The Review | Mavic Zoya Women’s Trail Shoes
When it comes to finding a pair of ladies specific trail shoes, that both look good and fit well, it can be a surprisingly difficult challenge. There are plenty of shoes out there but many tend to be either entry level or too biased towards XC stiffness. If you are looking for a high performance shoe that can handle some racing and also climb the biggest mountains, there are few options. Sharing a lot of design features with the Mavic Alpine shoe, the €95.00 Mavic Zoya looks to balance style with function. For the last three months we have been testing them out in the wilds of Scotland.
First impressions count, and we were very impressed with the styling of the Mavic Zoya, it’s clear that they are targeted towards women, without being overtly so – subtle and stylish. The good vibes continued when they were put on, again we were impressed with the soft and supportive fit, lacing a long way down the foot to provide a secure hold on the foot. The velcro fastening was a useful addition to keep the laces neat and done up (no laces flying in the wind and getting caught in chain rings). We were pleased to see long cleat channels, providing room for a good amount of adjustment and an aggressive rearward cleat location.
The slimline fit of the shoes means they look good and are a little more trail/adventure focused than some other shoes on the market. We really like the styling, they look like they’re ready for smashing turns and counting up the miles! They feel really positive and fit with the style which we associate ourselves with while riding – not ballet shoes but certainly not DH shoes either. They feel ready for action and trustworthy.
The soles offer a fair amount of grip when you’re off the bike, after many hike-a-bikes up rocky slopes, they have not slipped once (except on ice). The Contagrip soles offer good traction for the well stiffened shoe, and the cleat is recessed between two ridges so there’s no skitting about when you’re trying to walk/climb the tricky bits.
These aren’t winter shoes (Mavic offer the Scree Shoe for winter adventures), they have a fabric upper so there isn’t much in the way of protection from the rain and puddles. They are quite low at the ankle which doesn’t offer a huge amount of protection from water on the ground. However, paired with some winter merino socks, they’ve felt cosy and warm. We found that the sizing is a touch on the small size and we ordered half a size larger than normal (7.5 UK instead of a 7).
After three months of riding through the toughest season they’re holding up well, impressive considering they have suffered a fair amount of traipsing through mud and snow, being dried on radiators etc. The laces are still strong and the soles aren’t showing any sign of wear even with a fair amount of hike-a biking.
Bottom line
These shoes are lady-like without being cutesy girlie. They’re well priced, practical and offer a comfortable well thought out option for lady riders who are looking for high performance but don’t want to wear super stiff XC race shoes or the more chunky entry level shoes. A definite win for Mavic who seem to know what ladies want.
For more information check out the Mavic website
Words: Catherine Smith Photos: Trev Worsey
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