Rockrider Race 700 shoes review

Decathlon’s in-house mountain bike brand, Rockrider, has impressed us with its well-priced, nicely designed kit over the years, often running rings around more expensive equipment, beating it on performance and sticking two fingers up when it comes to price.

The Race 700 shoes tick a lot of the right boxes when it comes to cross-country (XC) performance thanks to the stiff sole and light, airy feel. Of course, the very agreeable price helps here, too.

However, they don't prove themselves to be a complete bargain on the trail, or make me want to put my more expensive shoes in the nearest bin with the smug look of someone who has just found the perfect middle-aisle deal at Lidl.

Rockrider Race 700 shoes specifications and details

In a bid to keep the Race 700 shoes nice and airy, both sides of the upper feature perforations. We’re not talking Swiss cheese levels here, but the holes and slits are quite substantial – expect to get wet feet if it rains.

There’s also a mesh section over the toe to further help with drawing air in and cool your little piggies down.

Rockrider has reinforced the front of the toe to boost durability, but it’s still very flexible and nowhere near as stout or protective as a proper toe bumper.

Unlike the toe box, the heel cup is decently reinforced to hold its shape, with a small amount of padding to bolster comfort around the ankle.

There’s more mesh used on the tongue, which gets some light padding and is partially anchored to the outer side of the upper.

A traditional three-strap Velcro closure helps to secure the Race 700s to your feet.

Underneath, tall, firm tread blocks surround the outsole of the shoes, while the stiff nylon base is designed to transfer every watt you produce through the shoes and into the pedals.

My size EU 42 Race 700 shoes, with Crankbrothers cleats fitted, weighed 724g.

Rockrider Race 700 shoes performance

Getting the Race 700 shoes on is easy thanks to the easy-to-use straps.

I found I had to cinch the largest strap up tight to prevent my feet lifting inside the shoes when cranking on the pedals. This resulted in the top of the tongue and the strap digging into my upper foot when flexed on the pedals, which was uncomfortable at times.

It also draws the shoe in tightly around the mid-foot, which created hot spots after some time in the saddle.

Power transfer feels very effective, though, thanks to the stiff sole. This helps make it feel that every pedal stroke counts and no energy is being wasted.

However, the cleat slots of the Race 700 shoes aren’t long enough, meaning I struggled to get my cleats set far enough back towards the middle of my foot.

Of course, cleat placement is a very subjective thing, but when you consider I can adjust cleats 10mm or more further back on other shoes, it’s really quite substantial.

That leaves you feeling very much as though you’re riding on the balls of your feet. While this felt fine when hammering along flat terrain or grinding my way up climbs, on the descents I felt my legs tiring more quickly than I did in other mountain bike shoes.

Couple that tiredness with the lack of control the forward cleat position produces on the bike, and longer downhills start to feel harder work and less enjoyable.

Sure, you could argue it’s a trade-off in terms of efficiency and power transfer, but there’s enough data to show you no longer need to be riding on tippy toes to get the most out of your legs.

It doesn’t help that the tall tread blocks flanking the cleats interfere with pedal engagement. It makes clipping in feel a little vague at times – not ideal if you’re scrabbling to get back into the pedals as quickly as possible.

And if you do get caught unclipped, the hardened outsole is really slippery.

The Race 700s are certainly airy and light, though, which is a real plus when putting the miles in on hot days in the hills.

How do the Rockrider Race 700 shoes compare?

Like the Race 700 shoes, Scott’s MTB Team BOAs also position the cleats relatively far forward under the balls of your feet.

Like the Rockriders, this can cause early-onset fatigue in your legs when descending and impacts control on the bike, largely down to how much your feet flex when riding technical terrain.

This feeling is less pronounced in the Scott shoes, though, because the cleats will go back slightly further.

It also helps that the uppers of the Scott shoes are some of the most comfortable I’ve tried, hugging the tops of your feet with no pressure hot spots whatsoever.

The Scotts are pricier, but the comfort levels alone justify the extra spend.

Rockrider Race 700 shoes bottom line

While the Race 700 shoes effectively transfer power from your feet to the pedals with minimal waste thanks to the stiff soles, they’re not massively comfortable when cinched up securely on your feet.

The Race 900s, which are only £10 more expensive and use an indexed dial closure, could help remedy this issue, though.

Limited cleat adjustment makes for tired legs on descents, while the tall tread blocks can interfere with getting in and out of your pedals.

They’re more than fine when it comes to hammering along the flat or meandering uphill. However, with the growing demands and technicality of XC courses, the Race 700s fall a little short when it counts.