O’Neal Stinger Flat Pedal Shoe 2013
Reviews / Shoes
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When we saw the O’Neal riding shoes at Eurobike earlier this year, they had a very eye-catching display with lots of real honeycomb, pots of honey and bees (the bees weren’t real - don’t worry, no insects were harmed in the making of their display). The purpose of this presentation was to highlight the Honey Rubber sole, which has been created to provide a more sticky rubber to help you stay in contact with your pedals. The pattern on the sole also resembles honeycomb giving you better grip with the pins.
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On first appearance the Stinger looks like a regular skate shoe, and I can honestly say it is as comfy as one too, despite the stiff midsole. I took these out to Cape Town on our recent trip to South Africa and they doubled up as biking shoes and casual ones too. I even spent 5 hours hiking and scrambling up Table Mountain in them, so they’ve been put through their paces considerably! Wearing the Stinger is like putting on a pair of your favourite trainers, with the advantage of being able to ride your bike and not slipping off the pedals. We rode some seriously rocky terrain, and the bike I was riding didn’t have the most gnarly of pedals, yet these shoes just got on and did their job, holding my feet firmly in place.
Well made with reinforced eyelets and double stitching, the proper leather upper not only shrugs off scrapes and scuffs, it also allows your feet to breathe on even the hottest of days. The stiff sole gives good stability and a decent platform, whilst there is the perfect amount of padding in the shoe to support your foot and also remain comfortable.
The Stinger from O’Neal is a unisex shoe, and currently available in 3 different colourways. The team at IMB have been really impressed by it great as a biking shoe, but equally as comfortable and good looking for wearing to the pub. A very versatile number!
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This review was in Issue 21 of IMB.
For more information visit O’NealRelated
By Mary Booth
Mary Booth has been a keen mountain biker for decades; she grew up on the Purbecks in the South West of England and has spent thousands of hours on the trails in that area. She moved to the South East to work in the IMB office and regularly gets out to the Alps and the Surrey Hills where she loves to ride the more technical trails…
