Coming in a bright red, the Bontrager Forays certainly look striking and have a quality finish that suggests a much pricier shoe than their RRP.
The sole is made from a nylon composite, which Bontrager rates as 6/10 on its stiffness index. It’s not as stiff as carbon, but still offers a firm pedaling platform when you’re putting the power down.
The shoe has one IP1 BOA dial, which is a proven design, helping to keep things clean and simple. Having only one dial means there’s lots of wiggle room around your toes, making it feel slightly less secure. Ideally I’d like to see another BOA dial further down the shoe to clamp your toes in tight.
Once out on the trail, the Foray left me slightly disappointed with its pedaling manners, which I reckon is down to the slightly higher stack height on the shoe.
Compared to the Scott MTB Pros, which were tested head-to-head, this led to a more disconnected feel when getting the power down. It’s not a deal breaker and there are plenty of shoes with a similar stack height, but it was definitely noticeable.
On the whole, the shoe performed well, being very lightweight, and with the tread giving plenty of grip, while the upper is easy to clean and feels robust.
