I've written about them so many times that I'd lost track of when I actually started wearing them, so I went back through the old blog posts.
It turns out I started wearing them in the autumn of 2022.
Which means I've been wearing my nubuck leather Mountain Clog for four years now.
Four years on and I'm still wearing them without ever tiring of them. That's really something, I found myself thinking.
Not that I felt I ought to give them a bit of a rest, but an appealing new color came in this year, so I decided to buy a new pair.
And that's this Cascade Green. A pretty vivid green, and it gave me quite a jolt…
What's more, the material is suede. I can't wait to see how it ages.
Walking in the mountains in the Mountain Clog.
I've already started wearing them, and just the other day four of us, me plus staff members Chan-Mai, Dora-chan and Baki, went on a little hike.
Naturally, all four of us had the Mountain Clog on our feet.
There were some fairly steep climbs and rocky sections, but I could really feel the outsole, which uses Vibram®︎ Megagrip, gripping the ground firmly.
In places like that you also tend to scuff your toes a lot, but the rubber-coated toe cap protects them well, so I could walk with confidence and without a care.
At the summit we took our time over lunch and took photos of one another.
That paid off: there were moments when blue sky peeked through what had been a thoroughly fogged-in view, and times when we could see all the way to the distant scenery.
On the way down from the summit, spirits were high, and there were plenty of stretches where we broke into a run.
Even so, thanks to the strap system that holds the foot securely, my feet never shifted inside the shoes and they never felt like coming off.
And thanks to the moderate 16mm thickness throughout and the gently contoured footbed, I could plant my feet with confidence even on big steps and slightly scree-covered ground.
Compared with the Cairn, the lack of a toe-post strap means the hold is somewhat weaker, but it brought home to me once again that they're more than capable enough for this kind of use, too.
With a hold this secure, they naturally work well on the bike, too. Thanks to Megagrip, your feet don't slip easily on the pedals and you can really push down on them.
The plan that day was actually to get on our bikes dressed just as we were and enjoy a ride as well, but with the weather threatening to turn, we found a gap and photographed only Dora-chan's riding style. Ha.
What we wore that day.
As for me, this was my style.
I've only just started wearing the OMBRAZ Refugio, but it's working out extremely well.
I can't say it goes with any everyday outfit, but I use it for activities and daily life alike, with no line between the two.
On top, I started with the ACLIMA Lightwool Sport Singlet as a base, with MANNENROU's Mash Anorack as outerwear.
I owe this ACLIMA sleeveless top a great deal. In summer I wear it on its own, and in winter it does duty as a base layer.
MANNENROU's Mash Anorack tends to draw the eye with its distinctive looks, but its appeal lies in the moderate warmth and excellent breathability of its mosquito-net-like fabric.
You can throw it on when you feel a little chilly, and it doubles as protection from the sun and insects: a piece that comes in handy in all sorts of ways.
The shorts are my usual Yamatomichi 5-Pocket Shorts. And the socks I paired with the Mountain Clog are the NODAL Cool Max EcoMade fiber Socks.
The 5-Pocket Shorts are a tried-and-true staple that needs no explanation.
NODAL's Cool Max EcoMade fiber Socks aren't activity socks, but they use COOLMAX®, which excels at wicking and drying quickly, and being thin as well, they keep things comfortable inside the shoe.
I like pure white socks, but the heels had got dirty without my noticing, and my wife, who did the laundry, told me off.
Do take care, everyone, when wearing white socks for activities. Ha.
And I carried my warm layer, snacks and drink in the TAKAO MOUNTAIN BOOK Hip Bag.
While I'm at it, let me introduce everyone else's style, too.
Dora-chan, whom you saw a moment ago aboard a much-loved SKLAR PBJ, wears the Mountain Clog in suede leather in Chanterelle, a new color this year. In Japanese the mushroom is called anzutake, apparently. Look it up and you'll see: ah, so that's the color of the mushroom.
Over a BRING Drycottony Sleeveless T-Shirt, the layer on top is the HOUDINI M’s Tree Shortsleeve Shirt. Matching its color to the Mountain Clog is very Dora-chan, too. With the soft feel of TENCEL™ Lyocell, it's a shirt that's comfortable to wear even for mountain walking on a muggy day like this.
The sunglasses are the OMBRAZ Dolomite. The pants are Yamatomichi's 5-Pocket Wide Pants.
Baki's Mountain Clog is the suede leather in Wild Rose. This is another of this year's new colors, named after the wild rose. Exactly so! The calm, pale pink is utterly charming.
It looks like a tricky color to match, but it's been put together well here.
The top is the Yamatomichi Light Merino Sleeveless. The shorts are Yamatomichi as well: the Light 5-Pocket Shorts, made from the lightest fabric in their range.
A perfect fit for Baki, the most athlete-minded person at Circles right now.
Pairing that with the EANBE Aloha Shirts / Yuwaku is, you could say, very Baki as well.
And the Mountain Clog on Chan-Mai's feet is a well-loved pair in nubuck leather, in Brown.
I wear the same one, and personally it's the model I recommend most.
The more you wear it in, the better the leather looks.
Pairing them with wool socks from Kozan Shokubutsu Zukan makes a nice impression.
The T-shirt is BRING. The top and shorts are from RAWLOW MOUNTAIN WORKS: the Airy Hoodie paired with the Hiker Gurkha Shorts.
And the sunglasses that day were from FLOAT OUTDOOR. They look casual, but their appeal is how soft and gentle they feel on.
Seen like this, the four of us each have our own look, but you can tell that everyone's style crosses over between hiking and riding, mountain and town, all the settings of our day-to-day lives.
For the mountains, the city, and the bike.
We're a bike shop, but that doesn't mean we're on our bikes all day, every day.
We ride our bikes to go out to eat or to see a film, and sometimes we even go hiking.
That, I think, is why so many of the clothes we choose are things you can wear without dividing everyday life, cycling and the mountains.
Of course, there are times when you need something specialized.
But we can't help being drawn to things you can wear without being conscious of those boundaries.
I feel strongly that the BEDROCK SANDALS Mountain Clog is exactly that kind of thing.
And that, I think, is why I've kept wearing it for so long.
You can ride in it, walk the mountains in it, and it blends into the city, too.
I'm sure there are many people who, once they start wearing it, find they're wearing nothing else.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this new Cascade Green pair ages from here on.
I expect I'll enjoy that as I go, and end up wearing them for years.
