Born on the Colorado River in 1984 Teva, a company well known in the outdoors market for its hiking boots and sandals, has decided to put all its expertise and experience into a new mountain bike shoe, the Links.

Before designing their first bike shoe, the company approached Jeff Lenosky to help pen the first outlines for the Links, and it shows as it looks, from these photos at least, to be a product seriously worthy of consideration.

“Teva has been supporting freeride mountain biking over the last five years with its sponsorship of one of the top ten freeride events in the world at its annual Teva Mountain games,” says Joel Heath Global Marketing Director.

“Jeff was the Teva Mountain Games’ guide in introducing freeride mountain biking to the event in its early years, so this product introduction and collaboration is an organic evolution for the brand.

“In combination with Jeff’s expertise, we have built the Links on the areas of performance that our consumer insights indicated we have permission to go. Just like our traditional performance product, the Links will have outstanding traction with uncompromising water management technologies that made Teva famous.”

The Links is designed for fans of flat pedals (no word on an SPD version yet) and features a proprietary Spider365 sole with an aggressive tread pattern to provide high levels of traction on the pins. A Shoc-Pad gives some cushioning in the heel. Around the outside of the shoe is a flexible armour and an ion-mask nano-coating gives the Links resistance to rain and makes them easier to clean after a muddy ride.

“I worked with Teva’s product team for over a year to build this shoe,” notes Lenosky. “We didn’t compromise on any aspect of the design, using the very best materials, style and technology available. I’ve been wearing them and riding in them for a few months and I’m really proud of the finished product.”

We’re impressed, and we’ll be hoping to get our feet in a test pair soon to give our verdict on their performance. A credible alternative to established offerings from Shimano and 5.10?

£85 from www.teva.co.uk