RIDE CONCEPTS

Our Undying Loyalty to the Dirt

INTRODUCING THE NEW VICE SHOE
RELEASE & FIRST RIDE REPORT

First Ride by Drew Rohde | First Ride Photos by Dusten Ryen

Since Ride Concepts came on the scene a couple years ago they have been dropping new shoes non-stop. We’ve been hard at work testing almost every shoe they make, with mostly good impressions and feedback. A common theme we’ve always mentioned in our reviews, is the stiff sole and slightly less pedal feel compared to thinner shoes. While it’s a good thing to have stiffness for both power transfer and for hard days in the bike park where support and protection helped keep us on the bike longer day after day, we know that there’s an application and rider base that like a little bit more feel and flexibility from their shoe.

The Vice is Ride Concepts latest shoe and one we’ve been excited about since we first heard whispers of it from Kyle Strait and the RC crew. Designed with major input from Strait and RC’s other dirt jump, freeride and BMX athletes, Ride Concept’s Vice shoes are designed to be their comfy, semi-casual riding shoe with some of their tried and true recipes for off-road performance.

VICE TECHNOLOGY
Vice introduces their exclusive RC Fuzion outsole. The Fuzion outsole features a sloped-angle inverse hexagon pattern that vary in diameter from 9mm at the heel and to, to 7mm in the pedal contact area. Ride Concepts uses their Rubber Kinetics DST 6.0 High Grip rubber outsole for maximum grip on the pedal that works nicely with the more flexible outsole. In typical RC fashion, rider protection isn’t overlooked and comes in the form of D3O inserts in high impact areas of the insole and a cup outsole design that packs 3mm of EVA for additional shock absorption. We’re also big fans of the fully gusseted tongue and TPU toe protection and rubber toe cap. For construction of the upper, Ride Concepts uses perforated suede that is durable and offers some protection as well.

VICE FEATURES & BENEFITS

• RC Fuzion outsole features sloped-angle inverse hexagons, varying in diameter from 9mm at the toe and heel to 7mm at the pedal contact area
• Rubber Kinetics | DST 6.0 HIGH GRIP rubber outsole Suede upper is durable and protective
• Cup outsole design features 3mm EVA for additional shock absorption and comfort
• Perforated ventilation for breathability
• TPU toe protectionand rubber toe cap
• Fully gusseted tongue prohibits intake of dirt and debris
• D3O High Impact Zone Technology insole absorbs impact

THE WOLF’S FIRST RIDE REPORT
Over the last month or so we’ve been riding in our Vice shoes quite a bit. The shoes did not take a very long to break in, but it took us a couple rides to realize we had to loosen up the laces at the bottom of the shoe to let the end of our foot and toes have some space. We don’t have very wide feet but found the factory lace up to be a bit tight, especially since we like riding in standard thickness socks, not the thin cycling socks some riders enjoy.

Once we loosened up the laces and got rid of the pressure near the toes, we really started to think about the shoes less and less. They were pretty natural extensions and did everything we wanted. Pedal feel was what we’d always wanted from a Ride Concepts shoe, but we still had the D3O protection, toe cap and sturdy build. The Vice is sort of like a slightly bulkier Vans shoe designed by mountain bikers. We’re just hoping that we’ll get a High Top version coming soon! Maybe Ride Concepts will even let us design a Loam Wolf Ride Concepts collab high top Vice, eh guys??

So far the Ride Concepts Vice shoes have been a solid addition to the gear bag. I found that on wet, rainy days or days where the soil is dampish, the shoes collect a bit of dirt. It’s like the suede is a velcro for the damp dust we have here in Central Oregon. I’m unsure as to how they’d do in full blown rain storms and how they’ll look after six months of riding so we will continue to ride in them over the course of the summer and report back with a long term review in the future. But if you’re looking for a takeaway on whether or not you should buy these shoes, we’d say they’re definitely worth a try. If you want a shoe that offers a bit more grip, a sole that conforms around the pedals more than previous Ride Concepts shoes, and want a slightly more casual looking shoe, the Vice could be what you’ve been waiting for.

VICE PRICING
Men’s & Women’s: $100
Youth: $80