Saw these locally on sale, so I picked them up while looking for a different shoe to try. I was skeptical of the side panels wearing quickly but they've held up fine (they appear to be just a soft felt, but must not be). Still look good after being caked with mud, and dried/brushed off. Toe rand looks to be made of tough hypalon and has held up great all the way around.
Traction is great, as in I have to pick up my foot to move it if I need to reposition on my Wellgo MG-1s. Much stickier than my old Nike 6.0s.
The only thing I would like is a maybe an option to keep the laces out of the way (tucking them in seems to work ok too, though) and maybe a little more weatherproof- on a recent wet muddy ride, my feet were pretty soaked instantly after having to ride through some puddles. Maybe better left for drier summer riding.