Crankbrothers entered the world of mountain bike shoes earlier in the year and Ben has been seeing what their Stamp flat shoes are made of.
With sleek looks and a fancy BOA closure system, the new Stamp BOA from Crank Brothers certainly looks the part. Ben has been seeing how it compare to the more established flat pedal shoe market leaders.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- MC2 Match Compound Rubber sole
- BOA closure with additional velcro strap
- Heel dots to prevent heel slipping
- Sizes 5-14 UK
- £164.99 RRP
- CrankBrothers.com
As soon as you inbox these stealthy black shoes, you have a sense of quality and purpose. They look fast, even sitting on my kitchen table. The sleek, rubberised upper surface of the shoe along with the tidy stitching and BOA closure give the Stamps a sort of futuristic look that I really liked.
The sole is made from Crank Brothers’ own Match Compound Rubber, MC2, that they say is optimised for grip and durability. It features lugs at the heel and toe for off bike escapades, and the central area that will sit on the pedal focuses on having maximal surface contact area with the pedals.
I found fit to be bang on for my usual UK 9.5 or EUR 44 feet and there was no need to size up or down. At first I was a bit sceptical about the BOA system, but I must admit I am now a big fan. In terms of fit, it really evenly tensions the lace across the whole shoe, aiding the comfy fit further. You can also very quickly adjust how the shoe fits and feels and I found myself reaching down mid-ride to release the tension for long climbs or road sections, letting my feet move and breathe a bit.
When it came time to drop in, a quick twist left me feeling secure and ready to rip. The whole time, the Velcro strap kept my foot secure and prevented any slipping. In this sense the Stamp flat shoe is awesome and I loved the velcro/BOA combination.
Unfortunately it doesn’t matter how well a shoe fits if it doesn’t grip the pedals well enough, and in this sense, they were a big disappointment. In my opinion, the two best soles on the market are the 5.10 Stealth rubber sole and Specialized’s new sole as found on the latest 2FO and the Crank Brothers were no where near either.
Given their racy look and comfy fit I did find regular use with them on my Orbea Oiz XC bike (review coming soon) where I enjoyed their direct feel on the surfaced trails of my local trail centre loop for some dirty Spring training sessions.
What do we think?
Well made, great looking and super comfy, I now want BOA on all of my shoes. Sadly, they just don’t have the grip you need to ride gnarly trails.
We love:
- Stealthy looks
- BOA closure
Could do better:
- Not grippy enough soles
