RIDE CONCEPTS TALLAC MID BOA SHOE REVIEW

Words & Photos by Travis Reill

Here at The Loam Wolf, we’re big fans of Ride Concepts footwear. While the shoe company has only been around for less than a decade, its sole focus (pun intended!) has been creating the best mountain bike footwear on the market. Needless to say, we’ve been impressed with RC.

When we received the Tallac Mid BOA at the beginning of the summer, we were again impressed by the shoes Ride Concepts continues to release. But would initial impressions remain the same after several months of riding? From an everyday trail ride to bike park laps, I’ve spent countless hours in the Tallac Mid BOA flat pedal mountain bike shoes this summer. Read on to find out what I thought.

ABOUT THE RIDE CONCEPTS TALLAC MID BOA

Released this summer, Ride Concepts raised the ever-popular Tallac shoe to mid-height, adding a bit of extra protection and support. The new Tallac Mid BOA has quite a bit going on, establishing it as what RC would describe as the most technical shoe in their lineup. We’d go a step further to say that it might even be the most technical aggressive mountain bike shoe there is.

For the Tallac Mid BOA, Ride Concepts uses the new BOA PerformFit System. They’ve ditched the velcro strap found near the bottom of the laces on the original Tallac shoe, instead relying on the PerformFit Wrap to do all of the work. This uses a low-friction TX4 lace with a Li2 dial, and a wrap system to distribute pressure evenly across the foot and obtain a more secure hold.

The Tallac Mid BOA’s upper is constructed from Cordura mesh. This gives the Tallac Mid the rough-and-tumble durability you would expect from a shoe in this category, while still allowing the foot to breathe. Along with the durable Cordura material, the Tallac Mid also has extra D3O padding worked into the shoe at common impact points on top of the foot and around the ankle. D3O is also incorporated into the insoles to help with big impacts and reduce fatigue.

RC uses an EVA midsole on the Tallac Mid to create a supportive yet firm platform for the shoe. The Tallac Mid’s midsole has a “Level 4 flex” rating, meaning the sole is amongst the stiffest of RC’s shoes for flats and intended for gravity riding. The Tallac Mid BOA Clip jumps up to a Level 5 flex, the stiffest soles RC makes. The bottom of these soles sees RC’s MaxGrip outsole — their softest compound — with a reverse hexagonal tread pattern, making the Tallac Mid connect to the pedals and the trail equally as well.

The shoe has a “medium volume” fit and weighs 440g per shoe for a size 10. RC has a 7-13 size range for the Tallac Mids, with half-sizes incorporated into that range.

THE DIRT

There is always a break-in time when first riding in new shoes. The Ride Concepts Tallac Mid BOAs took a bit longer to break in than most of other mountain bike shoes we’ve tested. Not only were the Tallac’s uppers quite stiff, taking longer to break in, but the insoles didn’t work for Travis. After three rides with so much pressure on the balls of my feet that he had to stop every quarter-mile or so, he switched out the insoles for something with a bit more support. Robert on the other hand felt no such issues, and much like the original Tallac BOA, his feet were very happy.

Once the Tallac Mids were broken in and the insoles were replaced for Travis, they performed quite well. My takeaway with the Tallac Mids was to push through the break-in period because the quality and performance are worth it once they’ve bedded in to your feet. Seriously worth it.

Ride Concepts’ MaxGrip compound just grips so damn well. I was very impressed with how well these flat pedal shoes stuck to my pedals. They’re not the most stuckfast shoes of all time, but they’re certainly up there with the best of them. There can perhaps be “too much grip,” where you’re unable to move your feet on your pedals whatsoever. These got close enough to delivering this preferred feeling for Travis, but without feeling s0 stuck in place that Robert was uncomfortable.  The MaxGrip soles on the Tallac Mids delivered the balance of great grip without total entrapment well.

The Tallac Mids also offered a lot in the way of protection. Mountain bike shoes typically have quite a bit in the way of toe and heel protection — the Tallac Mids were no exception here. Along with the typical toe and heel protection, the added D3O padding around the top of the foot and ankles was a welcomed addition. We were especially thankful for the mid-height of the Tallac shoe when worn in loose and shaley terrain. Shale flew up and hit us on the ankles, but the inbuilt protection shrugged it off without any pain.

We’re also a big fan of BOA Fit System laces. The ease of getting our riding shoes on and off with BOA laces and adjusting how tight the shoes are while riding make this lacing system an easy choice for me. The Tallac Mid uses the BOA’s PerformFit Wrap to enclose the shoe, which worked well, although I felt there was still a gap on the top of my foot. My foot didn’t move around, and the shoe never felt loose, but Ride Concepts’ claim of a “medium volume” shoe seemed a bit off – they’re pretty roomy.

Of course, with being a mid-height shoe, I’m sure you’re wondering if the Tallac Mids were warmer than other shoes. To that, we would say yes, and no. The reality is that more material will almost always equal a warmer shoe. We wore the Ride Concepts Tallac Mids on hot summer days and would say that our feet were a touch warmer in them than the standard Tallac, however the cordura material does allow for a small amount of airflow to keep them from being completely stifling.

These simply aren’t the shoes we will reach for on a longer trail ride, but then that’s not what they’re targeted at – you’ve got the standard Ride Concepts Tallac for that. Even so, we had to find out, so did some of that during our test period with the Tallac Mids. While they did run a bit warmer, they were just too much shoe for the job. On my everyday trail rides, where there will be more flow than chunk and more pedal than hike-a-bike, and we’re more comfortable in the Ride Concept Livewires or Tallac BOA for that.

For big, gnarly rides such as bike park visits, the Ride Concepts Tallac Mid will be the shoes I reach for. These types of rides are more likely to have more off-the-bike time, whether that be looking at a feature, hiking back up a section, or sitting on a chairlift, giving my feet plenty of time to cool down.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Ride Concepts specifies the Tallac Mid BOA flat pedal shoes as an All-Mountain/Enduro shoe. Here, they hit the nail on the head. While this may not be the shoe you want to take on a big XC pedal adventure, the extra support and coverage may make them your favorite shoe when the trail gets chunky.

Price: $220
Website: Rideconcepts.com

WHERE TO BUY
Support us! The Loam Wolf may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.