Tested: Ride Concepts Tallac Mid BOA Shoe

In a world of skate shoe clones, the new Ride Concepts Tallac Mid BOA stands out as a performance-focused option for flat pedal riders looking for support and protection. But it’s not without its quirks. Luckily, they should be easy to overcome for most riders.

Tallac Mid BOA in a Nutshell

• Size Tested: 9.5 US
• Weight: 498 g
• Features:
• Max Grip rubber outsole
• D3O padding on ankle and insole
• BOA Wrap Fit System

• MSRP: $220

Intro

I have long suffered from clipless shoe envy. A trio of mangled ligaments, all ending with the letters “CL” in my left knee means that I can’t ride clipless shoes, but I’m constantly jealous of the broad array of options available to riders who want to lock their cleats into their pedals. The flat pedal shoe landscape often feels like a morass of similar shoes, all made to emulate the style of skate shoes, with little thought toward performance.

And I get it. It’s easy to demarcate the line between flat pedal and clipless riders and make sweeping statements about the buying habits of both. Flat pedals are for beginners, for freeriders, for people less willing to throw down the cash and buy into more “technical” shoes loaded with trademarked buzzwords.

So I’m probably in a minority, but I really want flat pedal shoes made to last, with a taller fit, padded ankles, and, importantly, a BOA fit system. I’ve spent a good part of my writing career lobbying for such a product (and expressing my distaste at the couple of failed attempts brands have made) so when Ride Concepts came out with their new Tallac Mid BOA, I felt compelled to give them a shot. So far, they’ve been pretty excellent. So let’s get into it.

In defense of BOA on bike shoes

There’s a vocal contingent of folks online who do not like BOA’s fit systems, and want the world to know about it. And that’s fair. They get to do that. I do not fall into that camp. Maybe I just failed kindergarten, but I love not having to tie and untie the grungy, crusty laces of my bike shoes before and after every ride. I love the simplicity of turning that little clicky knob and having my shoe fit exactly right, every time. I love being able to adjust on the fly, I’m sold on the experience.

In terms of reliability, I just did the mental math, and over the last ten years, I have broken at least six traditional laces, and just one BOA knob. My partner had another BOA system fail, so let’s call that two total for our household. Yes, the laces were easier to fix in the field, but BOA was quick and free with their warranty repair. So, for me at least, it’s an easy call to run BOA, and always carry a ski strap in my pack just in case, in exchange for the ease of use.

It’s perfectly fine and valid to not like BOA on your bike shoes. But I really like it, and I especially like the new wrap system used on the Tallac. It’s very similar to the system used on Canyon’s clipless shoes , and the Li2 knobs are easy to adust in or out on the fly.

Fit

If you analyzed all of my writing over the past decade, I bet the most repeated phrase would be “I have weird messed up feet, so try to make your fit decisions based on actually trying shoes on, not reading about my experience.” But here we are again, with my wide, tall, sensitive feet. I’ve been riding in a size 9.5 (US) pair of Tallac Mids, and while initially they were very uncomfortable, they broke in after two rides, and fit me well. I generally vacillate between a 9 and 10 depending on the shoe, and the 9.5s fit me nicely.

Out of the box, I had some uncomfortable ankle rub, and the toe box was chafing my tailor's bunions. The shoes were really painful when worn around the house, and I almost sent them back. Luckily, I went for a few short rides, and found that on the bike they were just fine, and that they broke in very quickly. The stiff Cordura material conformed to my feet nicely, and now they’re just as comfortable as any other bike shoe I’ve worn. I did swap in a set of Superfeet insoles , to calm my high arches.

Features and price

The Tallac BOA is a feature-packed shoe. In addition to that BOA fit system, they’ve got a mid-top design with ankle protection from D30. I’ve painfully clunked my knobby ankles plenty of times, and really appreciate this touch. The upper is made with Cordura for extra durability, and the stock insole has D30 segments to help with impacts. The sole uses Ride Concepts’ Max Grip rubber compound to keep things sticky, and has a hexagonal pattern with strategically shaped knobs at the toe and heel for hiking traction.

All of those features do cost a pretty penny with a retail price of $220. There aren’t many other BOA flat pedal shoes to compare the Tallac to, but the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch (maybe the most disappointing bike product I’ve ever spent my own money on) retails for $175. Five Ten’s Trailcross Mid Pro will cost you $175, and Fox’s Union BOA will run you $225. The clipless version of the Tallac Mid costs $10 more at $230.

Performance

The first question I always ask of any new flat pedal shoe is “Is it as grippy as a 5.10 with Stealth rubber?” Right now, my subjective spectrum would suggest that the Tallac Mid BOA is not. Instead, I’d say that 5.10 still takes the cake, with Specialized’s 2FO shoes coming in a close second, and then a small gap, before shoes like the Tallac Mid BOA and Shimano’s GF6. The Tallac Mid just isn’t quite as sticky as the 2FO or 5.10’s options. For my riding style, with aggressive pedals though, that’s totally fine. I swapped back and forth between the 2FO and the Tallac Mid on consecutive days last week, and it took all of 100 yards of trail to adapt between the two traction levels.

And, when it comes to hiking in mixed and loose terrain, I think the taller toe and heel lugs on the Tallac give it an edge over its competitors. This is a great shoe for climbing up steep chutes and wandering around the sites of future loamers.

The Tallac was also a nice reminder that I really like mid-height shoes. Maybe it’s because I started riding in basketball shoes, but there’s something about the security and protection of a mid-top that I find really reassuring.

While that extra coverage does mean the Tallac does a good job of keeping pebbles and grit out of the shoe, these aren’t meant to be weather or waterproof. Instead, they feel remarkably light and breathable, even on hot days. When it’s truly wet, they do saturate quickly, but that lighter construction means they dry out quickly as well.

In terms of stiffness, I’d say these are pretty average. They feel similar to a Freerider Pro, or a 2FO. Would I mind if they were stiffer? No, but they’re totally adequate for my 200 lbs.

I’m a huge fan of the way the BOA fit system is implemented on the Tallac. It delivers a nice consistent wrap to the entire foot that's easily adjustable. And it makes them fast and easy to slip on and off.

For now

The Ride Concepts Tallac Mid BOA finally delivers on the promise of a flat pedal shoe with all the bells and whistles of its clipless counterparts. It’s easy to get on and off, secure on my feet, and delivers good-enough traction. I really hope that this signals the start of a new wave of technical flat pedal shoes, not just a one-off effort. Either way, I’m a huge fan.