Review | Etnies Jameson Mid Crank flat shoe

Hannah checks out the Etnies Jameson Mid Crank MTB shoes, developed with Brandon Semenuk.

Suede? Pale grey suede? What kind of mountain biker are these built for? The answer is one who does tricks, probably on dirt jumps (which are a dry weather activity…) and who probably isn’t going out for a long distance moorland slog.

Bearing Brandon Semenuk’s name, it’s perhaps no surprise that these shoes aren’t quite our normal flat pedal fare. Add to that Etnies’ skateboard heritage, and you know we’re going to be looking at something a little different with the Etnies Jameson Mid Crank.

These shoes have a stiff enough but flexi enough sole to provide power and protection, but also allow you to feel the bike. They’re sticky to a point – you don’t want to be too attached to your bike while doing a can-can, I guess. I wouldn’t know. If my feet are off the pedals, it’s an accident in the making. The ‘mid’ element of the design is the inner collar, which is slightly higher cut around the ankle to help protect you walloping your foot on your crank. And the suede…well, that would prove to be something of a revelation.

The Etnies Jameson Mid Crank are available in five different colours, in a range of what I might describe as ‘earth tones’ – handy if you want to match your shoes to the colour of your dirt jumps? They’re nicely understated, normal looking shoes that don’t scream ‘I’m going riding my bike, bro!’. All the soles – there are four different colours – have a ‘Geo-Hex’ tread pattern, and there’s a foam insole for cushioning.

The shoes are advertised as offering ‘mountain bike-grade stiffness with free-ride functionality and durability, providing a shoe that is as versatile as Semenuk’. Would they prove versatile enough to meet my more mortal needs?

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