I noticed about 4 or 5 pairs of 'em on the CTR this year. I wore a pair myself for the CTR and the AZT-300 too. They are a great bikepacking shoe, especially when there is a fair amount of hike-a-bike involved.
Mine have a plastic or nylon shank in them (new ones and demos may have carbon fiber), and they are pretty flexy. Almost flexy enough to run in, but that's really pushing it. The first thing I noticed in them is how I can "feel" my pedal or where the pedal makes contact through the sole. Initially, this gave me the impression of inefficiency compared to a stiff race shoe, but the sensation pretty much disappears after you pedal for an hour or two.
I've never gotten numb toes from nerve pressure after a few days in these shoes like I have in stiffer ones. That, combined with the hike-ability is the sole (
) reason for choosing these shoes. For short (< 12 hours) rides, I still tend to prefer a stiffer shoe. Unless I'm riding slick rock in Moab, then rubber soles just rule!
