• Nike Ligure shoes
• £99
• Trek
• 01908 282626

Once upon a time there were just MTB shoes or road shoes. These days, though, we’ve got mountain bike shoes that look like rugged trainers at one end of the scale and like, well, road shoes at the other. Which you choose depends a bit on what sort of riding you do. The more, and harder, you pedal, the more suitable the racier end of the shoe spectrum is likely to suit you. If you tend to cruise or walk a fair bit, the rugged stuff may be a better bet. Nike’s Ligure are towards the race end of the spectrum, but not right out at the edge.

One very racey aspect is the low weight. This is a good thing for shoes. You’ve doubtless heard about the increased influence of rotating weight in wheels and tyres. Well, your feet are rotating weight too. There’s not a great deal you can do to make your actual feet weigh less, but some svelte shoeage can certainly make a difference. The Ligure’s scant 772g mass (including cleats) barely troubles the scales, making them light enough that you almost feel like you’re riding in bare feet.

They’re a good, snug fit too. Triple Velcro straps can’t quite match Sidi-style ratchetty gubbinses for security or good old laces for adjustability, but they do the job. The Velcro’ll give up the ghost in the mud, but if you’re riding in mud and wetness then these aren’t the shoes you’re looking for. A neat touch is the flared end to each Velcro straps, preventing them from pulling right out of the loops when you take the shoes off and saving a bit of re-threading faffage.

Construction is of synthetic leather and mesh, making the Ligures as airy as they are light. Obviously this is a mixed blessing, great in the dry and heat but not so good if it’s cold. These aren’t the only shoes to have if you ride all year round. But it’s unfair to hold that against them – they’re primarily race shoes after all.

That said, they’ve proved pretty versatile. While the carbon plate in the sole makes them stiff as a long-dead stiff thing, they’re surprisingly comfortable for long stints – we’ve worn them for eight hours at a stretch with no complaints. Power transmission is very good, although as we hinted earlier there’s a hint of give in the fastenings on the upstroke. Walking is tolerable for short distances and the sole is fairly grippy – there’re the usual optional studs up front for extra purchase on soft ground.

Rock-kickers will be glad to see a hardened plastic piece around the toe, and the whole shoe appears to wear pretty well – these are pretty grubby, but nothing’s fallen off, come adrift or worn away except for a tiny bit of stitching inside the heel.

Verdict
They’re a race shoe, but not an uncompromising one. If you want something even racier, try the slightly pricier Carnerso with ratchet buckles. If you’re looking for a lightweight, straightforward fair-weather all-rounder then the Ligures could just fit the bill.

Performance: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5