. The upside of this, is that it is easy to make adjustments to your foot position whilst riding the DBX 3.0 compared to Freerider Pro. This firmer rubber is holding up really well to some aggressive pedals and I am confident they will last a long time, and certainly longer than a Stealth Rubber sole from 5.10.
Where the Leatts do stand out is in wet conditions where they offer good weather proofing thanks to the moulded toe area and minimal ventilation. They dry pretty quickly, especially given how much padding and protection they have.
The laces and fit were very secure, holding my heel, even when pushing up in the woods. On the note of laces, the elastic loop to retain them and keep them out of the cranks is way too high on the shoe and pretty much useless. On that note, why do clip shoes have a nice, secure velcro closure and flat pedal riders just get laces? Leatt are not the only ones guilty of this, but it does my head in. Leatt have assured us that they’re adjusting the position of this loop for 2021 though.
What do we think?
Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed by the DBX 3.0. They are pretty good and beat all bar the GR5 on price, but out of the 5.10 Freerider Pro, Shimano GR5, Ride Concepts Helion and Specialized 2FO they are my least favourite shoe.
You should consider these shoes for winter riding and if outright grip is less important than the lifespan of the sole and shoe. Leatt do offer other shoes depending on your preferences.
We Love:
- Weather proof
- Tough build quality
Could do better:
- Not as grippy as other shoes
- Lace retention needs improvement
