Austin Startup Anamoly Bridges the Gap Between Trail Tech and Pickleba

By Anamoly Press Team • April 27, 2026

💡 Technical Review & Accuracy Check by Christopher Armstrong, Founder & Head of R&D

Our team researches and writes the gear guides you love, but every scientific claim and compound specification is personally vetted by our lead engineer to ensure absolute accuracy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUSTIN, TX – Anamoly Labs, an Austin-based performance lab, is proud to introduce the Lateral Control Pro—a footwear innovation born from a decade of experience in the mountain bike industry.

Founded by local riders and players who fell in love with the Austin pickleball scene, the company realized that while tennis shoes are great for the baseline, the quick, explosive "kitchen" rallies of pickleball required a different kind of grip.

"We aren't here to reinvent the sport; we're here to support the community that makes it so much fun," says Chris Armstrong, Founder. "In mountain biking, traction isn't just a feature—it’s a survival requirement. We realized we could take the same technology we use to keep riders pinned to their pedals on technical trails and bridge it over to the court."

The Lateral Control Pro is a shoe designed specifically for the unique lateral demands of pickleball. It features our custom-engineered Hero Rubber™ (MTB-G compound) Outsole—a high-friction rubber compound designed for stops, not slides. By adapting this trail-proven compound for the court, Anamoly aims to solve the "Legacy Slide" common in traditional tennis shoes, giving players a data-driven performance edge during fast-paced dink battles.

"We're just a small team of geeks who love the physics of the game," adds Chris Armstrong. "We didn't build this to be elite; we built it to be effective. Our Hero Rubber™ has already proven itself on the most demanding trails, and we’re excited to show our neighbors at the local hubs what that kind of grip can do on a pickleball court."

The Disruptor will be available for community "Traction Audits" and purchase starting May 4th at anamolylabs.com.

Anamoly Founder, Chris Armstrong.

"We aren't here to reinvent the sport; we're here to support the community that makes it so much fun. In mountain biking, traction isn't just a feature—it’s a survival requirement. We realized we could take the same technology we use to keep riders pinned to their pedals on technical trails and bridge it over to the court."

~Chris Armstrong, Founder

The Lateral Control Pro's trusted Trail Tech, originally proven in mountain biking—a sport that involves ankle-stressing maneuvers and critical traction—was specifically developed to handle the lateral demands of pickleball and the "lateral shuffle" at the Kitchen Line, where 62% of injuries occur.

Built around a Lateral Traction System (LTS) with an integrated Stability Chassis, the Lateral Control Pro includes Lateral Stability Outriggers (LSOs)—extended stability wings—that provide Absolute Stability and reduce ankle rolls during rapid, short side-to-side movements.

"We're just a small team of geeks who love the physics of the game. We didn't build this to be elite; we built it to be effective. Our Hero Rubber™ has already proven itself on the most demanding trails, and we’re excited to show our neighbors at the local hubs what that kind of grip can do on a pickleball court."

~Chris Armstrong, Founder

The Ninja Pickle colorway of the Lateral Control Pro features elastic speed laces that adapt to and flex with the foot.

The Lateral Control Pro features a TOE‑TALON™ Wrap, adapted from molded mountain bike shoe toe caps, designed to withstand direct impacts from rocks. It combines a dual-layer TPU overlay with a high‑abrasion PU upper and a high‑density polyethylene (HDPE) “Super‑tuff” rigid underlayer that provides impact resistance comparable to steel toes.

Each Lateral Control Pro shoe model features a custom-engineered Hero Rubber™ (MTB-G compound) Outsole—a high-friction rubber compound designed for stops, not slides.

About the Author

The Anamoly Press Team combines expertise in athletic footwear engineering, materials science, and trail sports performance. Every gear guide is reviewed by Christopher Armstrong, Founder and Head of R&D at Anamoly Labs, whose 15-plus years in protective gear and footwear development ensure technical accuracy in every article.

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As a shoe for MTBing, they disappeared, they are confidence inspiring and comfortable on the trail. I cannot compare rubber with other bike shoes, because I can't find one that fit!, 510's and Crankbothers just don't fit me, and I don't even have that wide a foot.

As shoe for off the bike though... incredibly stiff upper, the fit around the ankle is not terribly forgiving. I really won't wear these unless I am biking and only biking.

As a bike accessory 5 stars, as a shoe it leaves a bit to be desired. They fit my needs on the trail, but I effectively treat them like any clipless shoe mentally, and put them on when I get to the trail, take them off immediately after the ride.

Getting ready to start up with pickleball

My wife and I are getting ready to start up with pickleball. I'm a tennis player from my high school days. Picked up a set of Anamoly pickleball shoes. Been wearing them to break in (which they are doing nicely). These feel very stable with good grip side to side. I'm a toe dragger when I play tennis and will probably do the same with pickleball. These have plenty of material for dragging my toes while playing. Have the elastic laces on my pair and am enjoying them. I'm looking forward to learning pickleball, at least I have the shoes figured out.

Sturdy, comfy, protected!

I love how they are sturdy and my feet feel protected. Since they are waterproof my feet stay dry when it’s rainy or muddy, and I don’t slip off my flat pedals. They are are also
Comfortable to walk around in and I feel secure ( unlike other bike shoes)

Excellent shirt very good quality and

Excellent shirt very good quality and fit

I have clown shaped feet. Finding mountain bike shoes, both clipless and flats, have been hard to find. I recently went from clipless to flats because of balance/health issues. I came across somebodies post about Anamoly's 2.0 shoes. They are located a couple hours from me so I thought I'd give them a shot.

Boy, am I glad I did. I have switched over to barefoot style shoes over the past 2 years and they are the only thing I wear now. The new Pin-Locks are a huge suprise in how well they fit. I understand that they heat stretch the toe box before sending them out. The shape of the toebox is about 3/4 of the way there on being a barefoot shape. I have found that I can wear these shoes for hours without any foot pain. They are stiff where they need to be, grippy sole on flats. I'm getting ready to order a second set.

Absolutely worst service I've experienced. Shoes were not wide as advertised & could not get a hold of anyone on any email or platform. I had to file a charge dispute to get a refund. Do not do business with this company.

Hi Chris—Chris here, founder of Anamoly. I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I want to address this directly.

We take customer service seriously, and I'm sorry your concern didn't reach us through an official channel in time. As a founder-led brand, I was heads-down building Anamoly while managing a full-time job, and a message sent to a secondary social account slipped through the cracks—that's on me, and I own it. Had we received an official return request, we would have handled it gladly and promptly, as we do for all our customers.

That said, we've grown since then and our support process is tighter. We stand fully behind the quality of our products and always will.

On that note—if you ever want to give us another shot, I'd love to personally invite you to try our new 2026 Wide Fit model. Built directly in response to customer feedback requesting a wider fit, it's a 2E/EE width (Brannock standard), custom heat-stretched here at our Texas shop, adding 15–20mm of extra toe box width over the original 1.0 design—a real, measurable difference that's made a significant impact on fit. Reach out to us at support@anamolylabs.com and I'll make sure you're taken care of.

Great product and great service/support!
Thank you, Chris!

Best investment in biking shies by far.

What great shoes, everything they are advertised as and more, wide and roomy toe box is the reason for buying but the grip is perfect (no doubt equal to five ten). I would say the sole is stiffer than I would have liked, but that is the only gripe but irrelevant compared to the pluses.
They are well made and comfortable time will tell durability and waterproofing is almost irrelevant as the is a large hole in the top when your foot goes that lets a lot of water in!
Also great help/guidance when contacting by email.

Austin Startup Anamoly Bridges the Gap Between Trail Tech and Pickleball Performance

~Chris Armstrong, Founder

~Chris Armstrong, Founder

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