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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

chrome kursk short term review, hold fast long term review

so if you have been keeping up with my twitter, you already know i took part in chrome's "turds for gold" project. though i had asked for a size 9 i got  a size 8.5- which i had sent a pair of 8.5's.. i dont really mind because the fit is actually a little smaller.

there is alot to say about the kursk. first off they have a similar similar silhouette to a certain shoe that shall not be named at this time. though they look like something else, they are definitely not the same.



starting with the initial look over, the sneakers came with steel aglet (shoelace tips) shoelaces. the shoelace eyelets are reinforced with steel as well. the toecap is reinforced so getting into clips is a breeze (or kicking someones ass will hurt that much more). with the weatherproof cordura construction, these things will not break down. another great detail is the little reflective stripe at the heel- now you know these things have purpose.

right out of the box i threw them on and noticed the intense stiffness of the sole. unlike the soles per se of a vans sneaker, these things will not flex if you dont want them to. it took me a while to get used to it. there's a thin line between flexible comfort and cleat like stiffness, and i believe that chrome hit it on the head. just remember, these are NOT walking shoes. unlike other vulcanized sneakers that lack arch support this shoe has a little arch- but not too much so youre not hurting when you switch from your vans to these.

on the pedals is where these sneakers do work. because of the stiffness the pedals feel as if the sole is the actual pedal- something you dont get wearing sneakers. another cool aspect of the sneaker was this elastic band on the tongue. at first i had no clue what the fuck it was for but then it hit me- you put your loose shoelaces in it so it doesnt get caught between your chain and chainring. GENIUS! the only thing that fucked me up was getting in and out of my holdfasts. because the sneaker is stiff, and the straps were loose it was hard to manipulate them.


this is a perfect segway into my holdfast setup. okay...so... i know that i talked alot of smack and avoided getting a single strap FRS. i am eating my words in saying i freakin love my hold fasts. the whole idea behind them is quite basic but the application is such a specific and useful one- foot retention on platform pedals. this give the rider only that much more pedal surface area which is always a good thing. i love them so much i got my LBS to call them up and make an order even though they wont come until next month.

i opted for the MKE yoda/jedi colorway because they were sold out everywhere else- and i can see that. i'm number 20 out of 50 and i only know one other person with this colorway. 30 pairs after me? someone better get on that! my only reserve about the straps are that they get a little flimsy. but other than that, these things are dialed in the way of design!

2 great products. APPROVE.
jmik

4 comments:

Tinj said...

That's awesome that the shoes are so stiff and the reflective heel is a nice touch. I hope I get mine in the mail soon! They do kind of look like chucks but I guess we have to see past that. Thanks for the review

J.mika'ele said...

i was expecting this to be a carbon copy of the shoes that shall not be named, but i was violently surprised. they are awesome shoes and i havent takent them off since i received them. you get over the looks QUICK after you get a feel for them. hope you get them soon!

jmik

Anonymous said...

so have you changed your thoughts about mashing and bombng hills with the Hold Fasts??

J.mika'ele said...

nope- haven't changed that. i underestimated their holding potential but if you lose these it's ridiculously difficult to get back in at high speeds. that being said, if you can keep your feet in there the whole time then you're good, but if you lose it often, THEN i don't recommend it.

i'll still bomb hills with it.

jmik