By Michael Raynor
I was able to get my hands on a pair of Specialized S-Works Road Shoes at the end of June. Having put three and a half months of hard training and racing and another month and a half of offseason tooling around and coffee rides on them, I feel I’ve been able to put them through their paces.
Over my years of racing, I’ve worn a number of high-end cycling shoes, having finally settled on Bontrager RXXL shoes for the last few years; I loved how light these shoes were and they fit me like a glove. Once my last pair gave up the ghost, I decided to give the Specialized S-Works Road Shoes a try. This decision was the result of a number of factors and a lot of consideration – I spent an embarrassing amount of time researching and looking at cycling shoes online. One of the biggest factors outside of the shoe itself that drove me to this shoe was Specialized’s next-level customer service, which is evident in the fact that they are quick to respond to contact and issues. They know that they turn out some of the best products on the market, so should someone experience defects or issues, they want to get them resolved. Now for the shoe.
Pros:
A number of factors drew me to the shoe. The Boa lacing system has always seemed like a great idea to me, and offers incredible adjustability and comfort by allowing for micro-adjustments. The Boa system is a small wheel that is turned to tighten a small cable that takes the place of bulky ratcheting buckles and velcro straps. Specialized has increased the adjustability of the S-Works road shoe by adding an additional Boa system to each shoe as opposed to older iterations of the shoe that had only one Boa. This allows for fine-tuned tensioning of the shoe over the middle and upper parts of the shoe (with the toe still having a velcro strap).
The flashy, dual-color graphics that highlight the asymmetric construction of the shoe are a nice touch that make the shoe easily identifiable while maintaining a classic look. Not to mention the incredibly light weight of the shoe (tipping the scales at a claimed 400g for a pair in size 42; my size 43.5 with Look cleats weigh only 530g for the pair).
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Once I got the shoes and was able to try them on, I fell in love. They fit like a glove and are extremely stiff when riding, but not uncomfortably so. A great feature of these shoes is the ability to replace the Boa system should it break or wear out. Specialized also thought ahead and gave these shoes replaceable heel pads to increase the life of the shoe if you walk in them a lot. In addition, they breathe incredibly well. These shoes are comfortable, light, and good looking, but there are still some issues.
Cons:
I love the way these shoes fit and the insoles are really nice – they’re the same as the insoles in my old shoes. However, the insoles felt just a bit off on my first few rides – they weren’t broken in. I didn’t want to deal with breaking them in during the season, so I took the insoles out of my old shoes and they now fit like a dream. While this isn’t a major issue and it is easily overcome, I was perplexed as to why the shoe felt off. The uppers are incredibly thin (in an attempt to lighten the shoe). This raises concerns over durability. I haven’t had any issues to date, but I have concerns over the front of the toes where a number of scratches and cuts were already presenting after just a couple of weeks.
Overall, these shoes are fantastic. The price is pretty steep, but Specialized delivers with a stiff, comfortable, incredibly light shoe. Over the course of the last five months, I’ve found my new favorite shoes.
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Michael Raynor is a mechanic at Inside-Out Sports and Category 2 cyclist who has been racing for five years. His hobbies outside of bike racing include running, drinking obscene amounts of coffee, cooking, eating his body weight in carbohydrates, and sleeping.
