Unparallel West Ridge Shoe Review

Although these Unparallel West Ridge are high-top shoes, I usually don’t lace them all the way up the very top. With the lacing done up ALL the way to the top I find them just that little bit too restrictive in terms of ankle movement. They are getting a bit less restrictive as the shoe in general beds in, but most of the time I’m riding around with the first one or two rows of lace holes empty.

• Price: £140.00
• From: darkventures.co.uk

Why high-tops? Extra protection innit? My ankles get less clobbered when wearing high-tops like these. And then there’s the extra protection from the elements. There’s more overlap of riding trouser and top-of-shoe with high-tops. It really does help keep the wind and wet out of your footsies.

While they make no claims of weatherproofing, the West Ridges are certainly some of the warmest and most wet-resistant flat pedal shoes I’ve tried over the years.

I have found myself wearing the West Ridges with the lacing running all the way to the uppermost holes during days when either there was a fair amount of sketchy hikeabike involved and I felt like I could do with the extra ankle support, or just when the weather was getting significantly colder and wetter and I wanted to keep the baddies out of my sockies for as long as possible, thanks.

In terms of pedal traction these Unparallel West Ridge shoes are excellent. So too is trail feedback. They aren’t overly thick chunky ‘dead’ feeling brothel creepers. They are stiffer than skate shoes, but definitely more compliant than some overly pedalling-efficiency focused flat pedal shoes out there. In this regard they are much more pleasant to wear all day on rides. Give me on bike ‘feel’ and off-bike walk-around-ability any day of the week over supposedly more efficient stiff shoes.

The balance of shock absorption, trail feel and pedal pin traction is just really, really good. Unparallel has some staff and manufacturing facilities who worked with Five Ten before it became part of Adidas, and it shows. Certainly, if you’ve struggled with the new narrower fit of Adidas Five Ten shoes, you’ll like the cut of Unparallel’s jib.

This product features in our Daytrippin’ Kit Essentials buyer’s guide

Review Info

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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