The perfect bikepacking shoe

[Kastrupian]

I have a few friends who use them for enduro and winter training. They have been very fond of them, held up great. There were some issues with a buckle and a sole but Giro has fixed those issues with the new models.

[trebor]

just ordered the PI X-Project 3.0

Will update after a test or two.

[Jeff Z]

Definitely a good red flag to know about. If it had been once I'd say maybe a factory defect or something, but twice makes me have doubts. I'll be watching this thread for suggestions, I've gotta get something soon so I can break them in before spring. April 3 is going to be here before we know it. Thanks again for the good info.

I thought about this some more on a nice long climb we did this weekend. Cause what else you going to do while climbing?

Anyhow, my wife tends to run and HAB on her toes. When I HAB it tends to be more flat footed, but she is always on the front of her foot. I suspect that this is mostly responsible for the sole of her Rimes ripping in the front. Maybe the are just not designed for the stress of pushing up hills by someone who is front of the foot biased. I think that most people are NOT that way.

[jmh]

I've had the Rime Elite for a couple of weeks and several long bike rides in the very rocky and monsoon trashed trails in El Paso.  A bit more hike a bike than 8 months ago due to the erosion on the trails.  The Rime Elite seem to be doing well and the sole is still in excellent condition.

Fit is spot on, which is why I'm am fond of Specialized footwear.  I opted for the Elite model as I prefer the velcro closure to BOA for all things not the road.  Very comfortable to walk in, stiff enough on the bike.

After few more weeks and some longer stuff, I report with any updates. 

[trebor]

The PI XProject 3.0 has been on several rides with me now. On the bike the sole is fine. I have narrow feet - very narrow and the buckles didn't allow me to tighten sufficiently. I modified the buckle to get another 3-4 clicks and solved that issue. Narrow feet beware.

Walking the sole flexes just like advertised. No issues with feeling like it was too stiff. The rubber bonded to the red translucent sole material is pretty tacky.... which makes them feel sure-footed.

As noted by another earlier, the heel cup is a bit off. I use two insoles (narrow feet) and that put my heel way too high in the heel cup of the shoe. Trimmed the insole a bit to allow the heel to sit "deeper" and that combined with the mod to tighten the shoe a bit more made it more comfortable.

I can see this isn't the shoe for those with narrow feet. But if they do fit, you can HAB in them pretty comfortably.

[Jeff Z]

The PI XProject 3.0 has been on several rides with me now. On the bike the sole is fine. I have narrow feet - very narrow and the buckles didn't allow me to tighten sufficiently. I modified the buckle to get another 3-4 clicks and solved that issue. Narrow feet beware.

Walking the sole flexes just like advertised. No issues with feeling like it was too stiff. The rubber bonded to the red translucent sole material is pretty tacky.... which makes them feel sure-footed.

As noted by another earlier, the heel cup is a bit off. I use two insoles (narrow feet) and that put my heel way too high in the heel cup of the shoe. Trimmed the insole a bit to allow the heel to sit "deeper" and that combined with the mod to tighten the shoe a bit more made it more comfortable.

I can see this isn't the shoe for those with narrow feet. But if they do fit, you can HAB in them pretty comfortably.

How did you modify to get more clicks from the buckle. I'm at the very end and could sometimes use one more click.

[pro_out]

How did you modify to get more clicks from the buckle. I'm at the very end and could sometimes use one more click.

Not sure about the PI- XProjects, but my PI- Enduros have another mounting hole for the buckle allowing for more clicks. (use loctite on the threads if moved)   I set mine up narrow spring/summer (thin socks) then wide fall/winter (thicker socks).

[trebor]

How did you modify to get more clicks from the buckle. I'm at the very end and could sometimes use one more click.

The non-buckle side (the side with the notched strap) is sewn into the shoe. What I did was take the stitching out, cut the part of the shoe that wraps over the instep of the foot about 1/2" shorter, then sewed the strap back into the shoe. With an industrial machine that mod was easy. It may work with a more typical "home" machine. The machine needs to be powerful enough to sew through 2 layers of fabric and the plastic tab on the strap. I used a thread heavier than a "home" machine may handle however.

This is an example of the "sewable" part of that strap that's hidden between layers of fabric. This pic is a D-ring, but the flat tab is the same style.


The part of the shoe that rubs my inner ankle I may sew as well - my thought there is to fold over the offending area then throw a couple of stitches into that area to hold it out of the way.