The Shazam shoes have a utilitarian love-or-hate look about them. The quality of construction is very good, and the inside of the shoes feels great. A sturdy heel cup holds your foot securely, and the toe box withstands hits well too.
A little more arch support would be good though, because our feet did get tired after days of alpine runs or longer stints of pedalling. The Sombrio Flyer Sol performance rubber sole uses a soft compound, which isn’t quite as tacky as the compound you’ll find on FiveTen shoes – that’s not necessarily a problem though, because the vice-like grip on FiveTens can be too intense for some.
The Shazams’ overall coverage and protection is great. The sole is fairly thin but comfortable, and being able to move your feet on the pedal slightly is a bonus. They also feature a lace flap that is similar to the one on the popular Shimano AM41 and AM45 shoes. This flap works well to keep the worst of the moisture out, and although the overlap meant that the edges curled up slightly, the flap never got pulled open in the middle of a ride.