 |
Axo Dually Shoes
|
I have ridden without gloves, a helmet (in the old days - bad call) and shorts (don't ask) but the one gear item I will not go without is shoes. If you've ever tried to ride flats barefoot you know how important your shoes are.
Finding shoes I liked was tougher than snagging behind the bench seats for the gold medal game in Salt Lake (Team Canada!). Finding many shoes I didn't like taught me what I was looking for. The sole must be flexible so you can hang your toes and heel over the edges of the pedal and dig in. With a stiff shoe you'll be sitting on top of the pedal instead of hanging on. Another obvious key is the right sole pattern so the pedal pins will sink into the rubber. A nice waffle with no spaces, flat spots and no arch gap works best in my mind. The fit should be reasonably precise as well so your most subtle inputs will be translated into bike movement.
I set out to find a shoe that met these basic criteria in Vancouver and struck out. I eventually found some Vans VMX in Seattle. These are designed for bmx but fit the bill very well. I soon noticed some limitations though - mainly a lack of ankle protection. Contact with crank arms or other sharp and nasties is not rare for me and I often bang my bones.
With all this in mind I was pretty interested the first time I saw Axo's Dually shoe in its non-spd platform. At first glance all looked good; nice and flexible, a good looking pattern on the bottom and excellent ankle protection. This is where the high top Duallies really shine. There are plastic ankle caps inserted in each side of both shoes and they work amazingly well. I tend to ride with my ankle bones against my cranks and the outside canvas has worn away and exposed the plastic but it shows no sign of breaking down. 
Some hightops limit fore and aft angling of your foot but the Axo has a cut out for your achilles which makes the shoe feel as nimble as a low cut (the new shoe - see below - doesn't appear to have this feature). A removable neoprene gaitor keeps the muck out from between sock and shoe quite effectively and improves the fit as well (also absent in 02). Unfortunately my gaitors have shrunk some since new and they don't fit as well as they did. They also have eaten away some of the lining of the shoe where the velcro comes in contact with the terry like material. The toe and heel of the shoes are also burly enough to take North Shore punishment.
On the trail the Dually lived up to its reputation and my other shoes have stayed at home ever since. It is rare to find a shoe that meets the opposing goals of a supple feel and excellent protection.
I think the best thing I can say about these shoes is that they are very popular on the North Shore despite being singularly ugly. I wore basketball shoes in 1982 that looked cooler than these. On the bright side if you manage to snag some tickets to Iron Maiden you can slip on your Duallys and some skinny black jeans and be the belle of the ball. Axo has redesigned the shoes and the styling they displayed at Interbike was a big improvement. They are also rebranding it with their 661 line but the name Dually lives on.
One thing I noticed about the shoe is that it stretches substantially over the first few rides. Mine went up almost an entire size so I would advise you to buy them tight. When I got them wet and then dried them in the furnace room they returned to a more snug fit.
I have ridden with my Axos for summer fall and winter and they seem to do fine in each. Don't expect excellent venting in this kind of shoe and it certainly isn't waterproof but it kept my feet surprisingly warm in the mud and the snow.
I have yet to find a better shoe to mate your feet to your bike.
If you aren't particular about fashion Axo is blowing out last year's Dually for $39.95 US from here in limited sizes. Beware if you are ordering from Canada because you will get dinged for duty - no free trade on shoes apparently.
If you can't find the Dually in your Canadian neighbourhood ask your local Norco dealer to get them in.
The new model will set you back $80 in the US - and $150 up here in Canada.
