Highly Rated Hightops: The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch Mid WRX Shoe Review

Anyone who watched bright rainbow as a kid and he happens to ride mountain bikes, he probably bought these shoes before despite all the review considerations. The pretty moon-boot aesthetic of the Pearl Izumi Launch X-Alp Mid WRX Quickly reminded me of Magic Girl Rainbow Bright’s mighty cartoon shoes, and the WRX rally-racing connection is sweet too. Nice job from the marketing department. But, how do they do in the dirt?

The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch Mid WRX shoes are high top shoes where the upper part and the lower part are separated by their respective casing systems. The bottom is similar to other high-end flats from Pearl Izumi, with an infinitely adjustable BOA dial to tighten it around your lowest bones. The olive-colored upper covers the vulnerable ends of the tibia and fibula, tightening in place with a simpler Velcro strap. Between these two tightening mechanisms, it’s possible to dial in the fit of the shoe exactly how you like it. I hug the bottom like I would any low top shoe and hug the top with my ankle bent to reduce pressure from the material at the back of my pedal stroke. I first rode with the top too tight and my ankle was cranky about it, but a little adjustment took care of that.

My usual size 43 fits these perfectly, and I could go up half a size for a little more room at my toe tips. The toe box is also very spacious and the BOA rope is tight enough for my narrow feet. I had no issues with the heel slipping or rubbing when hiking uphill or during jump sessions. The insole is relatively flat, which works well for my feet, but some riders may need to add arch support to this pair.

Pedal grip with these shoes is a bit less than some, and for my taste, that’s a good thing. The way soft soles interact with the puppy teeth protruding from a pedal can drastically change the performance of a flat pedal shoe. Those The X-Alp Launch Mid WRX shoes hold up well as long as I dip my heels in and maintain minimal pressure between my hands and feet in the air. Although this grip comes at the cost of a bit more focus and proper technique, it does allow me to move a little easier when I want to. These shoes are already sticky, and with even stickier models, it can be difficult to reposition your foot on the pedal. As a recent convert to the flat pedal, I regularly find myself re-centering my foot while riding, and not having to completely jump off the pedals to do so is a welcome bonus. Most of the time I can take my feet off a compression and wiggle them where I want before the pressure is reapplied.

On the front of the walking handle, these are strictly dry weather kicks. They have tread and are flexible enough to stay over rocks and a hardpack, but if you need to bike ride on something steep or clay-based, a shoe with more tread bearing will do a better job.

Like the Rainbow Bright moon boots, these shoes offer a substantial thickness of sole. This could be their winning feature, because color erases The X-Alp Launch Mid WRX soles provide near-perfect support for sprinting and protecting your food from hard impact, while allowing you to feel where the pedal is underfoot. The sole doesn’t spin around the pedal or sit on it without worry, and instead integrates with a well-balanced amount of sink in the spindles and pedal surface.

I complain about ankle protection almost as often as I complain about XC tires being specified on gravity bikes, and these shoes are here to shut me up. The ankle protection is ample and useful, both against the frame of your bike and the rocks around it. That same protection could be a nuisance if not designed correctly, and Pearl Izumi has done their due diligence here. Although the top olive wrap caused chafing when I overtightened it, it became unnoticeable once I loosened the velcro and let it move more freely. Runners will want to make sure the uppermost tongue is properly aligned in these shoes, as the thicker overlapping materials can be awkward if they don’t sit where they want to be around your ankle.

Filled with sweat and dirt, these shoes weigh 408g per side, which probably drops to around 390g if they were dry and clean at the same time. At $175, their extra protection and sassy good looks should do the trick no matter what you think of Rainbow Bright cartoons.

⭐️ The Izumi Pearl Launch X-Alp Mid WRX is available from Pearl Izumi and Countryside.