Crossover Culture Menace Performance Review

 The Crossover Culture Menace. One of the year’s biggest sleepers now receives a performance review.

Colorway: “Snow Patrol” White/Black

Release Date: May 2021

Style Code: G-DRFL-8-110

Price: $115

Traction

First things first, allow me to correct myself on a previous statement. The outsole of the Menace and Mayhem both combine a true solid rubber layer with translucent rubber via a special bonding process — the solid color outsole is not simply colored or painted on.

This bonding of solid rubber in the forefoot was specifically done to maximize grip where it is needed most for low-to-ground style of play and I must say, it works well for it’s intended purpose.

The Wavybone pattern provides all of the coverage and pliability needed to navigate around both ends of the floor and the solid rubber forefoot has been extremely resilient against dusty settings in my experience. This is one of those outsoles that visually looks like it can go either way, but performed stellar throughout testing.

Cushion

Twitchfoam, a new proprietary blend from Crossover Culture, is a responsive foam that runs full length in the Menace, Mayhem, and Kyrie 8. While the Drift’s Twitchfoam is tweaked more for impact absorption, the Mayhem and Menace for this performance review build upon the responsiveness of the foam by putting you closer to the ground.

Also made from Twitchfoam is the insole, which is lightweight and quickly molds to the foot. That combined with the midsole makes the step-in comfort next-level and also provides a fun experience on-court.

the step-in comfort next-level and also provides a fun experience on-court.

If I could compare the Menace cushion setup to another brand shoe, I would say it feels like a bouncier version of the Air max 2021, which is a shoe I loved. If you are looking for more outdoor play or extended indoor sessions, then I would recommend the Crossover Culture Drift which uses the same foam but is better for taking impact.

Materials

I commend Crossover Culture for blending modern and classic materials via layering across the upper. Ripstop and leather team up for a supportive and durable package that I hardly have any critiques for.

If I have to reach for a critique, I would say the Mayhem and its sock-like inner bootie construction is more comfortable around the foot compared to the Menace. However, for performance purposes I would take the Menace and its traditional construction as my top choice.

Fit

I prefer the fit of a half-size down from my true size in the Menace and all other Crossover Culture 2021 releases for performance. I’d like to think wide footers will be fine going for their true size, however if you have a store near you that stocks these then do try them on first.

Overall fit was adequate for me. The thick cuts of leather for the mudguard on the Menace creates a little volume in the toe box (hence why I opted for a half-size down), but for the rest of the shoe it is nice to have a little more customizable fit with the traditional build.

Support

The Menace never failed me as far as support goes. The dual-TPU shanks and abundance of court feel aid to torsional and lateral stability. Materials and optimal fit also enhance the support the shoe brings.

I would be more comfortable with a little stronger of a heel cup, but the internal counter of the Menace is an improvement over the Mayhem in my opinion, also making it my preferred sneaker of the two for performance purposes.

Overall

Crossover Culture continues its line of high value performance basketball sneakers at reasonable prices with the Menace silhouette. I’d recommend this shoe to the quicker, grounded players looking to give something new a try.

It’s rare in a basketball shoe that you find good grip, nice cushion, and thoughtfulness put into materials for under $120, so if you value all three in a sneaker then it may be time to look outside of the norm from other brands.