The Rebel fits big or wide feet better than most performance shoes

Posted by What Mountain Bike on 13th Nov 2010

The Rebel uses a composite twin forefoot stud compatible midsole, which fuses nylon and carbon fibre together to create a midsole that's stiffer than ordinary nylon though without the outright road shoe stiffness of top end XC race shoes - this is essentially a high performance mountain bike shoe that gives a slight nod to all day wearability over outright power delivery.

The Rebel's manmade leather / nylonmesh upper shares the same broad forefoot shape which impressed us last year, and the deep well-vented toe box will please riders who find other brands a bit pinchy up front.

We slid into them easily, cinching down the twin velcro forefoot straps and clicking through the SBS buckle to lock it onto our feet - the buckle works OK, but the velcro lateral adjustment on the buckle strap can catch on the edges of the upper vamp. We'd prefer a one-piece instep cover with some adjustment capability on the instep anchor point.

Cleat socket depth is good, with no issues using either Shimano SPD or un-shimed Crank Brothers cleats. They shrug off dirt and grime and look good ride after ride. These shoes have proved solid, reliable performers and will remain in service on every kind of ride we do.