Mavic Tempo mountain bike shoes £135
The first thing that struck me as I removed the new Mavic Tempo shoes from the box and the protective paper wrapping is the striking silver finish. Then I was struck by the lack of weight, the stiffness of the sole and the fact they just ooze with quality.
Mavic, traditionally just a rim and wheelset manufacturer, branched out into clothing several years ago. Its shoes have been gaining a lot of fans, with the bright yellow signature colour of the top-end Fury model becoming a regular sight on the start line of any mountain bike race.
While those bling slippers are reserved for the weight weenies, the Tempo is a more modest offering. It sits three down from the top, but with a price tag of £135 it’s still an expensive shoe. Fortunately it goes a long way to justifying that, based on our first look with a sample that have just turned up for testing.
Some details about them then. Firstly the super aggressive outsole features a proprietary Contragrip rubber lugs for grip on any trail when you’re forced to dismount. A composite carbon glass fibre sole with nylon inserts feels stiff, but with a little more flex than a race-ready shoe that will be welcome of trail riders who want a race shoe that isn’t quite as stiff as a fully fledged race shoe.
On the outside the Tempo uses two adjustable Egro straps in combination with the Ergo Lite ratchet, a low profile and lightweight design, keeps the shoe planted on your foot. Fit is further enhanced with an Energy Lock heel and the insoles are pre-shaped two-density items.
Weight is 390g a pair (for a size 8.5) which is not much heavier than the top-end Fury at 335g, not much of a weight penalty really, unless you’re counting the grams. Based on this first impression, we’re really looking forward to testing them. Full review next year…
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