Quoc has taken its proven Gran Tourer concept and has shaped it into a shoe that’ll appeal to those whose riding straddles the line between gravel and cross-country. Utilising the brand’s recognisable style, the shoe brings a welcomed sense of efficiency, comfort, and grip when off the bike - something that might help it gain favour as one of the best mountain bike shoes. However, it's pretty weighty for a cross-country shoe.
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Quoc Gran Tourer XC - Technical details
Quoc markets the Gran Tourer XC as ‘the ultimate off-road adventure shoe’ and, to do so, it receives a respectable list of tech that edges it away from its gravel-going counterparts. Here, you get a carbon composite outsole that’s coated with an aggressive TPU tread.
Commonplace for an XC shoe but new for the Gran Tourer platform are replaceable toe spikes with two sizes, a removal tool in the box, and a rather sweet drawstring bag. Something great to see is a somewhat adjustable arch support solution, with three different arch inserts that allow the user to further customise the fit of the shoe.
Furthering the customisable fit is a pair of Quoc’s own dials that allow for a load of micro-adjustment that helps eliminate hot spots over the foot. There’s also an abrasion-resistant micro-fibre upper and a rubber toe cap for protection.
The size EU44 pair of shoes (pictured here) weighed in at a portly 811g, which isn't the lightest for a high-end set of XC clogs.
Quoc Gran Tourer XC - Performance
The Gran Tourer XC is a shoe that does a lot of things well, but not everything is completely golden.
But starting with the good, the general comfort is very impressive. Even though I kitted my test pair with the lowest arch support on offer, support was plentiful. These arch support inserts are held in with a bit of double-sided tape. Quoc’s efforts in creating a comfortable upper haven’t gone unnoticed either as during longer rides, no weird pain or numbness towards the upper of the foot crept in.
However, the Gran Tourer XC is definitely a narrow shoe. My feet aren’t particularly wide and I can get on with a good range of shoes but towards the latter stages of 50km+ rides, the shoe’s limited width has resulted in numbness around the baby toe. This could be something that fades as the shoe wears in more but out of the box, it’s a clear issue. For those with foot width concerns, do everything you can to try before you buy.
Long-distance comfort aside, the good points continue as the upper of the shoe is surprisingly weatherproof. Even though it’s packed with perforations that allow just enough air to penetrate, my feet have remained perfectly dry and that’s during some seriously wintery rides.
As we’re already talking about wintery rides, the Gran Tourer XC’s tread design deserves applause as when hike-a-bike is unavoidable due to gripless slop, the shoe effectively bites into the soft ground. I’ve done this with the short toe spikes, too, which raises questions about the taller ones ever being necessary. This makes those unfortunate jaunts up horrifically wet hills absolutely manageable.
And you would think that trekking through such conditions would completely clog the shoe, making it near impossible to clip back in but I’ve found the opposite to be the case. This shoe easily sheds any mud picked up, virtually eliminating any tap dancing to clear excess muck before jumping back into the saddle.
Though, unfortunately, the Gran Tourer XC is a comparatively weighty pair of shoes. While I don’t mind a bit of weight, this isn’t a shoe that’ll appeal to the cross-county racer or those looking for marginal gains. But if you have reasonably narrow feet, there’s no arguing that it’s an efficient a comfortable shoe. The jury is out on the colourway, but it might be a bit too fashionable for me.
Quoc Gran Tourer XC - Verdict
The Gran Tourer XC’s £240 price tag pushes it right up against some very solid shoes from other brands, one of the biggest being the Specialized Recon 3.0 costing £230. Both shoes share a bunch of similarities too, specifically the carbon outsole, and dual dial retention system. They’re similar in weight, too.
There’s then Fizik’s Vento Overcurve also at £230. This is a lighter shoe, or so the brand claims, at just short of 300g a shoe in a EU42. However, this gets a carbon-injected nylon outsole.
But Shimano’s RX8 really brings the heat. Again, this one costs £230 and it gets a similar construction to the Gran Tourer XC but importantly it’s quite a bit lighter, with the EU42 weighing 255g per shoe, says Shimano.
The Quoc Gran Tourer XC is a solid shoe if you have narrow feet and don’t mind a bit of extra weight. Its stiff carbon outsole offers up a good level of efficiency in a comfortable package that sheds mud effectively and grips when the need for hike-a-bike arises. Unless you’re after the lightest of light, Quoc has done a commendable job with this one.
1 comments
£240 for a pair of shoes that aren't even foot shaped; madness of the sort that Lintilla and the Foot Warriors would be proud.