Trail Tested | O’Neal Pinned SPD Shoe
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Trail Tested | O’Neal Pinned SPD Shoe
Price: $89.99
In the motocross world O’Neal is one of the heavy hitters when it comes to apparel and safety equipment, but did you know that the brand also makes a complete line of mountain biking apparel that includes footwear. While O’Neal bike gear is quite popular in Europe, the stuff from the O brand is lesser-known in the United States, for some reason. And that’s a shame!
While making mountain bike baggy shorts and jerseys is kind of a no-brainer for motocross apparel brands looking to cross over into the pedal arena, making a mountain-bike specific shoe requires a complete commitment to the sport from a brand. O’Neal has mountain bikers covered from head to toe, as it produces everything from helmets to jersey, gloves, and shorts, down to SPD-compatible shoes.
The Pinned SPD shoe doesn’t look like some of the goofy MTB shoes we’ve seen with fancy cable adjusters and pointed toe boxes; instead, the Pinned shoe looks much like an incognito skate shoe that can easily be worn to and from the trail and everywhere in between. A durable polyurethane upper that is secured with a lace system, a beefy nylon insert to transfer maximum power to the pedals, and a Honey Rubber sole compound are the highlights of the Pinned SPD shoe. Of course, a panel on the sole of the shoe is easily removed for mounting of an SPD or other clipless-style cleat.
We got our hands on a pair of the Pinned SPD shoes and have been logging lots of miles in them aboard a Specialized Stumpjumper trail bike. The shoes have a wide fit which is great for riders with Fred Flintstone feet, but the lacing system allows the shoe to be amply tightened for riders with thinner feet, too. The synthetic uppers are tough and abrasion-resistant, and they have just enough impact protection to keep the delicate bones in your feet safe in the event of a crash or untimely contact with a trailside obstacle.
The sole of the Pinned SPD Shoe is actually quite stiff and borderline uncomfortable to walk in. That said, these babies are made for riding, not walking through the mall, and a stiff sole means maximum power transferred to the pedals, and excellent support when landing from jumps. The SPD cleat mounts have a nice range of adjustability and can accommodate all but the most extreme mounting preferences.
At $89.99, the O’Neal Pinned SPD MTB shoe is a great value: it’s comfortable, durable, and packed with performance. We love them!
