Blivet Quilo FLT Gen 2 Boots: A Must-Have

In mountain biking, it is often said that the points of contact with the bike (i.e. pedals, shoes, saddle, grips and gloves) are the easiest upgrades to make and the ones that make the biggest difference in the quality of your time spent riding. It is often easy to see the relevance of some of these components. Everyone has experienced a saddle that turned their ride into a nightmare and almost everyone sees the benefit of a good pair of gloves or pedals. Where it is not always obvious to realize the importance, the impact on the quality of your ride is at the level of grips and shoes, especially for people who are beginners or who have never really given these elements much thought. And believe me, what a difference! But, this is not only true for mountain biking. If you are a fan of Fatbike, these elements are just as important. For a few seasons now, I have been riding Blivet accessories and equipment. Blivet is a Quebec company that mainly offers fatbike products. Following my experience with their products, I have come to the conclusion that there is no reason to ride with accessories or components other than Blivet if they are part of the products in their catalog. This conclusion is especially true for my two favorite products from Blivet: the Quilo boots and the Vök + Mund grips and pogies duo. Let's talk a little about the Quilo boots.

Quilo FLT Gen 2 Boots

In both winter and summer, I ride with flat pedals. So the Blivet boots I'm using right now are the Quilo FLT Gen 2. Here are some key features of these boots:

·      Vibram Ò XS Trek sole

·      Insertion of high thermal resistance EVA in the sole

·      Two self-locking speedlaces

·      3M Thinsulate insulation Ô 200g

·      A weight of 1138g per pair in size 44 (US 11 Men)

It goes without saying that people riding with clipless pedals will immediately equip themselves with boots specially designed for fatbiking. It is mainly people riding flat pedals who do not necessarily seem to go for a cycling boot. However, just like summer on your mountain bike, it makes a big difference. The Quilo boot will offer you far superior grip to your regular boots thanks to its flattened sole ensuring maximum contact with your pedal, the Vibram Ò compound and the sole pattern designed to allow the cleats of your pedals to grip properly. Your regular boots will have an ideal sole for walking, but really ordinary to give you grip on your pedals. Their compound will undoubtedly be much stiffer and slippery. In addition, the Quilo will weigh much less than the majority of winter boots. On a fatbike, the rolling resistance of your tires on snow is already quite intense, put all the odds on your side and lighten your boots.

I've ridden a few boots from different brands and in my experience the Quilo boots are by far my favorite boots for fatbiking. First, the comfort of the Quilo is much superior to other boots I have tried. I have a slightly narrower foot and other brands did not offer the same fit and comfort. They were all a little too wide for me and my foot tended to move from left to right during my ride. The more flexible design of the Quilo is in my opinion one of the great assets of the boot and contributes greatly to this superior comfort. The fact that it also has 2 speed laces allowing a better adjustment on 2 different areas was a game changer for me personally. When there is only one speedlace or one Boa Ò , I always end up with a boot that will be too tight at the ankle and not tight enough at the foot. In terms of warmth, the boot does an excellent job of keeping my feet warm while letting them breathe. The EVA insert in the sole insulates the foot very well from the cold that can be transmitted by contact with the pedals. This is also a source of considerable heat loss and not all fatbike boots address this issue. I have never had a problem keeping my feet warm during a ride, even with temperatures below -20 degrees. As for the quality of the ride, well, we are elsewhere. In my opinion, absolutely nothing compares to the Quilo for riding flats in winter. Other fatbike boots are designed primarily for riding with clip-in pedals. So if you want to ride with flats, you will use a boot whose rigidity is much too high to be comfortable and to grip your flats well. In addition, the sole is far from being optimized for use with flat pedals. With my Quilo on my feet, I really feel like I am on my mountain bike with my trusty RC shoes. A world of difference with the other boots available on the market.

In short, if you want a boot that is truly made for riding on flat pedals and that will give you the same ride quality as your mountain bike shoes in the summer, the Quilo FLT Gen2 are by far the best purchase you can make. Also, since they are not designed to ride with clips, the price is really interesting compared to other options on the market. In addition, you are supporting a Quebec company and that is really a choice that we encourage you to make.