Lets KICK it!

A couple weeks ago in our session with the Birmingham guys, I had a stall go awry and took the edge of my 12bar into the ankle. It hurt like a mother, but mostly it scared me. We have all seen pics of people getting taken out by rearsets, pegs, bars, clipons. I didn't want to be "that" guy.. so that following Monday I ordered a set of those Shift Kickers!!!!

Cha Ching! Thats Money Kid!!!

I was a little hesitant at first, not knowing anyone who wore them and knew the sizing. Shift doesn't offer half sizes. I usually wear a 13.5 in most brands and occasionally a 13. So knowing the company I was buying from was good with returns I figured I'll try a size smaller and hope for the best.  A couple days later the sz13 Kickers show up.

Pulling them out the box, first thing you notice. These things are FLOSSY. Secondly, there is a nice ankle strap, quick tighten string setup, and plastic inserts in the shoe itself for protection. I put them on and they fit very nicely.. a little wide, but I'm sure that could be taken up by a thicker pair of socks(or doubling up for your northern snow birds). I took a stroll around the house and stood on the table just to make sure I'd be able to feel the pegs and brake pedel...ok maybe I just stood on the table cuz I paid for it, who gives a shit. ITS MY TABLE...

Rode with these for two sessions over the weekend. I must say they break in quickly and are very comfortable for a long day of riding. I grazed my ankle a few times but it always came with a nice peace of mind that there was some protection there. The sole seemed like it had a little better grip than my last set of sneaks, was able to get more traction for stepping to frog mid circle. I had heard bad reviews about the strap popping off on "casual bumps" but I was in these shoes for about 20hrs this weekend and only looked down once to see the buckle undone.

Very nice shoe, reasonably priced, and a great peace of mind to have. Also, I believe its becoming a requirement for some competitions to have over the ankle support. Maybe that was Shift's angle with these.... either way, great for the lot, the comp, or curb stomping that fool that trash talked you on the internet --Jay and Silent Bob style!