If you wanted a solid flat pedal shoe, the go-to brand has always been, in my opinion, Five Ten. The solid construction of the leather upper combined with their legendary Stealth rubber sole gave one no doubt that shoe and pedal would be stuck together tighter than Trump and a spray tan. But that was then, this is now. A few years ago, the California company was purchased by industry giant Adidas which had me worried about a few things, namely quality. Thankfully, there are no shortage of good options for the flat pedal dirt-flinger these days.

I have always been a fan of Giro helmets, the fit and finish of their products is excellent as is the quality of manufacture. So after a bit of poking around, I found the Jacket shoe. A solid testament to how good a piece of clothing is designed is being able to purchase your size online without ever trying it on and having it fit perfectly. If you have a slightly wider foot though, you may want to keep shopping. A good pair of shoes that fit well won’t make your feet look any larger than they are and a good pair of riding shoes can be worn to the pub and not make you look like a dick. The Jacket ticks both those boxes and then some and with a variety of colours available, there’s an excellent chance they will match your kit and probably one of your bikes too.

The best thing about the Jacket though is what you can’t see, which is the Vibram sole. Vibram (like GoreTex) will only allow a company to use its product if said product is deemed worthy. Vibram has had its sole on industrial-strength work boots for decades and seeing the little yellow octagon on the bottom of the Jacket is a good feeling. I was initially concerned that the sole may not be grippy enough, but after the first few pedal strokes that doubt was gone quicker than a fart in a strong breeze. I don’t have the longest pedal pins but I still have to slightly lift my foot to change foot position, which is good to know when coming hot out of a corner flat out.

The only test the Jacket has yet to receive is how well it drains water, but as stream crossings are difficult to come across here in Central Otago I’ll have to get back to you on that one, and only having a few rides on them, I have yet to see how they hold up long term. Based on the last two unknowns, I’m giving the Jacket a 4 out of 5 Slaps with definite potential for a full 5 finger.