Ride Concepts new Tallac BOA is the flagship model in the company’s flat shoe range both in terms of features and price. £180 is a chunk of cash, even if it were one of the best mountain bike flat shoes on the market, but rather than laces you do get the high-tech BOA Fit System. By simply turning the dial on the side of the shoe you can spool in a low-friction textile TX4 web and secure your foot in the shoe. Want to get out again? Pop up the dial, pull open the shoe and slide your foot out. It’s simple, lightweight and also allows you to make tension adjustments to your footwear with one hand while on the bike.

One of the things you may not notice is the position of the BOA dial. Some I’ve tested sit too low and are often in the firing line of stumps and rocks, but Ride Concepts mounts this one high up. It also interlocks the lace into the tongue, which is also gusseted, so stays centred and helps keep out some dirt. The shoe also gets a hook and loop strap on the front for additional adjustment, but to be honest ,once I attached this I never really messed with it.

The upper is made from a highly breathable and lightweight Cordura, which features a fully welded construction, so there are no stitches to pull apart. There are also TPU bumpers front and rear to protect the upper against wear and scuffage.

Internally, the shoe gets an anti-bacterial mesh lining and D3O padded insole. You only get the smart polymer in two High Impact Zones at the heel and across the ball of the foot, but any form of shock absorption is a good thing. That said the footbed is pretty flimsy and doesn’t have much in the way of arch support.

The new sole uses Ride Concepts’s softest MAX GRIP rubber and familiar hexagon outsole, but the company has added some reverse hex traction patterning on the toe and heel areas. The idea is these lugs dig in when you have to push up a steep climb or have to do the walk of shame on the way back down. Some testers have remarked that these reverse lugs catch on the pedal platform, but I never noticed that.

I tested the Ride Concepts Hellion Elite shoe previously for MBR and rated it 10 out of 10 and although the Tallac BOA uses the exact same rubber (I measured it at around 50A using my durometer) it doesn’t feel as grippy. I think some of that is because the Tallac BOA sole is thicker and not as flexible, so I just couldn’t claw my feet round the pedals in the same way. And with the balls of my feet actually further away from the pedal centre, it was much easier for them to slip off during those gnarly moments, like when pedalling hard through a rooty section or letting it run through a series of braking bumps. Wearing Five Ten’s Freerider flat shoes, I don’t have to think about keeping my feet on the pedals – they stick like glue – but with the Tallac BOA I needed to pay attention and work my feet more.