ION Products first unveiled its new shoe range in an email press release back in August of last year, but it’s only now that the new shoes have reached production. The good news for those who have been patiently waiting? The shoes will be hitting the shelves of a local bike shop near you within the next fortnight.
With the news of the impending product release, we got the chance to have a look at the new Rascal SPD and the Raid flat shoes during the London Bike Show. We also got access to official UK pricing, which we’ve listed for you below along with all of the specs for you right here in this handy digital websticle.
ION Products will be offering two different shoe models to begin with: the Raid flat-pedal shoe, and this bright blue number called the Rascal.
ION Rascal SPD Shoe Specifications
- Clipless design for use with SPD-style pedals
- Lace-up design with Serpen Tie velcro closure
- Toetal Protection injected toe cap
- Ankle Pad protection
- Synthetic Leather upper
- Jet Stream ventilation
- SupTraction Rubber CL (for clip pedals) outer sole
- EVA midsole
- 2K Insole for added damping and arch support
- Claimed weight: 469 grams per shoe (size 42 without cleat)
- Sizes: EU 37 through to EU 47
- Available colours: Black or Stream Blue
- RRP: £110
Designed in collaboration with the clever Swiss folks behind SUPLEST, the new ION shoe range came about due to requests from ION’s sponsored athletes. It’s the usual story – the riders weren’t happy with the existing shoe options on the market, and so with their input, ION began prototyping various shoe molds to see what they could achieve with a ground-up design.
The result of all that testing and prototyping is what you see here. Both the Rascal and Raid aren’t particularly radical designs, but instead ION has merged many of the features its athletes liked from other shoe brands, into the one ultra-mega-awesome shoe design. Or at least, that’s what it says on the tin (box).
The Rascal is an SPD-compatible shoe, and ION claims it’s compatible with all clip-in pedals on the market. Without actually measuring it, the cleat recess does look fairly shallow, so that should help the shoe to engage with larger platform style pedals, while allowing the rubber outsole to latch on to pins and textured pedal bodies.
The outsole itself uses a “100% secret rubber compound”, which has been developed with SUPLEST. It’s definitely soft and grippy to the touch, but not quite as gooey as Five Ten’s melty Stealth S1 rubber. Along with purpose-built tread blocks, the Rascal looks to be a capable shoe for those times when you need to hoik a bike over your shoulder and scramble up the side of a trail.
The asymmetrical design of the Rascal shoe provides a raised inner cuff that extends up and over your ankle bone. A soft pad is placed right over the ankle to help shield it in the event of a crash, or simply against the crank arm and frame for those with a ‘heel-in’ pedalling style.
The Rascal runs good ol’ laces to keep it snugged up, while an additional Velcro strap also offers further adjustment for keeping your heel locked inside the shoe.
The Velcro strap (called Serpen Tie), is really the only functional difference in the upper between the Rascal (SPD) and the Raid (flat). Otherwise they’re built with a very similar construction that uses a mid-weight synthetic leather for the upper.
Initially launched as Vane and now renamed as the Raid, this is ION’s take on the ultimate flat-pedal specific shoe.
ION Raid Flat Shoe Specifications
- Flat-specific design for use with flat pedals
- Lace-up design
- Toetal Protection injected toe cap
- Ankle Pad protection
- Synthetic Leather upper
- Jet Stream ventilation
- SupTraction Rubber FL (flat pedal) outer sole
- EVA midsole
- 2K Insole for added damping and arch support
- Claimed weight: 400 grams per shoe (size 42)
- Sizes: EU 37 through to EU 47
- Available colours: Black or Woodland
- RRP: £89
Designed for use with flat pedals specifically, the Raid ditches the ability to bolt on cleats for a cleaner rubber outsole that’s textured for maximum grippage with broad platform pedals.
The SupTraction Rubber FL outsole is even stickier than that found on the Rascal shoe, as the Raid is designed to keep your feet hugging your flat pedal shoes.
There’s heavy sculpting of the tread blocks at both the toe and feel of the outsole, which is all in the name of increasing traction when hike-a-biking. ION has also engineered the reinforced EVA midsole of the Rascal and Raid shoes to deliver sufficient power transfer when on the pedals, while offering comfortable flex for when you’re on the ground.
The synthetic leather upper isn’t particularly bulky, which helps to keep the weight around the 400 gram mark per shoe (for a size 42). Built-in ventilation helps to keep your feet cool, though our skeptical British minds can’t help but think that this also provides plenty of options for water to get in. At least they’ll dry quickly right?
Despite the slim profile, ION has gone some ways to provide subtle but crucial armouring on the Rascal and Raid shoes. An injection molded toe cap helps to cover your toes from rock strikes, and the neat seamless design keeps any stray threads away from potential damage.
Both the Rascal and Raid shoes will be available in two colourways. Here the Raid is shown in a stealthy Black/Red option.
Another feature that isn’t shown in the above photos is the dual-density footbed inside the new ION shoes. Designed to offer arch support, the 2K footbeds also feature a softer pad underneath the heel, which (like some of Giro’s shoe models), is there to cushion your heel against impact forces when you depart from your bike.
For more information about the ION Products range, and to find your nearest stockist, head to www.ion-products.com