Ride Concepts has been at the mountain bike shoe game for nearly four years now. The brand has always concentrated on gravity-minded shoes with good looks, stiff soles, and a high degree of durability. Until now, all of them have been lace-ups. Maybe you’re on team lace-up and like the manual way of setting snugness; or maybe you are team BOA, keen to the speedy foot security and ease it provides. Either way, there are now both options at Ride Concepts for you in the brand’s newest trail shoe.
Tallac and Flume Clip
The Tallac and Flume Clip are the men’s and women’s versions of the new shoe, respectively. Each has a lace-up option for $180 and a BOA option for an additional $30 at $210. Note that these prices are for the clipless versions. The shoes feature a beefy, wrap-around tread that promises to shine in hike-a-bike situations.
The Tallac and Flume Clip have a Cordura, stitch-free, welded upper. Ride Concepts says that this makes the shoe durable, protective, and lightweight. There’s a long cleat “runway” for easier mating with the pedal and the tread and material should do well on hike-a-bikes.
The men’s options weigh 504g and 570g per shoe for the lace-ups and Boas, respectively. The women’s weigh 455g and 475g per shoe for the lace-ups and Boas. Our test sample in a size 41 weighed 470g without a cleat.
We have a pair of the Tallac lace-ups in for review and will let you all know how they feel when the snow dries out.
- Ride Concepts Tallac Clip ($180) available at REI
- Ride Concepts Flume Clip ($180) available from Ride Concepts
Tallac and Flume (flat)
There are also lace-up and BOA options for the flat pedal Tallac and Flumes. These shoes are priced at $160 and $190.
The new shoes also use Cordura uppers and the outsole has a Max Grip rubber outsole. Other features include an EVA midsole for extra cushion and support, a heel pull tab, and TPU toe and heel protection.
The flat pedal options weigh a reported 430g and 485g for the men’s lace-ups and Boas. The women’s are said to weigh 365g and 400g for the lace-ups and Boas.
- Ride Concepts Tallac Flat ($160) available at REI
- Ride Concepts Flume Flat ($160) available at REI
Updated Hellion Elite and Clip
Ride Concepts released the Elite version of the Hellion last year, and now they’ve updated the aesthetics and a few other aspects. The shoe uses the Max Grip rubber outsole too and is now made using at least 30% recycled PET plastic. The most notable update on the Hellion Elite is the styling. The branding is more subtle than the previous ‘RC” stamped onto the side. This is available for men and women.
The Hellion Clip is available for men and women too and uses a Clip Grip rubber outsole, a 40mm cleat window, and a fully gusseted tongue for dirt and debris protection inside the shoe.
The rest
The Vice is Ride Concepts’ dirt jump and BMX shoe inspired by Caroline Buchanan. There’s a fresh white color, black, and manzanita. MSRP: $100
The styling on the Traverse remains similar to previous models and it remains a trusty lace-up gravity shoe with new colors. The Traverse sells for $180.
The Livewire is back again for 2022 as well with men’s and women’s options as well as youth options. The shoe remains largely unchanged. MSRP: $110
