Pearl Izumi X-Project Shoes Review

Rob Allen

Are the Pearl Izumi X-Project Shoes the ideal off-road shoe?

We’ve been testing the new Pearl Izumi X-Project shoes for an extended period now, in both cyclocross and XC mountain biking settings.

As we wrote in our preview, they promise a new design approach to tackling the age old compromise of stiffness for pedalling and flex for running, which is a big part of cyclocross and some genres of mountain biking.

Super stiff soles, such as this tester’s regular Sidi Dragons, or the Lake CX shoes we tested, may be great for pedalling but they are less effective for running, particularly on loose, rough or greasy surfaces – which of course are exactly the kind of surfaces that a cross or XC racer is likely to be running on.  Conversely, flexible soles are great for running in but dreadful to pedal in.  

The question we raised was whether Pearl Izumi have cracked the code with the X-Project and made a shoe that covers both areas well..? Read More >