Rather than an existing product with a signature slapped on it, this is a standalone model in Crankbrothers' shoe range designed with Fabio Wibmer’s input. And they’re pretty funky, with a radically different design to most mountain bike shoes on the market.
Crankbrothers Stamp Street Fabio shoe review
Fabio Wibmer needs no introduction. Along with a full-time job designing signature shoes and pedals for Crankbrothers, bikes for Canyon, brakes for Magura, and goggles for POC, he still finds time to run a successful YouTube channel and come up with crazy stunts and mesmerising content ideas. Yep, pretty much everything you can think of has been painted white and tagged with Fabio’s name. I wouldn’t be surprised if you can even buy Fabio signature underpants.
To start, I should point out that this model is intended mostly for street riding, rather than off-road action, which explains some of the criticisms I have when used in that environment.
Before I get to those, let’s look at the construction and Crankbrothers has gone for a very lightweight design that employs a full neoprene bootie to keep your feet snug and stable. That makes it a little tighter to put on, but the pull tabs at the tongue and heel give a secure handhold as you push your foot in. Once on, they conform to the foot really well, with an even pressure throughout.
Long laces let you double-tie with ease, and there’s an elastic tidy to tuck them out of the way. On the inside there’s a TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) panel to protect against crank knocks, and the EVA mid-sole helps shock absorption from harsh landings.
Crankbrothers uses the same own-brand MC2 rubber outsole that can be found on its other flat pedal shoes. It’s a shallow tread with narrow channels between the blocks and a shape that mirrors the brand’s Stamp pedal. As I’m not a big fan of that particular flat pedal, I used it with the acclaimed Nukeproof Horizon for the purposes of this test.
Grip was surprisingly good considering there doesn’t seem to be much space for the pins to engage. I felt both locked in by the pins and held in place by the flexibility of the sole. For a really casual shoe, I felt like I could ride reasonably hard and didn’t worry about my feet getting ejected by the smallest bump. It even stayed put while climbing, when there’s often an imbalance in pressure.
On the other hand, there’s not much support and the upper can flex considerably. Although the toe cap is reinforced, I wouldn’t fancy glancing my foot off a stump or a rock wearing these. To reiterate, alpine enduro trails are not what this shoe is designed for, so I won’t dwell on that particular criticism.
Verdict
The Stamp Street Fabio is not a mountain bike shoe, so don’t expect it to perform in more extreme terrain. But as a casual shoe for daily wear, commuting, dirt jumping, and the odd razz around the local woods, it is a comfortable, minimal option.
Details
Weight:623g (size 43)
Sizes:35-48
Contact:crankbrothers.com