We have been busy in the lab testing and creating an alternative top tier cycling orthotic for all those crazy mountain bike men (and women) out there. Up until recently the majority of our mountain bike riders have used our top road model cycling orthotic to dodge their way through rocky outcrops and muddy paths. This has been especially sucessful for those who ride a mixture of tarmac and downhill.
After discussion with some riders, we started to develop a different device aimed at increased rearfoot and forefoot cushioning, greater foam memory combined with the reknown cobra9 customised carbon stiffness. The end device still has to be incredibly hard wearing due to frequent water immersion and occasional loose impediments in the shoes.
The outcome results in a slight weight gain at this stage (a few grams) however this is practically insignificant with respect to the average weight of your mountain bike shoe. The shell tapering drops to close to 0 degrees due to the lack of heel-toe step in the mountain bike shoe (look at you mtb shoe compared to your road shoe from side on). This enables a stable shell surface to rest against the shoe. This small change makes a large difference in terms shell/shoe stability which is important for power distribution. The mountain bike specific top cover remains dual density eva foam but bumps up on memory and cushioning.
The testing phase is ongoing and we hope to release the MTB Cobra9 in a few months. We would expect that some MTB riders will remain in their comfortable road cobra9’s. Can’t blame them if its working.
