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Slippers, Traction and Stiffness Oh My!

Review: SCOTT MTB Team Boa

We Liked

The one thing that really stood out with the SCOTT shoes (other than the name) was how comfortable the shoes were. They were one of the most if not the most comfortable shoes that we have tested. And that means happy feet for their wearer. If your feet are not happy your are not happy.

Traction is nice, very nice actualy. SCOTT has gone outside the box with this shoe for their lugged sole. The sole on the Team Boa is the most aggressive that I have seen on a off road shoe. The lugs are arranged in a asymmetrical patter that will allow mud to fall off the bottom of the shoes after you have scampered up a muddy run up. I am usually unimpressed with the lugs on the bottoms of MTB shoes but this one is probably my favorite pattern.

There is a fine balance in a MTB shoe for cyclocross. You need the shoe to be stiff and light but it also has to be easy to run in. This is the question that 99% of the shoe makers struggle with. If the shoe is very stiff its not god for running in. Good for running means its not that efficient for cycling. SCOTT has given their shoes a stiffness index. The Team Boa has a rating of 8 out of 9. The rating here is a internal one to SCOTT Sports and has no relevance to anyone else. So what does that mean? It means that the Team Boa strikes that critical balance of good on the bike and good on the run. We found that this was exactly the case. This shoe is easy on the feet when you have to dismount and run, I would say almost natural in the way the shoe performed on run sections. The sole is a nylon fiberglass composite so its stiff but not totally ridged as carbon. "Run Forest Run!"

We could go on and on about this shoe but one of the great things is the price. Its only $150.00 at MSRP! Now this is a shoe that I would have put in a higher price category. So its a steal when you look at the price/performance ratio. And in this economy that is a very nice thing indeed.

We Didn't Like

Got to be ambidextrous to tighten the left BOA tight enough. So this is nothing against the shoe as it is harder for me as I do not have the fine motor skills in my left hand as I do in my right. Most people are right handed so tightening the right shoe is no problem however doing the same on left might be a little awkward at fist.

Even though we love the way this shoe runs we would have liked it a little stiffer on the bike. But just a little.

Need water proof socks for the rain as this shoe has lots of vents.

The Final Say

The SCOTT Team BOA is a very comfortable shoe and comes in at a super price point. We found that the lug sole of the shoe is excellent for cyclocross and would like the other shoe manufacturers to take note at the speccing of the traction of the sole of these shoes. They offer excellent grip in sloppy conditions with a combination of aggressive soles lugs with a moderate spacing between them making it difficult for mud to hang on to the shoe. SCOTT has brought a stiffness rating to their entire shoe line. The Team has a nylon fiberglass composite co-injected sole with 2 injected component polyurithane Xtraction lugs.The Insole has a four density EVA ergologic insole with adjustable metitarsal button and arch support which is a huge benofit that helps each riders tune the insole to whats most cofortable for them. At $150.00 this shoe is a hard one to beat.

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