Bontrager Flatline shoe review

The overall build quality of the shoe is great.

• Brand: Bontrager
• Product: Flatline shoe
• Price: £119.99
• From: Trek Bikes
• Tested by: Aran for 3 months

Pros

• Really well made
• High levels of trail feel
• Extremely comfy

Cons

• Not as all-out grippy as rival soles
• Thinnish soles can feel harsh on rough terrain

Shoe choice is arguably the more important side of the flat pedal coin. The grippiest pedals in the world won’t make up for some woeful shoes. However, I’m still yet to find the perfect flat pedal MTB shoe that ticks all my boxes. I was therefore eager to test these Bontrager Flatline shoes when they landed at the STW office earlier in the year. Since then, I’ve put a few months of riding into them all in the hope that these Vibram-soled kicks would solve my complaints.

It’s clear that the Flatlines are designed for durability. The overall build quality of the shoe is great. Having big feet and spending most of my time riding rough and tight tracks, I find that my feet are often hitting the sides of ruts and snagging rocks. Despite all this hammer, impressively, the shoes still look fresh: showing no signs that they are getting tired of my abuse. This in part is down to the reinforced toe-box, but I’d say that to be honest the quality of the rest of the shoe does enough here on its own to rival some of its competitors.

Bontrager has used Vibram rubber on the soles to help with this durability. Vibram works great on walking boots; it’s tough and holds up well to years of use. Herein lies the issue though; you want your rubber to wear out. It needs to be at least a little soft to let the pins really stick in. As a result of this harder sole, I noticed a tangible drop in pedal grip when compared to other options, including the old and beat-up set of Five Tens that are still reluctantly my go to.

I did try some super long aggressive pins with them and in fairness this did do a lot to improve matters, but I’d be lying if the grip of these Flatlines doesn’t let them down for me. I also noticed that in spite of the EVA mid sole the shoes don’t feel overly cushioned. Instead, they do feel fairly direct with the EVA simply taking the edge off vibrations.

It’s not all bad news. For one, I quite like this direct feeling now that I’m used to it. They’re a lightweight shoe and this direct feedback adds to the sporty feel and helps me feel more connected to the bike. The soles have been designed to have a nice consistent pad with a uniform tread pattern. This consistent feeling does come across, but it’s also nice to see that Bontrager has thought about pushing up hills as well, with some varied, more grippy, tread on the toes and heels.

I often find that the clunkiness of flat pedal MTB shoes becomes exaggerated for big footed riders like myself. However, the fit of these Bontrager shoes is excellent as they feel snug without being tight and constricting. They are not waterproof, but they definitely soak the puddles up a lot less than other canvas based shoes I’ve experienced. They also dry a lot quicker too and as someone who rides most days, not having to put on still damp shoes is a huge plus. In the warmth the perforated panelling does a lot to help with sweat and temperature management. These really are shoes that I enjoy wearing in all conditions.

Overall

The Flatlines are a good set of shoes that are just let down by the harsh soles. The quality is excellent, the fit is comfy, and the overall riding experience definitely feels more towards the “dialled in” side of things. I just think they would benefit from a slightly softer and more grippy sole. More aggressive pedals did help, so it’s not that the Flatlines are unrideable but for me, it’s hard to say I wasn’t disappointed by the grip levels compared to some of the other options out there.