The Ride Concept TNT is aimed at the gravity market, but we also think the TNT is a perfect trail riding boot for winter use. While Ride Concepts might be one of the newer kids on the block in the mountain bike shoe world, it has a comprehensive range of footwear for every discipline and pedal platform, including clip-in shoes for downhillers if this shoe isn’t your bag.

Ride Concepts uses three different rubber compounds throughout its shoe range and the TNT features the DST 4.0 MAX GRIP rubber, which is the softest the company offers. We’ve measured the durometer and it’s on a par with Five Ten’s Stealth rubber, but the latter has a slightly lower rebound, so the TNT is just a slight step back in terms of pedal grip; no matter how hard I’d ride or the trail conditions, my feet would rarely bounce off or move on the pedal. This rubber is the best Ride Concepts rubber I’ve tested.

The obvious compromise with any soft rubber sole is accelerated wear but the sole on the TNT is still intact after several months of hard riding. The shoe also gets a hard wearing, custom-moulded rubber toe cap and heel protection and a TPP medial midsole protector, which is just an extra bit of EVA reinforcing in the instep. To improve comfort there is a D3O insole and heel reinforcement.

I never used to be a fan of a heavy boot for riding but the extra ankle protection and heft of the TNT makes it feel really solid and stable on the bike. It also offers good winter protection – there’s no mesh in the upper, and you can get those big straps super tight so it feels solid and secure. It does take a bit of effort to squeeze into these boots but they’re snug and I’ve not had any issues with the heal crumpling, a problem on the Ride Concepts Hellion I tested a few months back.

It doesn’t have a Gore-Tex membrane, so when fully submerged, water got through, but there’s no mesh in the upper, so  it has a good amount of water resistance when splashing through puddles. 

The weak point with this shoe is the upper – it’s not that durable. We’ve had a few early TNT shoes on test previously that have delaminated. Obviously, any issue should be covered under warranty, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

The TNT feels stable on the bike, but there’s some stiff competition from the Five Ten Trailcross Gore-Tex and Leatt 7.0 Hydradri. Both are marginally more expensive, but they’re fully waterproof. You could argue that the TNT is more versatile because you can run it in the summer and add a waterproof sock when you need it. The problem with that is you’re adding another £30-40 to the price. 

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