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Oh the Shearlings. A classic. Classic in the sense that they are considered some of the ugliest skate shoes ever to be dropped, right next to the infamous D3s. Few people have the balls to wear these and even less are willing to pay the price for them. At a hefty $90 and the looks of a large dead frog, few people ever purchased these shoes. But everytime you see a picture of these babies, don't deny the first thing that crosses your mind. "How do they skate?!" Well, about a year ago, I picked up a pair of these babies for $30. Well worth the price, but in the ugliest colorway available. I never got around to skating them up until September, when my friend decided to search through my room for random stuff. He dug these up and, with winter well on it's way, I decided to try these out on the miniramp. So, without further adue, I give you the I-path Shearling review.
Boardfeel:
Oh, my, god. I never thought it was possible, but these shoes have NO boardfeel. It feels like I have bricks taped to the bottom of my shoe. I only used these shoes for mini-ramp, but just from that, I can tell that these shoes boardfeel would only be useful for skydiving. Along with that, the sole is stiff as hell. It actually takes a huge effort to bend the soles of these shoes with my hands. Just to go along with that, they never break in. Get ready, because from when the moment you try these shoes on until they're nothing but scraps around you're foot, the sole is exactly the same. Generally, I think the only way these sole's boardfeel would help you is if you were only doing drops or could adapt VERY easily.
Grip:
Beautiful. Makes up wonderfully for the horrific boardfeel. A very innovative tread design, made up of rows of the I-path logo with thick indents inbetween each logo. The thick indents give great traction on every condition and keep the soles from wearing out quickly. Over the past two months of being skated daily, the soles of these babies are just starting to show wear. Great grip. Probably the best aspect of these shoes. If you're buying shoes based only on grip and nothing more, buy these shoes.
Comfort:
Come on, just look at them. They're some of the most comfortable skate shoes I've ever worn. The question I'm asked when people see these shoes is "Do those little flap things go up?" Why yes, yes they do. They rise about a quarter way up your shin, which provides the ultimate ankle protection and warmth on those winter mini seshes. My only complaint is mainly that the toe area is to open and stiff. This causes your toes to slide forward into the front everytime you land on your feet with any forward momentum. Nonetheless, they are extremely comfortable. The perfect shoe for chilling and skating on a cold day.
Durability:
I can't say much on the durability side, seeing that I've sonly skated mini with them, but I know enough to review it. Generally, these things are tanks. With two months of mini-ramp flips on both shoes, there is very little damage to the outer suede. The few flaws that I've found is that the fringe around the toecap rips very easily. Also, on the first day of skating, the stitching popped on my right (normal front) foot's toe. One of my boot straps running up the side came off, too, but that's no big deal. All in all, these are extremely durable shoes.
So there you have it. The I-path Shearlings. You probably wouldn't get caught dead wearing them, but if you find a cheap pair, pick them up. Don't judge a book by it's cover, these are actually pretty good shoes. I think a nice skate sesh is worth more than the taunting you'll get and the girlfriend you'll lose.
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nice review