Fancy road shoes - are they worth it?

They do last - I've got a pair of Spesh Pro Carbon from, 16-17 years ago. Other than the ratchet strap snapping this year (found replacements on ebay) they have been great. They are black, of course, as white will be wrecked after one wet ride.

MTB shoes - I use SPD's so don't get the wear. You do need to try some on though, especially if changing make/design.

Worth it for me, but not for longevity reasons. In fact the more you spend, the less long they will last as the materials will generally be thinner and lighter. That said road shoes do generally last for ages anyway though, unless you crash or go on crazy hikes in them

(An aside - it always amazes me how much some people can wear down the heels on carbon road shoes. What they hell are they doing in them, tap dancing?)

My Bontrager XXX shoes were $$$ but they do feel lovely on my feet. They're very wide, so no use for you though. They're about five years old now and look ratty, but are still functional.

They are black, of course, as white will be wrecked after one wet ride.

I hate black road shoes, don't know why - just preference. But you're right, that's why you need Belgian booties or lightweight overshoes.

road shoes do tend to last a lot longer than mtb shoes so any money you spend on them goes further but fit is probably more important than cost as you're usually in the saddle for longer, and don't move your feet about as much

fancy super stiff carbon soles and boa dials will make a difference, some soles can be too stiff and uncomfortable after a while if you're not a Tour Pro, whether it's worth it is up to you

for narrow fit Sidi are worth a look, they're proper Italian disco slippers and have a good reputation and heritage, as are Northwave

IME yes, but - the stiffer the shoe, the more critical the setup. Having gone down that route then discovered I'm a (very) casual roadie, if doing again I'd probably just use MTB SPDs and cheapish shoes 😃

I bought some nice Fizik road shoes last year half price.

They are lovely. I've always spent no more than £80 in the past, these were £140 half price.

They are very very light (243g), very stiff. The stiffness I think makes them more comfortable as there are no pressure points, and you can feel the difference in power transfer.

I bought my first pair of 3-bolt shoes in '19, namely the DHB Dorika Carbons, ~£70 in sale iirc.

Elimated "hotspot" issues I had on old Shimano shoes. Carbon sole seemed far more rigid and transferred more of my MAMIL power to the pedals (Time XPro 10s). Very light, ~480g for the pair.

The heel pad is now starting to wear badly at an angle. Wouldn't touch the latest version of these with a barge pole, loads of reviews talking of faulty bolt holes.

Mulling over https://www.merlincycles.com/sidi-alba-2-road-cycling-shoes-169890.html (which have replaceable heels) and https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-clothing/cycling-shoes/boardman-carbon-cycle-shoes-231534.html (with 2 other items for 20% off).

I don't think so. I have mid-range shoes, and fit is crucial. Once you have that then fancy features don't matter as much.

An aside – it always amazes me how much some people can wear down the heels on carbon road shoes. What they hell are they doing in them, tap dancing?

It doesn't take much. Parking in a bike shed at work and walking into the office is enough to trash the cleats and heels, for example. Or in my case, I dismount to get up the steps on the path near my house and I used to walk the remaining 20m to my garage, but even that trashed a set of cleats. Now I get back on my bike to do it. I keep my shoes in the garage and I change into normal shoes to go back in the house. Taking as few steps as possible in road shoes makes a big difference to their life.

If you’re going to go top dollar, buy Sidi if they fit you - top quality materials and can be assured you can get spares. I’ve known people to bin good shoes because the buckle broke after a few years. I have 20 year old Sidi shoes.

No, in my view. I have observed no correlation between cost and comfort or longevity. More expensive shoes tend to be stiffer but it's debatable whether this is desirable. I've actually gone back to a set of really cheap DHB shoes for longer audaxes, and find them as good as anything else I've tried.

I hope so, I was in my LBS yesterday trying on some fancy Lake CX241s. They're about 300g lighter per pair than my current Lakes (bottom of the range CX177 I think) and you could feel the weight difference just waggling your foot around in mid air.

Was wary of them being 'too' stiff though, perhaps I should buy them now and get used to them doing short spins on the rollers indoors. Wife has already refused to get me them for Christmas so why wait 😎

The two key features for me in road shoes are a stiff carbon sole and boa closure. I'd never buy a pair without either now. Even my winter boots are carbon soled 🙂

Once you've used a nice stiff pair of shoes, going back to a less stiff pair feels flexy and terrible.

The Boa closures I just find fast, quickly adjustable, and applies even pressure over the foot.

The Specialized shoes are pretty narrow. I haven't got particularly wide feet, but I found they crushed by feet in warm weather. I've had good experience with Northwave and Shimano.

What about these;
https://singletrackmag.com/classifieds/advert/sidi-genius-7-road-cycling-shoes-size-45/

Yup,my road bike shoes (Carbon soled MTB models) have lasted for ages.
As said,a good fit is the key.

I've had entry level carbon road shoes from DHB and Shimano, both well worth the money (£100-£140 IIRC). Noticeable increase in power and comfort.

The Shimano ones were significantly better, and have lasted me years.

Buckles in this century !!!

BOAs is what you want, I'm sure they just send out spares if they break.

Taking as few steps as possible in road shoes makes a big difference to their life.

Yep,most definitely,I just think they are fine if you want to look the part but from actual practicality your destroying them on your coffee stop.

I ride flat on road bikes thou, but I do like being able to walk places when it all goes pop.

Buckles in this century !!!

BOAs is what you want, I’m sure they just send out spares if they break.

I had some cheap Northwave ones that I got in a sale that I used for 3 years despite the fit not being perfect width wise.

Managed to grab some Fizik Tempo R5 ex display from eBay for £50 and they are so much more comfortable than the Northwaves were. Fine I didn’t pay full rrp for them but I’d say even at rrp they were definitely worth it IMO

Bought some S-Works ones for £180 which seemed absolutely mental but I've had them for a year and there is absolutely no wear to them at all. Will probably get 5-8 years out of them I'd imagine, makes them much more reasonably priced. At S-Works any better than the Torch, I've no idea, look nice though.

If you don't mind red and they have your size theres some cracking deals:
https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/specialized_sworks_7_road_shoes_black-rocket_red-ID_78681?opt=153614

I went to a specialist (RXM Custom) expecting to pay £100-250 for a new pair of do it all road/MTB shoes.

After measuring my feet and trying on I think 8 pairs, we found the right size/width/leather in a pair of Lakes. Should have been £250 but last years model so got a bit off.

Absolutely worth it, comfy, have lasted, no issues.

I think the next version up, which felt slightly better but cost twice as much, we're kangaroo leather. I didn't bother. Though maybe I'd have been better at jumps...

To be honest I don’t think there’s much in it.
I’ve got $$$ Bontrager XXX and also a nice pair of Rapha shoes. There’s no real performance or comfort gain in my opinion, I just think they look nice.

(When my lab was a puppy he chewed through one of my Bontrager XXX shoes before I’d even had a chance to wear them, he also had a good ole nibble on my oakleys!!)

Once you’ve used a nice stiff pair of shoes, going back to a less stiff pair feels flexy and terrible.

Not in my experience.

I think the next version up, which felt slightly better but cost twice as much, we’re kangaroo leather. I didn’t bother. Though maybe I’d have been better at jumps…

I have the Rapha Classic lace up ones, they are comfortable, have good power transfer and fit my feet well - they also come with arch inserts as standard so you can dial the fit even more.

Bonus feature is that the sole is rubberized so it will take a long time for them to wear out (if ever)

You will still destroy the cleats if you walk around too much in them, but if that bothers you get some cleat covers!

I've had Specialized Torch and SIDI Genius previously and the Rapha's are by far the best.

They are also on sale at the moment, the stone coloured ones are £112!

i bought some moderately posh shoes second hand (ebay) as I needed the silly cleat system for my mates road bike. They are nice and light and stiff. No idea if super-posh would be better, but I'd happily buy second hand again

Moving to carbon soled shoes (Torch 2.0) has been the most noticeable difference making upgrade in my road set-up (bar the move from a cheap Alu bike to a fancy carbon one). The sole stiffness really makes a difference.

My shoes are now 2+ years old and only signs of age are the slightly grubby white bits (they are white and black) but they clean up pretty well.

I've a pair of carbon Shimano road shoes and they are incredibly comfy and stiff. They're amazing when pedaling on the the bike but are proper crap at walking in, even just the short walk to the garage or around a cafe when you stop.

If you're not racing or are not vain (they do look good with full Lycra IMO) then a high end pair of mountain bike xc/cx/gravel shoes will be much better. Plus you can use them on your cc/CX/gravel bikes too.

Edit: my shoes are 7 years old and still look in good condition. The cleats do wear out pretty quickly but can be bought cheap enough.

Lace up carbon soled Fizik for me. Comfortable for 12h rides. I have two pairs. The white/black ones are still clean and super condition. The second electric blue pair were half price and run Speedplay cleats. I have narrow (D width) feet so the laces really help.

I've had Boa as well on another brand (Spiuk 16 carbon), but the internal nut holding a cleat bolt failed so they are now on the turbo as I can't remove the worn cleat. I prefer laces for fit, but Boa are convenient.

A clubmate raced (and won) Surrey League road races with a nice pair of carbon soled MTB shoes. I have had a pair and they don't make a huge difference and make walking much easier.

Walking is definitely the enemy! I did Paris Brest Paris in 2019 and made the mistake of using road shoes. At some of the checkpoints you had to walk a few hundred metres from the bike park to the food/dorm area. Completely killed a set of cleats. Would use mtb shoes if doing it again.

Have ordered a set of Torch 2.0 shoes - let's see how I get on with them. Hope the sizing is the same as the Specialized MTB shoes, as I've had multiple pairs of them, so know what fits me.

I only really use my Road shoes and SPD SL pedals during the summer now, winter road/commuter bike has M520s so I use my XC spd shoes on that. So yeah the reduced wear rate is really down to mostly seeing nicer weather conditions and very little walking only ever on flat, paved surfaces not mud/rocks/roots.

Is it worth spending more on a pair of Road shoes? Considering the extended life you're likely to get from them, and the benefits of more stiffness and the chunky cleat interface, yeah it probably is if your getting 2 or 3 times the life of an MTB shoe and a direct functional benefit... (IMO of course)

If you like the fit of Spesh, the Torch 3 is a good shoe. I have 2 pairs, one for indoor use on the Wattbike and one for outside. I found the next model up, the Torch 2, uncomfortable over the top of my foot at back of toe box so sold them.

I think you really want fancy MTB shoe that look like fancy road shoes, then you can do the little walking to grab the cake and coffee without demolishing them.

I think the cleat covers are just a bit of a farf too much.

I'm personally looking for some flats that look like high end roadies tbh 🙂

The best ones are those that fit. I had some torch 3's & found them hateful, couldn't ride for an our without numbness. Measured my feet & got some lake CX332. Did fred whitton with no issues.
They can be the best shoes in the world, but if the width or arch support is wrong then what's the point.

I got some Pearl Izumi recently. They were on a massive discount - something like £130 down to £30.
I got them as my road shoes are getting on for 8 years old or so & while they weren't that worn, they were quite cheap Shimano & I fancied a change.

The Pearl Izumi are nice, but not sure about the BOA dial. It's a full-length BOA & when you do it up, it gets really tight at the top while the lower part of the shoe does not tighten by the same amount. When you then move your feet for a minute or so, they loosen off as the tension evens out & they then need tightening again.
I've not had that before with velcro or ratchet closures.

But they look very sleek, are light, stiff & comfortable.

Lake 241s are very comfy especially on the uppers. The custom fit feel is thanks to double Boas and split uppers, but the suppleness of the uppers does lead them to scuff very easily

I wondered this having cycled around in £50ish priced shoes for a number of years. I paid out for some mid price (£200 ish) road shoes and nope they dont really make much difference. The only real difference is I've gone from three velcro to ratchet straps instead which does make it easier to tweak the fitment but I could have got that for less money. Yes they're lighter but you're not going to notice that difference. They're super stiff but again I'm not a competing cyclist so that won't make much difference to the mere mortal, kudos if you're super human.

I would say that with both I took my sidas custom insoles with me because I have a very high instep which needs a insole to prevent knee pain. Could be they may feel better/different if I was using both as standard.

I'd say yes, mostly for stiffer sole and improved power transfer - much the same as why a more expensive MTB shoe is better. I've got some Torch 3's and like them. Unfortunately they are now redundant as I replaced my road bike with a gravel bike and put MTB pedals on it. Come to think of it.... stealth ad! Size 42 and vgc if anyone is interested.

I've had all sorts over the years. The last set I bought were planet X full carbon ones. They are suprisingly good. As good or better than the better end of shimano's range I've owned.

In my experience, very fancy road shoes are worth it, but Torch 3s are not.

I have both Torch 3s and S-Works. The difference is very considerable. As a result, I wear the S-Works in almost all weathers, and the Torches only get worn for short rides in very shitty conditions.

The Torches aren't good enough for their price. They're neither particularly cheap, nor are they fantastic quality. They're not very light but the main issue for me is that the material of the uppers is quite thick, stiff and uncomfortable. The Boas are a lower grade, are very stiff and the dials aren't easy to grip. Even though i got them at a discount, i regret buying them.

The S-Works are an entirely different level of quality and comfort. Loads more expensive but worth it IMO.

Depends.

Buying ultra high end carbon disco slippers to do a bit of club riding and the odd chain gang/4th cat event or sportive isn't necessarily going to get you comfortable shoes. Though, admittedly, ultra high end shoes are a lot better than they used to be. But still, standing on a couple of ultra stiff planks for 4-5-6 hours isn't fun. Especially with crap roads.

I have always tended to the second or third stiffest sole in the range, and just enough features and adjustability to get comfy, that's stood me in good stead for a load of mid-level racing on the road and the odd race in Europe when funds and fitness allow. So sort of 120-150-170 quid range.

And as road riding is populated with both deeply deeply unfashionable people and at the same time the extremely fashionable, last years colours are incredibly cheap, because no one wants them.

I always wear last years colours, neon green and silver SIDIs rock... especially when they are 60% off.

My ex has iridescent snakeskin yellow road shoes. That were 75 quid (reduced from 200).

I never thought it would matter much, but s-works road shoes are a superb long lasting piece of kit

Up there with a gabba as must have road kit for me now

Just buy ones that do the job, comfortable and stiff enough. They should last longer than mtb shoes so it's easier to justify a bigger expense.

I bought Mavic road shoes about 10 years ago as they fitted really well, I think they were about £90 which was a lot of money for me at the time but they're still in great condition and there's no reason they won't last another 10 years.

You need a certain stiffness in the sole to get rid of hotspots but beyond that it's more about miniscule efficiencies which aren't that relevant for most of us. I've always bought very fancy road shoes (s-works, Bont Vapours, Sidi's etc.) but mostly because I'm a tart rather than being noticeably better (for my riding) than something half the price.

For me a boa-style dial is the only essential feature, I really don't understand the trend back to laces in some high end shoes. It's pretty common (especially in hot weather) you might want to adjust the tightness a bit whilst riding and in winter/rain when you have overshoes on being able to adjust them as you're riding is much less faff. If you had to compromise with fit when using a boa dial I could understand some might not want to do that for the sake of convenience of on-the-fly adjustments but the reality is boa dials done properly are every bit as good for fit as any other solution out there.

It’s pretty common (especially in hot weather) you might want to adjust the tightness a bit whilst riding and in winter/rain when you have overshoes on being able to adjust them as you’re riding is much less faff.

I do this most rides once my feet get up to temperature. The Northwave Boa copy has a nifty feature where one press on the top of the lever unlocks the dial by a single click.

Just coming back on this as I had the model of my Torch ones wrong. The 2 and 3 hurt my forefoot on the uppers, as others have noted. It’s the Torch 1’s that I have 2 pairs of and find very comfortable!

If I needed another pair now, I'd be looking at mid range - prices have shot up - I know my Spesh's were £150, but that was 17 or so years ago. I'd probably pay similar.

Fit is important with any shoe. I bought all my pairs from a shop, except the Shimano MW7 winter boots, as I already had a pair of 'summer' Shimano MTB shoes with the same sole - they were perfect.

If it's road shoes, I'd say spend as much money as you need to find good fitting adjustable shoes. I think because you sit and spin, they can be a focus of discomfort if you get it wrong, and being about to tension and de-tension them is a plus.

Don't need to be ultra stiff though, they can be just as uncomfy.

Not sure if the carbon sole is as extensive as some shoes, but these look good at the discounted price...
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-rc5-road-shoes-2021/

Or the RC7 will be stiffer, and come in standard or wide fit, so the std might be good for you OP.

A few sizes cheap here...
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Shimano/RC7-SPD-SL-Road-Shoes/

I'd go straight to Shimano if I needed new road shoes.

Being comfortable is more important than having a nice bike. I'd rather ride a vitus in full rapha than a colnago in planet X. The only exception is cheap saddles.

The same, by and large, extends to shoes. Except they have the potential to solve shitty knee problems.

Spend money on your contact points.

After years of sore feet I upgraded my Bont Riots to a pair of wide fit Lake CX332 shoes and G8 insoles. My feet still hurt. Maybe a little less. Not convinced they were worth it.

I’ve always found that sore feet and hot spots was more down to cleat position and swelling of the feet due to getting warm.
Back when I were a lad (only 2 or 3 years ago…) I’d be regularly doing 100 mile rides, and every now and then 200 mile rides.
I would use very expensive shoes and I’d still get hot spots. Boa’s helped as it was nice and easy to relax the shoe once my feet would swell due to the heat.
But it didn’t matter if I wore my uber expensive shoes (Bontrager XXX, Sidi Wire, Rapha, SWorks) or my cheaper shoes (Giro Techlace, a cheaper Bontrager I can’t remember the name)
For me, they all caused hot spots and discomfort on long rides until I sorted out my cleat position.
I still wear silly expensive shoes, but purely for aesthetic reasons.
The boa really helps me with being able to loosen the shoe, my feet do swell after a while.
The SWorks were probably the best shoe, but only for the very reason that they are stupidly light. I didn’t find them any more comfortable or longer lasting than any of my other shoes. I also didn’t like how they looked. The Bontrager XXX in white probably my favourite aesthetically. Current pair are a set of Rapha knit shoes, probably cost me about £230, so not overly expensive, but they’re no more comfortable than my cheap Bontrager I use when it’s wet. (I think Rapha shoes are made by Giro by could be wrong, pretty sure the original Rapha shoe was)

I’ve tried everything with my cleats. Bike Richmond on YouTube recommend getting them as far back as possible. I’ve tried shimano ultegra pedals vs speedplay to see if more float helps. I have had too wide and just right shoes, and even shoes that were a little narrow in the past. Nothing really worked. I’ve always assumed it was swelling and hot spots after an hour of riding. But it doesn’t seem to be. Wondering if I need better metatarsal support. It’s way less of a problem in cheap 5tens on flats on my MTB.

I've got some Sidi Ergo 2 carbon that must be over 10 years old. They look tired now but still going strong.

IMO go and get fitted for shoes, it’s made the biggest difference for me in terms of comfort and performance - I’ve had all sorts of shoes -Sidi, NW, Specialized, Shimano, Lake and the best I’ve got are the Lake - bloody expensive (for me) but they fit much better than others I’ve had.

i originally had spesh comp road shoes, very old now and i still use them on my indoor bike, they were and are great. however in a winter sale a few years back i saw a very good deal on some sworks road shoes, first ride out i went minutes faster up a long local hill without trying, so yes i would say better is better.

I prefer high end XC shoes for road. Shimano XC7, carbon sole, twin BOAs, and I can still walk to the café