Shimano AM9 Shoes – Review
Shimano’s revised range of AM SPD shoes has been out for a while, and I’ve had my feet in the top-end AM9s since Christmas time. Also in my shoe line-up are a pair of Five Ten Hellcats, Mavic Alpine XLs and Teva Links, covering all the bases from DH to big days out to flat pedal mucking about. The AM9s have become my go-to shoes for pretty much every ride I’ve done, both on big bike and trail bike.
The AM9 sits at the top of the AM hierarchy as Shimano’s top end “gravity” shoe, alongside the AM7 flat shoe, and the more stripped down AM5 SPD shoe. The range is the evolution of the popular AM4X series of the last couple of years, achieving a weight saving of over 200g per pair.
From the outside they look pretty sleek, the blue highlights helping to prevent an “orthopedic” look. The massive lace cover and Velcro strap keep the laces covered and also help fend off rocks. The toe-box is pretty stiff and having punted my foot into a few things (the floor, stumps, etc!) it certainly helps keep my feet well protected. The protection extends to a raised inner ankle padding and sidewall.
You’d expect that with all this padding they would feel bulky and heavy, or soak up water like an old sponge. Happily neither of these is the case. In the most horrendous of weather the outer fabric and lace cover keep the worst of the weather out, and they have always dried out overnight even when dripping wet. On your feet they don’t feel clumpy at all, indeed they feel lighter and more like trainers than most riding shoes.
The sole is plenty stiff enough to ride all day in, but not so stiff that a hike-a-bike mission up a proper mountain will hurt. The insoles offer plenty of support and the lacing and strap mean your feet don’t move about. As someone with wide feet, these offer a great fit, not coming up too big or too small compared to “normal” shoes.
Underneath, a stiff skate style sole has an extra-long channel leading to the cleat. This “pedal channel” is designed to give the clip somewhere to go if you don’t clip in, making the shoe more stable on pedals when not clipped in. In practice it does seem to make a bit of difference, especially when things have got wild and I’ve not got my foot anywhere near the pedal! The cleat is well tucked away but the sole doesn’t inhibit clipping in. I’ve tried these shoes with HT X1, Shimano DX and Crank Brothers Mallet DH/E, and in all three cases they have had plenty of room for the cleats, even the HT with their big cleats.
The cleat slots are long enough to run the cleats nice and far back and have enough room to fine tune the position.
These shoes have done hundreds of hours on the bike, and are still looking pretty fresh, with pretty limited wear. The soles have tramped up endless mountains and are still looking and gripping great as well. We grass isn’t ideal in these, but other than that, off the bike they grip remarkably well.
Overall, these are a great shoe for anyone looking to clip in for any sort of aggressive riding.
RRP £99.99
