Slipping a pedal can be painful in a multitude of ways.

Having traction pins strike a shin are agonizing. Even worse, having a foot come off at high speed on a technical trail, can have disastrous crash consequences.

Read more: the best mountain bike shoes

Special rubber under these flats

Flat pedal riders rely on the integrity and tackiness of their riding soles to keep a secure connection with those pedals.

Rubber formulations are complex. What is durable, is not often that sticky in relation to the pedal surface. The ideal is to have a formulation that is both grippy and durable.

A new entrant to the flat shoe market is doing things unconventionally and promises a new rubber compound, nearly two years in development.

All about that Hero Dirt sole

With its product debut scheduled for February next year, Anamoly is offering flat pedal riders an early opportunity to enable its new shoe range, which aims to be eight colourways strong.

The Anamoly flat pedal shoe features a rubber compound that will provide excellent grip, even in wet conditions.

In fact, the Anamoly flat pedal shoes are claimed to become even grippier when wet. This should make them better to hike-a-bike in, especially up those steep chutes, in winter.

For the Anamoly product team, developing its Hero Dirt rubber sole has been the core R&D investment.

‘Hidden’ lace guides

Some clever design features support a bold overall graphic design. The fastening loops sit in a gutter, which should keep laces from getting entangled or prematurely wearing.

Laser-cut perforations provide ventilation and overall impact protection appears adequate, too. There is a reinforced toe box at the front and high cuffs at the rear, to protect against frame or crankarm rub.

Sizes? The Anamoly flat pedal shoe will be available in men’s 6-12 full-sizes and women’s 7.5-13.5 half-sizes.

Interested? There is a Kickstarter campaign attached to the Anamoly flat pedal shoe development and fulfilment. Riders who pledge, trigger an early-order discount, which gives the option of an Anamoly flat-top at $159 and high-top at $169.