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quoc pham mono ii road shoes
i'm none too sure whether to be proud or embarrassed, but i have owned a pair of what i believe sidi termed their podium shoes for well over twenty years, shoes that i still wear every morning to take my pre-work walk. admittedly, it is but a couple of kilometres, but it pretty much sets me up for the day, though not as well as a bike ride probably would. the sidis have lasted remarkably well, having been originally purchased for mere pounds from a bike shop that was closing down. in fact, if memory serves, i bought two pairs, though i can't remember what happened to the first pair.
as you can probably imagine, these are hardly in pristine condition. the heel on the right shoe has worn through to the inside, while the uppers have various cracks, splits and holes that scarcely endear themselves in wet weather.and i should probably mention that the laces on the left shoe broke years ago, and now exclude a couple of holes in order to still be fastenable. i would hardly disagree that they should have been replaced several years ago, but they're comfortable, either having grown used to my feet or vice versa.
slippers are exactly the same. as one of those difficult individuals who pretty much has everything he needs, i'm an absolute nightmare when it comes to either birthday or christmas presents. this usually results in several pairs of socks and a new pair of slippers under the christmas tree, as seemingly appropriate gifts for one of my advancing years. but slippers are hardly the sort of footwear that suffer great hardship, and i've generally viewed it as something of a personal triumph to 'wear-in' a pair over the course of several years, experiencing great disappointment when one or other member of my family has deemed it necessary to wrap a new pair in chrstmas paper in late december.
that, it must be said, is a sentiment that is every bit as applicable to cycling shoes, for cleated shoes are probably given a greater deal of hardship than either my vans or sketchers over the course of a velocipedinal year. though some of that is achieved at the behest of whichever pair of pedals and set of cleats have been employed over the course of that year, but it can (and often does), take many months of pedalling, in all conditions, to become satisfied with one's new cycling footwear.
i'm pretty sure we've all been there.
i first met quoc pham occupying a small portion of the condor cycles stand at the national cycle-show in the late-lamented earls court. at that point he was showing a couple of prototype shoes, a stage in his impressive career from which he has expanded considerably. i have previously reviewed quoc pham footwear on the post, and was, to be honest, somewhat intrigued to try out the latest iteration of his offering for the intrepid road cyclist. how much better is it possible to make a pair of cycling shoes?
quoc's mono ii road shoes feature a smooth, unidirectional carbon fibre sole with the requisite three holes to accommodate those cleats that make you walk like a duck. the weather-resistant upper uses a material adopted from quoc's gran tourer gravel shoe, effectively ensuring a level of toughness that, to be honest, is often a requirement of day to day road riding. the upper is effectively in one piece, wrapping over and under before being fastened by two boa-style dial closures offering almost infinite adjustment. releasing the tension is achieved by turning the dials anti-clockwise, but if in doubt, try first before clipping in. it gives me no end of embarrassment to admit i once tried on a new pair of cycle shoes and couldn't figure out how to get them off.
inside the box is also a selection of three arch inserts to customise the fit. so far i've not used any of them, but i prefer to take each, one stage at a time, to figure out if i actually need any of them for enhanced comfort. for the weight weenies, already kitted out with carbon pedals, the shoes weigh a scant 249 grams (size 43), translating to only ten ounces. the upper is vented both fore and aft, while there's a small toe vent on the carbon sole. cleat fitting is simplicity itself via the usual three allen bolts.
this particular pair of white monos received something of a baptism by fire, acquitting themselves well on a remarkably mild saturday, ridden across the usual wide selection of grotty road surfaces, featured on many of the sections of singletrack backroads. and when slogging (and i really mean 'slogging') uphill, my feet were firmly grasped within the monos, exhibiting not a millimetre of internal movement. you do have to be careful that the decorative end-portion of the integrated tongue isn't folded under before dialling in the fit, not entirely for reasons of style, but more for avoiding subsequent pin-point discomfort. the fit is immeasurably enhanced by the one-piece upper, leading me to comment that it felt as if quoc had nipped over to bowmore and personally measured my feet.
a subsequent ride, where their style factor was concealed 'neath a pair of water resistant overshoes, had them fully saturated by the time both feet arrived at debbie's for a well-earned coffee. despite water seeping out of the shoes every time i pedalled or walked, the fit factor didn't vary one iota, a comforting thought with winter none too far distant. there's a better than evens chance that these will be subjected to several hundred litres of precipitation, sooner rather than later. overall, quoc pham's mono ii road shoes must be pretty much as close to perfection of the art as it's possible to get. and with toe and heel bumpers offering a smidgeon of protection from clipping in and out, i've a notion that these will last every bit as long as the sidi podium shoes mentioned at the top of the page. these are my new slippers.
don't get me anything for christmas.
quoc pham mono ii road shoes are available in either black or white, in sizes ranging from 38 to 47. retail price is £270
friday 5 november 2021
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