Endura Announces Flat Pedal Bike Shoe Cover

Many mountain bikers are finding they prefer flat pedals for riding, particularly in muddy conditions. With that in mind, Endura just announced a product aimed at keeping mountain bike shoes clean and warm for winter flat-pedal riding: The Endura MT500 Plus overshoe.

Unlike existing bike shoe covers that leave a spot open on the bottom for the cleats, the Endura MT500 Plus has a full rubber sole integrated into the overshoe. Essentially the MT500 Plus slips over any type of shoe, including flat pedal shoes AND clipless pedal shoes.

The uppers on the MT500 Plus overshoes are constructed from neoprene and feature a velcro closure. Sizing is fairly straightforward with just three sizes to choose from: S-M, M-L, and L-XL.

The full press release from Endura is available below.

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More confidence. Better technique. Mountain biking’s flat pedal revolution is officially a thing. Riders on ‘flats’ have only lacked a protective overshoe to keep their trainer-style riding kicks pristine. Until now. Endura’s new MT500 Plus Overshoe is the missing link in a radical shift back to flat pedals, as trail riders follow the lead of DH specialists and use freedom from clipless pedals to dial in technique – and to provide an ‘eject’ button if things get too gnarly. Muddy trails have ruined the day of many a flat pedal rider. Nothing kills box-fresh riding kicks faster than a muddy drop. The Endura MT500 Plus overshoe is tailor made for the job; the result of feedback from Endura’s in-house trail warriors and ambassadors like UK freeride legend Chris Smith.

“Ninety per cent of my riding is on flat pedals,” Chris explains. “For freeriding, I’m on flat pedals all the time. They give me much greater freedom on the bike. I’m a lot more committed in corners, and able to stick out a foot, if I need to. I’ll take on a more risky line, if I’m on flats, because they give me an escape route. “Some people struggle if they’re clipped in, and find it hard to approach big jumps. It’s a subconscious thing. There’s no difference in technique [with riding flat pedals], but I like to be able to bail out, if things go wrong.”

Chris also likes to keep his shoes as pristine as his bike. When the weather’s fine, the same shoes are good for town or trail, he says, but when the seasons change and trails get muddy, your footwear is the first to know. “It’s fine in the summer, but in the winter, when you’ve got a spanking pair of shoes covered in mud from top to bottom, it can be very annoying,” Chris explains. “And once your shoes are wet, they weigh so much. They can be like sponges.”

Brand Manager Ian Young says the MT500 Plus Overshoe was born from trail talk among Endura’s fat-tyred fraternity. The result is an overshoe purpose built for trainer-style riding shoes, with an open sole made from hardwearing rubber for at or clipless pedals, and a super tough upper, made from nylon-faced neoprene rubber, with highly durable overlays.

“We like to start with a clean sheet of paper, but with the upper, we found ourselves coming back to what we’d used for the standard MT500 overshoe,” Ian explains. “We investigated various materials, even including some of the heavier fabrics we use for rain jackets, but came back to neoprene, which offers the best combination of stretch, toughness and protection.”

The custom moulded rubber sole offered an opportunity to try something radical, and Endura carved through five prototypes while dialing in the sweet spot between structural rigidity and an ‘open’ area large enough to maximize contact between shoe and pedal.

Additionally, the aggressive tread used on the rubber toe section provides extra grip, while the Velcro® closure with t adjustment makes the MT500 Plus Overshoe easy to pull on and take off, even with clammy or muddy fingers. Thanks to the wide toe, the MT500 Plus Overshoe is suitable for a large variety of MTB shoes, whether designed for use with at pedals or clipless. The MT500 Plus Overshoe comes in the MT500 collection’s signature black with yellow detailing, and is available in sizes S-M, M-L, and L-XL.