French Resplendent Faux Leather

What: Adidas Marathon MTB Shoes How Much: $149.95 Where: www.adidas.com/verticals/cycling

In these days of the Boa no-lace system and multiple ratchets, I look at a mountain bike shoe with three simple Velcro straps and think of one, inevitable scenario: those very same straps flapping around uselessly after a slurry of mud and puddles render them impotent as a means of closure. And when the Velcro-strapped shoes are named Marathon? Oh man, I’d better bring some duct tape to pick up where the lame Velcro leaves off as these shoes were meant for long rides. I mean, it’s happened before over the years, many times with many different shoes, so what should make the ratchet-less Adidas Marathon any different?

Luckily, shoe design and Velcro efficacy have apparently come a long way since that first pair of SPD compatible shoes back in ’90 that opened wide after getting the Velcro wet and promptly shrank a size upon drying. Adidas, the legendary German athletic shoe manufacturer, has been working its way into the cycling market for some years, obviously taking cues from the mistakes made by cycling component companies that got into making cycling shoes first.

Resplendent with its faux leather silver uppers (more on that later) the Marathon occupies second position in the Adidas mountain bike footwear line, just below the all black, old school looking adiStar XC Race. Lacking a carbon sole, the Marathon is meant as a choice for all-day rides. Its polyamide sole is reinforced with fiberglass, stiff but not in the same league as the new generation of mountain bike race shoes that feel like road shoes with lugged soles glued on. A healthy set of open lugs adorn the sole, more than adequate for grip in most conditions. A molded plastic heel cup anchors the back of your feet in the shoes better than most, even when hiking (or running) with your bike.

But back to the Velcro straps: the straps and their proprietary Fast Strap closure system –a method of using filament and hooks to attach the male/female Velcro elements - defy expectations. However, no matter the number of bells and whistles on its stat sheet, a shoe is only as good as it stays on your foot. In that regard the Marathons exceed all expectations.

Baptized in a historically foul-weathered New England cyclo-cross season, my Marathons scoffed at every conceivable iteration of bad riding conditions with hardly a whisper of abandoning the cause. From ankle deep mud to snow to freezing rain to the now legendary combination of all three at the 2005 U.S. Nationals the Marathons remained tight on my feet, grippy in the slippery (thanks in large part to the included toe spikes), and stiff enough for even the pickiest ex-road rider. Ample space for cleats meant a minimal amount of mud packing, allowing for easy entry into and exit from pedals. The sole lugs are also spread far enough apart to allow for a good deal of lateral cleat adjustment, a useful trait many current shoes lack. The shoes have been remarkably stout, looking nearly new even after hours and hours of unfriendly abuse on New England singletrack.

However, I have yet to ride the perfect pair of shoes and the Marathons are no exception. The overlapping sections of the uppers, perhaps part of what helps the Velcro stay closed, don’t open very wide, and getting your feet in the shoes can be a pain. As well, the hard surface on the sole under the cleats does not seem quite hard enough and is wearing faster than I would expect. Once that area wears to a certain point the shoes are toast, compromising the pedal/shoe contact to an unacceptable point. It hasn’t happened after six months of riding, but it is a concern.

Apart from their proven performance, the Marathons just look killer. For me, no price tag can be put on the cool factor in cycling shoes, though the Italians consistently try to prove otherwise. And while Mediterranean influenced cycling shoes might look great now, they’ll likely seem a fashion “don’t” in a year or two, if they last that long. My Marathons show every sign of a Northern European ruggedness and timelessness that makes those flash silver uppers a keeper in my book.