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Sorry, there was a thread the other day asking about sort of weather proof shoes for flats that would be more robust than Freerider Elements, but I'll be dammed if I can find it!
Anywho, anyone tried the above? Great reviews on CRC, look good, Shimano shoes of old used to last forever.
Not much to add, other than these are top of my list to replace my Impacts which are on the way out (sole has been torn to shreds).
Reviews I've read mention that they're not that weather proof being fairly ligh weight.
Got a pair of these about a month ago. Had a pair of AM44's for a few years previously.
They are a big improvement of the AM44's in terms of weight and how quickly they dry - overnight rather than a full week! Prefer the look of them too, they just look like trainers.
I find them a bit easier to walk in to, the soles are definitely grippier, but I don't think they are as secure on the pedals, I find my feet moving around more then they did. It might be me, it might be pedal compatibility, it might be that they are so much lighter they feel less planted but they definitely feel less secure.
Also the blue ones are very blue!
Shoe Goo. Repaired my vxi's months ago, still going strong.
Mine arrived last night in 'Very' Blue.
I bloody love them - very stiff and a tiny bit narrower than I would like ideally (I have very wide feet) I wouldn't like to walk 10 miles in them, but on the bike they're very comfy, second only to Teva Links, the absolute gold standard in riding shoe comfort in my book.
Grip wise, out of the box I was a bit disappointed, I thought they were like the Shimano's of old, basically rock hard rubber and relying on the pins finding a good bit of tread for grip, but after 15 mins they really took hold - you CAN correct foot position without lifting unlike Five Tens, but weighted they're rock solid, tempted to say the old "90% as grippy" but I honestly couldn't say they were any less grippy than my Five Tens at all, and last night was really dry and rocky.
It was also 28c and insanely humid in the forest last night, but they were fine despite a very rubbery material and vent that aren't really they vented.
The little elastic thing to tuck your laces into is simple and genius.
Singletrack ran a comparison of the GR7 and GR9 quite recently -
https://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/review-shimano-gr7-vs-gr9-flat-pedal-shoes/