I have been riding these shoes for almost a year now and while I have been injured for a far too much of that time I have ridden them more than enough to share my thoughts on the Shimano AM-41 shoes with everyone.

To see what I thought when I first had these shoes please check out the initial review I did last may.

The AM-41’s are Shimano’s flat pedal DH/AM shoe. When I was looking at getting new shoes I have to say that their competition Five Ten and Teva almost had me sold, but I liked the look of the Shimano offerings a bit more, and as I said in the initial review I got quite a good deal on them so they were really hard to pass up.

In my initial review I was worried about ripping the sole apart like my old Shimano DX shoes and as you can see below they are a bit shredded under the ball and mid foot, but the odd thing is it’s only on one of the shoes. I must ride with my weight on one side more than the other. So far this has not effected traction on the pedals.

I was also worried that I might rip the synthetic leather uppers as they felt less durable than my old shoes, but so far they have held up pretty good, a few pedal pin punctures on the lace covers from flipping my pedals into position and a little bit of separation on one of the heels, but other than that  everything is staying together.

The lace cover does way more that just keep your laces out of trouble, it sheds mud, water and any gook that a BC winter throw at them. I rode more than my fair share of wet and nasty rides over the course of the year and I don’t remember any time when my feet were wet and cold at the end of a ride.

One really nice thing about them is that they are super easy to clean, just wipe them down with a wet rag and they look shiny again…a nice feature if you regularly ride in…well..dirt.

Overall I have been really impressed with the AM-41’s, they look good, are comfortable on multi-hour rides, keep your feet dry in the winter and stick to my Straitline Lenosky pedals better than any other shoe I have tried.

With that said I think there are a few things that Shimano could do to improve the AM-41’s. While the soles feel okay, I would love them to be a bit stiffer. I have been dealing with some foot issues lately (tendonitis) and stiffer soles would help on longer rides. I don’t want to have to go to a XC shoe to get a stiff sole. I would also like to see a better toe cap and heel cup, I would rather have a shoe that is a little heavier but will give my feet superior protection. The last thing is of course the outsole, it’s a step above the DX but I do not think that they should rip apart quite this easy.

The Low Down:

• MSRP: $119.95
• Fiberglass reinforced polyamide midsole plate
• Sole: Exclusive Vibram sole for superior grip, traction, and durability
• Weight: 760g (Size 40)

 Good:

• Good looking
• Keeps your feet dry
• Easy to Clean
• Lighter than the competition
• Sticks to Pedals

Bad:

• Some people do not like the look
• Outsole gets torn apart
• Sole could be stiffer
• Heel and toe cap could offer more protection

Conclusion:

After almost a year of riding the AM 41’s would I recommend them? Yes, I really love mine. Comfortable after a long day, they look good, keep you dry when things get wet and stick to your pedals better than any of my previous shoes.

If you are looking for a new pair of kicks for the upcoming season I would not hesitate spending your hard earned money on the Shimano AM-41’s. If you like what you have read and want to buy a pair, help out a poor blogger and click on the link below to pick up a pair of your own.