Vittoria "Impact" MTB Shoes: Final Review
Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 7:19PM Well, the leaves are falling and daylight grows shorter with each passing day here. Now it has come time for my final take on the Vittoria Impact mountain biking shoes I have been testing all season. If you want to see my earlier, "First Impressions" take on these, click the link here.
Vittoria Impact mtb shoesSince my last report in June I have worn these shoes multiple times per week, using them as commuter shoes, trail shoes, and I have often worn them throughout the shift at work at the bicycle shop where I am a mechanic.
Through all of that, these shoes have shown little wear. No stitching coming loose, the graphics, while slightly worn, are really in pretty decent shape. What amazes me the most is the inner lining of the shoe in the heel cup. I have worn several models of mtb shoes and these are the only ones that have not worn through in the inside of the heel cup for me. In fact, I can't really see any wear there. Other shoes I have used have been torn to shreds in this area. I am very impressed by this. Other potential trouble spots: the ratchet, the hook and loop closures, and the soles have come through with flying colors as well.
Ride Performance: Again, I have used these for lots of commuting, but also on long rides of 100 miles, and in the grueling environs of Bootleg Canyon during Interbike's Outdoor Demo. They've been soaked in rain, mud, and dust to no real detriment. All the way through, the fit, feel and most importantly, the sensations during those longer rides have been consistently great. No hot spot issues, and no issues with regards to chafing, or other negatives in fit on the bike.
Conclusions: The Vittoria Impact mountain bike shoes have been an excellent partner in all my riding this season. I expect they will continue on for at least a few more seasons of use, as they show no real signs of decay at this point. Only the time spent in Bootleg Canyon seems to have accelerated wear on the soles, so those in rocky, gritty conditions that are similar to Southern Nevada may see advanced wear issues.
I still feel that engagement in Shimano pedals is a shade harder and I attribute this to the narrow-ish and deep set cleat area in the sole. This wasn't a real niggle for me, but it is noticeable at times. Mud never made it worse for me, but it may for some. Also, I did feel that the outsole stretched a wee bit over time. It wasn't a lot, but I could tell that I was taking up more of the ratcheted strap at the time of this posting than when they were new, and the hook and loop straps were being pulled in a shade more. The good news is that there is so much adjustability to fit the Impact shoes to your feet, that a little stretch is nothing more than a slight adjustment. For instance, I could easily move the ratchet strap to the next lower position on the shoe, and regain the range of strap adjustment I had when new. As it stands now, I am at the tightest it will go, but it is still "just right" at this point. No need to switch the ratchet mount, but I could if needed. That is a major plus.
The Impact isn't an inexpensive shoe, but since I am finding value in long wear and comfort with really good performance here, the initial cost doesn't seem to be panning out to be a hurdle here. For instance, I was wearing out a pair of $100.00 MSRP shoes a season before I started using these. The Impact shows no reason why it wouldn't last three times as long as my former shoes would. That's another major plus here. I'll save money in the long run, and way before the Impact will likely give up the ghost on me. Obviously, that's a guess, but really, I don't see a lot of entropy going on here with the Impact!
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