My love of the old-style Shimano sandal is pretty well-documented on this blog. A couple years ago the new Shimano sandal had 3-straps instead of two. As my buddy Alex once noted, with the additional strap, the new Shimano sandal is more shoe than sandal. Now, the latest model looks like it's gone back to two straps, but with more material around the foot. Still very shoe-y.
I've patched and cobbled this pair for a couple years now. I think they're about my fifth pair. With this new rip at the arch, they're nearly done now. I'll cobble again, but they're pretty shot.
I thought this was my last pair before being forced to figure out a new sandal, but alas! Loren showed up with a nearly new pair for me a couple weeks ago. I'm saved for at least another 18 months or so.
I should post a photo of mine- the soles are almost entirely Shoe Goo. I wish i'd bought a backup pair before they changed the design.
ReplyDeleteThe new ones look tolerable, but why on earth would they use real leather? Half the point of SPD sandals is that they dry fast after a summer rain or dipping your feet in the lake at a rest stop.
When mine do finally wear out I might go with the Keen bike sandals. If i have to deal with too many straps then I might as well get some toe protection too.
Yeah. the leather is really a silly idea. I wish Shimano would just make some improvements on these sandals: fix the rear plastic piece that always ends up catching on the chain stay; make them more resistant to water. I too use these as swimming sandals, and really the pleather, or whatever they use on these sandals is not ideal either.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't make the Keens work for me. Search my blog for a couple reviews on those. My first pair fell apart in about a month. Keen was good about sending a replacement pair, but they're just too narrow -- which is what I like about these shimanos: the foot bed is normal shoe width and they can handle socks.
heh heh. Socks with Sandals. I am pretty sure you can be ticketed in some states for such an offense.
ReplyDeletehaha.. cool one.. but you can get a copy of new design with it.
ReplyDeleteI've just replaced my lovely SD60s with SD65s - and what a major disappointment they are (one of the disadvantages of shopping on the internet...). After only 10 minutes out of the box, I took a Stanley knife to them, cutting off the pointless center strap and the mesh. I hate it when they try to 'improve' something that is already perfect. Wish I'd seen the SD66s before I put in my order as these look like a better bet.
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