Did a lot of research on shoes before I ended up buying these ones in particular. Looked at pearl izumi, specialized, crank brothers and giro and ended up stumbling on to these and very happy I ended up going with them. The BOA system works very well and allows the shoe to really conform to your foot in a comfortable and power efficient way. The tread on these shoes is very aggressive and does allow for good tracking in mucky conditions. I have used these to walk on ice, deep snow, mud, and sloshy gravel this winter season and have had very good traction. A little uncomfortable to walk on asphalt with these but that’s not really an issue. Highly recommended if you want a stiff shoe with good tread for traction.