Unless you follow one of the greatest Freeride events of all time, the name Virgin is probably not what you think. There are no sexual connotations or first time mountain bikers here, rather the Virgin is named after the part of Utah that hosts the RedBull Rampage. While the Virgin won’t be ready for Rampage 2013 in a few weeks, the shoe looks like it will offer another great option for flat riders in the future.
The Virgin that was on display (inside a case that we couldn’t remove it from) was a prototype that is pretty far from production. The upper is pretty close, but the sole that is currently on the shoe is just a gold version of the Links. Since the Virgin is designed for Freeride, the sole will feature a Spider rubber outsold for improved pedal traction over the Links. The asymmetrical collar will wrap around the ankle for improved protection and feature a heel stabilizer that will also wrap up into the ankle. The whole point of the Virgin is to offer increased protection and grip over the Links but still provide a light weight shoe that is easy to pedal. Teva is hoping for a July 2014 launch which will certainly make it available for Rampage 2014.
