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WHAT IT IS: Vibram FiveFingers Classic and FLOW
WHY IT'S RAD: The best shoes I've ever used for FST and weight training, ever. Also the best shoes I've ever used for off-road running form drills. Much loved in the off-road running world, these shoes are basically a form-fitting carapace that allows your feet to function the exact same way they would if you were barefoot, but with more protection. The top is snug, but not constricting spandex. The soles are thin, supple, and allow the sole of your foot to function exactly as it does barefoot. You develop superior foot, ankle, and calf strength, mobility, and proprioception when you wear these shoes. Wear them when you train and you will see benefits in these areas within a few training sessions. Wear them running and you immediately notice what you're doing wrong—if you have bad form or heel strike, it will hurt. That's because you're not supposed to heel strike, something that starts to make a lot of sense when you try running barefoot. These shoes have made every training session I've had more productive, allowed me to zero in on deficiencies in my form on any movement where my feet are on the ground, and have made me a stronger cyclist, too. If you're a cyclist, give them a shot just as an around the house/wearing around shoe and you'll garner some of the same benefits I've experienced. In my experience, the FiveFingers Classic model, which uses an adjustable elastic band around the upper, is ideal for indoor training while the Flow model, which has a Velcro strap and covers the entire top of the foot, is better for training outdoors. Washing machine safe, so you can get the stink out, too.
BUMMERS?: None, really. A little trickier than a normal shoe for using on the TRX. Not ideal for wearing in concrete jungle, but worth wearing on the streets/sidewalks on occasion because they help you learn what you're doing wrong with your feet when you're walking. And if you've been wearing normal running shoes or crosstrainers your entire life, you're probably doing something wrong. These shoes will change how you move.
$: $75
INFO: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_classic_m.cfm
WHAT IT IS: Shimano SH M-230
WHY IT'S RAD: Shimano's custom-fit off-the-shelf concept brings tailor made luxury to your feet, sort of. You go into a Shimano dealer, stick your foot in a special vacuum-sealer and heater, and the insoles and shoes are molded to your feet. Bam, shoes that fit your feet perfectly. Really. I was very impressed with my experience at iMartin in LA. It took less than a half hour and when I took my maiden voyage a few hours later, I was rolling in the best fitting bike shoes I've ever owned. I've run into trouble with low-volume, narrow toe boxes on Shimano shoes in the past, but not with this model. Plenty of headroom and width up front, but not too much, and a heel counter that holds my foot perfectly in place. I still prefer the even feel of the Boa lacing system over the straps and ratchet arrangement found on this shoe, but it's not a deal killer. The Shimano sole remains one of the stiffest of any shoe manufacturer out there delivering seemingly zero loss of power transfer without being so stiff your feet go numb. The custom-fit insoles are heaven on your candy pillows. The aggressive tread makes getting off the bike to push or stomp on rattlesnakes easy, but it also adds a noticeable amount of weight to the shoe. If you're not a World Cup racer you may not care. Put this shoe on a diet and give it a Boa lacing system and it's 100% home run. As it is, still a killer shoe, will fit your foot better than anything else you buy off the shelf, and may make you feel 8% more beautiful and lean.
BUMMERS: Noticeably heavier than any other mountain bike shoe I have owned in recent history, and heavier than shoes I owned half a decade ago, too. The gigantic heel lugs and overbuilt sole seem to account for most of the weight. The weight in the heel feels like it weighs down the back of your foot on the bike but the aggressive, overbuilt sole means they won't wear out too fast. You'd need a rotary grinder to wear these things down.
$: $250
INFO: http://tinyurl.com/yfauun5
WHAT IT IS: Oakley Jawbone
WHY IT'S RAD: After years of having their top athletes rock M-Frames and Radars, except for those that went the Travis Brown/Hincapie/Craig Lewis route, Lance Romance, Cav, and numerous others switched to the Jawbone. Now that I've had time to check them out, I still prefer the Radar XL for the vast majority of my riding. The Jawbones feel heavier on my face, don't have unobstructed peripheral vision due to a frame that goes all the way around the lenses, and don't offer as much coverage as the Radar XL. What I find greatly appealing is the quality of construction and the ease of swapping lenses. If you've ever swapped lenses on a pair of Radars, M-Frames or roboshades from other manu's, you know it can be a pain in the ass to pop and switch those puppies without creating a thumbprint apocalypse that takes five minutes of huffing and buffing to get rid of. You won't have this problem with the Jawbones. They're also a more stylistically subtle shade option for off-the-bike or whatever wear. Quality of lenses is top notch and I haven't noticed any perceptible distortion.
BUMMERS?: Fit slightly tighter than Radar's/Radar XL's on temples, slightly heavier too.
$: $195
INFO: http://www.oakley.com/pd/6293
WHAT IT IS: Oakley Radar XL
WHY IT'S RAD: Not everyone is in love with the robo-shade look, but I've been on board since mini-truck freestylin' legend RL Osborn got funky with Oakley Blades back in the day. Since then Oakley has continually elevated their sport optics game and made the M-Frame then Radar go-to shades for endurance sport athletes. I love them because I barely notice I'm wearing them, they don't pinch my head (this depends on your noggin size though), they have the most uninterrupted field of peripheral vision of any shade I've tried thanks to the lack of frame around the sides and bottom, and the optics are crisp. My only gripe with the regular old Radar and the M-Frame before it is/was that these shades didn't cover enough of the face above the bridge of your nose. That meant that when you had your head down, you ended up looking at the top of the frame in your bottom field of vision and had sunlight flooding in over the top. The Radar XL solves this problem with more coverage in the exact spot where I (and apparently their athletes) wanted it.
BUMMERS?: The Iridium coating completes the robo-look, but damn, these babies scratch easily. And that's a bummer when you consider that's a big chunk of what you're paying for. I baby mine and still managed to get a scratch directly over my right eye. Fuck.
$: $175
INFO: http://www.oakley.com/pd/6332
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