Thanks for tuning in
today we're going to be reviewing the
FLR F-XX
Knit cycling shoes.
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When it comes to professional level
cycling shoes there are three things to
consider:
the weight stiffness and the comfort.
That's one reason why
a lot of higher end shoes have moved
toward carbon fiber soles
and knit upper designs. That includes
what we have here today
the F-XX knit shoes, it's an evolution of
their F-XX II shoes which is
ridden by a number of professionals around
the world.
Now in terms of packaging really simple
black cardboard box
glossy FLR logos you have their website
on the side
and on the other end as well. This is the
EUR 40 in black.
I'll go ahead and take out the box
and go over the specs.
Retail price on this is $219.99, it's
actually the same price as the standard
F-XX shoe so you're not paying a premium
for the knit upper.
It has a single ATOP dial and it has
their carbon R500
sole. Its a really pretty glossy carbon
fiber sole that's pretty stiff.
It's three bolts compatible so work with
Look Keo,
Shimano SPD or you can use adapters for
Speedplay or other designs.
It uses their XD-Knit upper which is
what's new
with this shoes, so really comfortable
breathable and flexible
and it has a reinforced toe as well as a
heel.
Now in terms of what comes in the box
you just get the shoes
basic stuffing to hold their form and a
little tag with FLR information.
Lets take a moment to look at the weight of
these shoes. If i take the right shoe
put it on the scale it comes in at 188
grams
again this is the euro 40 so a little
bit smaller size
and then the other shoe is 190 so pretty
light overall.
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Now with these F-XX Knit shoes FLR has
taken their pro-level
F-XX shoes and added this beautiful knit
upper.
It's only available in white or black, and we
have the black variation here with very
sleek styling.
You only have FLR here no model name
anywhere else
and otherwise really simple. You have
reflective elements on the back for a
little bit of nighttime safety as well.
Now in terms of the upper that's
probably one of the best features of
this shoe.
This is a triple layered nylon
construction and you can see very
flexible
yet with the single dial design you can
still really tighten it and
hold its place. This is nice
especially on longer rides when your
feet actually swell this will adjust to
you
so really nice feature to have. Now
instead of having the dual dials they
went with a single dial with this knit
version
and it's a little bit unusual to see a
single dial as you have less
control but it still works pretty well.
If you're not familiar with ATOP dials
it's very similar to a BOA dial
you get micro adjustments in one
direction you can hear the ratcheting
and then to loosen it you just rotate
the other direction and it's a full
unlock.
Now I prefer a dual direction with micro
adjustments in both directions
but with this it still works well and
it's one reason why this is more
affordable
compared to other BOA equipped shoes.
Now it's highly ventilated as well you
can see all these perforations
in the upper along the front and it's a
full
perforated tongue as well so great for
summer.
You have these reinforced heel and toes
so you don't stub your toe on anything
so you can see everything else
compresses except the
heel and the toe so really nice and
stiff. You have this extended upper
upper heel portion that'll keep your
heel in place.
Now in terms of the sole this is their
r500 this is their stiffest variation so
a stiffness index of 14
and you do have to be aware the
stiffness index doesn't really mean
anything every brand has their own
variation. So 14
for FLR doesn't really translate to 11
or 12 for Specialized.
Needless to say it is very stiff and
it's a beautiful glossy carbon fiber
finish
so you can see a nice exposed weave and
actually holds up pretty well.
You have a nice ventilation hole in the
front and standard three bolt configuration
here with little adjustment indicators.
There's no memory eyelet and no
adjustments on the actual hole so you
just have to use the cleats to adjust.
You have non-replaceable heel and toe
guards,
it would have been great to see these be
replaceable because it's a great way to
extend the life of a shoe
especially on higher end shoes. These
typically have a bolt and you can just
order a replacement for a couple dollars
but this will protect the carbon fiber
from getting damaged when you're walking.
Now in terms of the insoles these are
really standard and we're not sure if we
actually got a mistake from the factory
as there appears to be two different
variations
with the left and the right shoe but you
can see
they both have ventilation on the front
the center of the foot and then decent
padding all the way around. This is not
as fancy as some of the other Shimano
shoes with
replacement pads but definitely works
pretty well. If you have custom insoles
you can also swap them in pretty easily
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Now let's take a look at the F-XX shoes
on the road as you can see with the knit
upper surface they have a nice texture
that makes them look really premium
and sleek the only color on these black
shoes
are the reflective elements on the heel
and they're really subtle FLR logos
as well. Now it's only a single dial we
wish there was multiple as it's a little
more difficult to adjust the tension
but otherwise you can see the knit upper
surface is tight but still flexible so
if you have wider feet
they really adjust to you so it's a
great option for longer rides or people
with wider feet.
Now when you're cycling the carbon fiber
soles do a great job of transferring
the power from your feet directly to the
bike so unlike
some of the nylon sole variations that
FLR offers
these are much stiffer and you don't
feel the actual cleat attachment point.
Instead it's a really comfortable design
especially combined with the
knit uppers overall we found they're
really well ventilated comfortable and
whether doing short or long rides the
carbon fiber sole is a good investment
especially if you want to really hit
those pr's or do harder and longer
climbs.
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So now let's compare these shoes with
the other FLR knit variations as well
some of the previous models.
We have the F-35 here with the lace-up
knit upper so very similar flexible
design
with the convenience of a lace-up style.
Next we have the F-11 which is their
mid-level shoe
and you can see the upper is a little
bit different because it has the ATOP
dial but very similar otherwise same
perforation
same heel guard so i believe probably
the middle section is the only main
difference.
Then the highest end F-XX knit
so it's actually the same upper same
single dial
but with this one you get the R500 sole
compared to the
F-11 and the F-35.
So it's a stiffer sole with a stiffness
index of 14 versus their seven
you get a similar three bolt setup a
little more adjustability with the nylon
base though
and ventilation hole in the front
non-replaceable heel and toe guards.
So depending on what you're looking for
if you're looking for a stiffer shoe the
F-XX is still quite affordable at
around 220 dollars but if you're more
budget oriented
the F-35 or the F-11 are great options.
It depends on what you're looking for if
you need the dial the F-11 is a great
option
while a more simple $70 F-35
is great for entry level or even on the
trainer.
Now we also are lucky enough to have
reviewed their previous shoes
as you can see here we have the older
F-11. If you compare these side by
side you can see the
the soles are the same and it's
just the top so where this was a micro
fiber cover with the vent holes
this new knit surface has more
perforations
more flexible and i believe looks a
little bit better as well.
Now the shoes have actually
held up quite well you can see the only
danger of getting white shoes is that
they do to get dirty
so it's pretty hard to keep these white
but otherwise it's actually held up with
over a year's use without really
damaging the base either
which is pretty impressive. Same thing
with the F-11s
we've been also riding this with over
the last year
you can see the microfiber construction
of the original version
versus the knit upper i believe the
knit-up versions also look
better again a little bit sleeker design
and with the single dial
setup they've actually ditched the
velcro which is one thing we didn't
really
like with the original version.
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Now let's go over the scorecard for the
F-XX knit shoes.
We're going to grade it on four
different categories the design
closures comfort and value. In terms of
design we give it an a
it's really minimalist styling with that
knit upper surface and minimal logos.
Closure is an A- it as a single
ATOP dial and we do wish there were multiple
but it's still a comfortable design
that's easy to tighten or loosen.
Comfort wise it's A- it has a stiff
carbon fiber sole
it's not quite as anatomical as some of
the higher end cycling shoes
but it's really well put together.
Overall value would give it an
a these are premium niche shoes at a
very competitive price point.
You don't have to spend 400 to get
carbon fiber knit
instead a little bit over 200 the F-XX
Knit shoes are really nice variation to
have on the market.
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This is The Sweet Cyclist reminding you
to enjoy the ride!
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