Bontrager RXL Mountain

The RXL currently sits at the top of Bontrager’s mountain shoe range. Promising to combine great value with light weight, a carbon sole, customisable ergonomic insoles and a solid build; are they a case of light, strong, cheap, pick all three?

Available in ‘safe’ black or ‘pro-elbows’ white, we had the later of the two turn up. Positively glowing in the box, they’re seriously white. There’s a glossy reflective finish and they’re quite a statement until you get those first few rides in to muddy them up. Meshing on the tops comes in the form of long strips along the length of the shoe rather than big patches. The heel box has a rather solid plastic cup while the toe box opts for a more rubberised affair. They’re surprisingly toasty yet very breathable all the same!

The shoe is secured by standard issue twin-velcro straps and a buckle system. Inside you get an eSoles custom arch kit system and the heel cup is lined with a clever one-way gripper material; it’s smooth putting the heel in, but feels really rough and grippy coming out. On the bottom you get Bontrager’s silver grade carbon sole with ever-so-slightly rubberised tread blocks. There are optional toe studs for the winter gloop season too.

the weight is pretty decent for the protection on offer...

Putting the RXLs on and the first thing you notice is that they’re pretty rugged for a race shoe. The weight of the shoe initially isn’t that impressive, not really being more than 20-30g per shoe lighter than a mid-end Shimano. But given they have taken some pretty big rock strikes in their time with us, and not left us with broken toes or bruises, the weight is pretty decent for the protection on offer and might be something you’re willing to accept in a race shoe.

The next thing you may notice is the eSoles insoles. Describing them in their crudest form, they’re a normal insole with a plastic arch support which can be changed to suit your foot shape. We found the arch kit that came in the box was fairly aggressive and quite pronounced for a ‘default’. Bontrager have probably done their research and they feel that’s the best one for biggest group of people, but we personally found it a little pronounced. The arch kits aren’t the cheapest, at £50 you get every single arch, but you’ll only need the one pair, so it would be worth going to a dealer and seeing if you can get the default swapped out for the ones you actually need. Both testers to wear the shoe had relatively low arches and found a normal insole from another shoe to be the best option for our relatively flat feet, and we suspect we’d want the most shallow eSoles kit in ours.

The RXL is quite wide-fitting so if you normally have issues with skinny fitting shoes, give the Bonty a look!

Getting the shoe nice and tight was simple enough. The velcro straps proving small and light weight, but enough to get the needed tension. The buckle system although initially feeling like it might be a touch delicate has also proved more than adequate to crank the shoe down tight. The actual strap of the ratchet system is starting to show some signs of getting chewed up after 6 months daily use but there are spares in the box and replacements are available. The RXL is quite wide-fitting so if you normally have issues with skinny fitting shoes, give the Bonty a look!

Walking in the shoes highlights a bit of a concern over the heel cup with there being a degree of slop and slipping as you walk. Despite the grippy material, the stiffness of the sole far outweighs the snugness of the heel cup. That said it’s not something that manifests itself once riding so unless you do walk a lot it’s largely a non-issue. If you find yourself hike-a-biking (like we did in the Black Mountains event) that stiff sole coupled with minimal padding in the insoles, they can be quite brutal. The RXL is a race shoe and it makes absolutely no bones about it!

they really come into their own as a shoe when you try and ‘put your foot through it’ so to speak...

The Carbon sole is tough as old boots though. We’ve been running up and down trails while filming, and then there’s the aforementioned hike-a-biking, and while not the comfiest for this, they’ve stood up to it wonderfully. The sole has a clear fibre-glass like top layer which we’ve cracked and split a bit, but the carbon underneath is showing no signs of wear at all and we suspect this top coat is aesthetic in nature. The tread blocks are holding up well too. Power delivery through the sole and strong upper is really noticeable and they really come into their own as a shoe when you try and ‘put your foot through it’ so to speak.

The RXLs do allow a bit of lateral rocking on the pedals. It’s not a problem if you’ve got good stability and strength in your pedalling but as you get tired or your pedalling efforts get a bit stompy and wayward, there’s a feeling of a lack of platform. And on long rough descents things can get a little achy too. That said, it does mean there’s a degree of float in terms of camber as well as in terms of toe or rotation, and when spinning a high cadence for long distances, they feel wonderfully free and floaty.

There’s so much to like about the Bontrager RXL mountain shoes, and it’s just a few niggles (some of which won’t effect everyone) that stop it from being a truly great shoe, instead of simply a good one. They’re as tough as old boots, and they’re relatively light considering the build of them. The power delivery is as good as it gets but as a result they can be pretty punishing on longer rides. If you can get the insoles right or already have some that work for you, and you have pretty wide feet, we’d have no hesitation recommending the RXL. But if you do need to walk in them, the sloppy heel and uncompromising sole make it a ‘miss’. But at £160 it’s a well made, durable xc race shoe that looks and rides the part.