XVs are an interesting shoe. I can’t say I really even ever ‘liked’ them and I definitely never even worn them…I’ve owned a few pairs over the past 17 years with the intention of getting over it and just lacing them up, but I can count on one finger the amount of times I’ve worn a XV. That being said – I think XVs could really be an awesome shoe…they are kind of like a blank canvas…and I’ve only seen one or two models that do this shoe justice. I think this is one of those models. An excellent use of the canvas.