The Deemax Pros are Mavic’s enduro and downhill racing shoes, and offer great protection. There’s padding on the inside of the ankle to deflect bashes from crank arms and chainrings, the heel is sturdily reinforced and the sole extends at the front to protect your toes. The laces allow you to get a snug and even fit, and the wide Velcro strap does a great job of keeping your heel seated.
As noted on the Mavic website, the shoes size up small. My test pair were snug but comfortable at half a UK size larger than I’d normally wear.
The sole is compliant enough that you can feel the supportive platform of wider clipless pedals
I tested the shoes with Crankbrothers and Shimano cleats, both of which required the use of a 1mm spacer to get them close enough to the pedal. The long cleat slots allow you to set the cleats back behind the ball of your foot (a shade further than on equivalent Giro or Shimano footwear).
I found the shoes worked well with a range of pedals. The sole is compliant enough that you can feel the supportive platform of wider clipless pedals, without being too flexible.
My only criticism is that the depth of the tread means the outsole doesn’t engage with all of the pins on some pedals, where a flatter sole would. It comes into its own off the bike though.