22 of the best performance road cycling shoes – get faster with light, stiff shoes
Get yourself the right pair of cycling shoes and your riding immediately becomes both more comfortable and more efficient. While you can cycle in a pair of trainers, we’re going to assume for the sake of this article that you want to ride in dedicated cycling shoes. Cycling shoes are designed to be light and stiff for efficient pedalling, usually with mesh panels to keep your feet cool in the summer, and with a sole that’s designed to be compatible with clipless pedals.
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With stiff soles and a snug fit, performance cycling shoes are designed to help direct all your effort into the pedals
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Carbon fibre soles are common, and most manufacturers have some way of rating sole stiffness; these shoes are usually at or near the top of the scale
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Dials, usually from the idea’s inventor Boa, are now the dominant closure, but you’ll also find ratchet buckles, Velcro straps and laces
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Most shoemakers now use synthetic materials for their uppers; they’re tough, durable and easy to care for
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We’ve included a few pairs of shoes that take two-bolt SPD cleats for walkability; great for fast commuting and gravel riding
22 of the best performance cycling shoes for 2020
Practical clipless pedals first appeared in 1984, an idea borrowed from the world of skiing. A small metal or plastic cleat is attached to the sole of the foot with two, three or four bolts, and engages with a specific type of pedal. This allows for more efficient pedalling because your feet are held in the optimum position.
If you want to choose some cycling shoes, first you need to decide what type of riding you do, because shoes are available in a huge range of styles to suit different demands. They can largely be split into performance road shoes (stiff soles, external cleats) and leisure/commuting/touring shoes where comfort and practicality are important considerations. In this guide we’re focusing on performance road shoes, whether it’s for general road riding, racing or sportives.
These are your typically recognisable cycling shoes. They have a nylon, composite or carbon-fibre sole. Generally speaking, the more you spend, the stiffer and/or lighter the sole. These are designed to offer the maximum efficiency and power transfer, getting all your energy through the pedals into the transmission to propel you forward. Shoes at the top-end will be extremely stiff, while at the other end of the price spectrum shoes they will often have a higher degree of flex. You might actually find this more comfortable, especially if you’re just starting out or you’re not trying to emulate Sir Wiggo.
The soles typically have a three-bolt pattern to accept Shimano’s SPD-SL, Look or Time cleats, or a four-bolt drilling that’s compatible with Speedplay’s pedal system. You really don’t want to be walking too far in these shoes. The large external cleat, in combination with the stiff sole, makes even the shortest walk a hobble, and can be downright precarious on the wrong floor. You’ve been warned! The pedals are one-sided and they are usually designed with more weight at the back so they hang in such a way that clipping in is easy. Even so, sometimes you have to flip the pedal the right way in order to clip in.
Shoes have synthetic or leather uppers designed to be as light as possible, and often have many mesh panels to keep your feet ventilated in hot weather. Having hot, sweaty feet is very uncomfortable, especially on a hard ride. Some shoes have a lot more ventilation, which is fine in California, but with the typical British summer it’s perhaps worth looking for a shoe with less mesh panelling, depending on how hot your feet tend to get. That’s not so easy as most shoes aren’t really designed with the British summer in mind. For the winter, you can get Gore-Tex lined shoes to keep out the rain and cold.
Various closure systems are available: Velcro straps, a ratcheting buckle and dial-tightened wire systems are all popular. Some shoes use more than one system. Lace-up shoes have made a return at the top-end with Giro’s Empire shoes harking back to the olden days. Whatever the closure system, the shoe needs to stay in place on your feet; you don’t want your feet slipping about in the shoes when you’re pedalling. That leads to discomfort and power loss.
The last few years have seen the development of heat mouldable shoes from the likes of Lake, Shimano and Bont. You can heat up the shoes in an oven and sometimes mould the soles and sometimes the thermoplastic uppers. While not cheap, heat mouldable shoes are slowly becoming more affordable.
Features
The more you spend, the more you get, naturally. With shoes, the more you spend, the lighter the shoe is likely to be. The difference can be anything up to 350g or more between entry-level shoes and the most expensive.
Expensive road cycling shoes will use carbon-fibre soles to reduce the weight, which also impacts on the stiffness of the shoe, another factor that increases the more you spend. Stiffness is important for transferring your power to the pedals, and the stiffer the shoe the better it is at doing this. If you’re racing, you’ll want a stiffer shoe, but if you’re not into racing, then you might want to choose a shoe with a more flexible sole.
The system used to secure the shoe to the foot is another key difference between £80 and £200 shoes. The former will likely use a simple arrangement of Velcro straps, while the more you spend the more elaborate the closure is likely to be. From micro-ratcheting buckles to rotary dials to a combination of buckles, ratchets and Velcro, every shoe brand has their favoured approach.
Materials used for the upper get lighter, more breathable and more supple the more you spend. Kangaroo and other leathers tend to be expensive, while there are all kinds of synthetic alternatives. The upper can have a big impact on how comfortable your shoes feel.
Fit
Getting a comfortable shoe that fits well is absolutely essentially so it’s really worth heading to a well-stocked bicycle shop to try them on before you buy. Don’t assume that all brands are sized the same. Some are narrower and some come in wider fits.
Some brands, such as Shimano, cater for different foot widths with a ‘wide’ version of their regular shoes. There are brands that are known to suit narrower feet, an example being Sidi.
For this reason it’s really worth trying on a few shoes from different brands to find the ones that best fit you. When you do try on a pair of cycling shoes in the shop, remember to wear the same socks that you would on the bike.
Heat mouldable shoes, as the name implies are shaped by heat. You warm them up in an oven and then mould them around your fit. This offers a degree of custom fit without the expense of having shoes handmade, which is good for people who struggle to get regular shoes to fit comfortably.
If you’re put off by the prospect of clipless shoes, then clips-and-straps, which are still available, might be more suitable. You can even buy shoes, some retro inspired, designed for toe clips.
22 performance cycling shoes from £50 to £630
Now you know the options and differences between the shoes and pedal systems, you can make the right choice for you. To give an idea of the available high-performance road cycling shoes, here’s a broad selection from the road.cc review archive.
Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes — £311.00
The Suplest Edge+ Road Pros are among the stiffest-soled race shoes I have ever worn, and they are beautifully made out of some brilliant materials. They are a fair chunk of money, but if ultimate performance is your goal then give these a go.
The upper is made from a thin microfiber which is soft and supple and gets better the more you wear the shoes. After a few hundred miles these have started to develop little creases as they’ve moulded to my feet and have become much more comfortable.
The Boa system also gives you loads of adjustment and it’s easy to tweak on the fly. The only little niggle is that when you initially tighten the upper Boa wire it often gets caught on the edge of the upper, so you have to flick it up with your finger to stop it catching. It really is a ‘first world problem’ though.
The sole is full carbon fibre, as you’d expect at this price point. Unlike many brands Suplest doesn’t give a stiffness index rating; if it did I imagine it would be something like 200 out of 10 as these are unbelievably firm. Power transfer is phenomenal, and if you enjoy riding on the rivet, you’re never going to feel any flex no matter how much power you are putting out.
Read our review of the Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes
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Shimano RC5 SPD-SL Shoes — £112.00
Shimano’s RC5 SPD-SLs are light, very secure and efficient clipless shoes with striking looks and impressive construction. Large and effective vents keep them very cool, but they’re tricky to get on and off – and only truly comfortable once you’ve figured a knack for the basic closure system.
The synthetic leather/TPU upper is heavily perforated for strong airflow – the holes are big enough to clearly see the mesh – while the vent beneath the toes is large and very effective. Even when they’re mostly blocked with toe covers, cool air is noticeable under your toes. On hotter days (low 20s during this test) they stayed perfectly cool and comfortable no matter what, with a breeze that’s pleasantly noticeable both above and below your toes.
Shimano rates the carbon-reinforced Dynalast sole at 8 out of 12 for stiffness, and that feels accurate – it’s responsive and strong when you stand up and sprint, but not so rigid that there’s any issue with vibration or discomfort. Determined sprinters or serious racers might want a bit more stiffness, but for most riders it’s a great balance.
The Shimano RC5s are a bit of a faff to get on and tensioned correctly, but once done it’s absolutely worthwhile. They’re well made, good looking, very secure and comfortable for long, hot rides, while offering good stiffness for hard efforts. The mid-range price is a big bonus, and you’ve got to love that blue. (If you don’t, you’re wrong, but black and white are also available.)
Read our review of the Shimano RC5 SPD-SL Shoes
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Bontrager XXX Mountain Bike Shoes — £250.00
The Bontrager XXX Mountain Bike Shoes are incredibly comfortable and supportive, stiff enough for efficient pedalling – even on the road they don’t kill your feet on long rides – and their durable TPU upper means they should stay looking like new for ages.
The XXX Mountain Bike shoes share the same top half as their XXX Road Shoe siblings; this makes them impressively lightweight but not to the detriment of robustness or durability. After a month of soggy trails, they’re looking almost identical to when they came out of the box.
A lack of mesh sections means they’re less likely to stain, and the TPU upper is impressively resistant to scuffing and easily cleaned with a blast of the hosepipe or a quick wipe. The integrated ‘GnarGuard’ on the toes protects particularly vulnerable areas yet is flexible enough that you don’t notice it while riding.
Overall, the Bontrager XXX Mountain Bike shoes are impressively light yet comfortable with a racing pedigree. They’re not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but they compare favourably with some.
Read our review of the Bontrager XXX Mountain Bike Shoes
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Shimano RX8 SPD Shoes — £179.00
Following on from the release of its GRX groupset, Shimano has continued down the gravel route with these new RX8 SPD shoes. A stiff, lightweight yet rugged shoe perfect for performance riding away from the road, or on it for that matter – especially for those who like to be able to walk off the bike.
Now I know plenty of you will be thinking that this is a marketing department’s dream, but what Shimano has created with the RX8 is a shoe that really benefits your riding on the gravel, especially if your aims are at the racier end of the scale.
Unlike heavier mountain bike/trail shoes that many of us use, the RX8 is based on Shimano’s top end road race shoes, and that is exactly what they feel like when you put them on.
Overall, I’m a big fan of the RX8s. I love the fit, and the shape throughout the sole and upper is spot on. Their lack of weight is also really noticeable over many mountain bike shoes. If you take your gravel riding seriously, these are an excellent option. They’re comfortable, light and stiff like a road race shoe but with the ruggedness and durability for dealing with gravel trails
Read our review of the Shimano RX8 SPD Shoes
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Rapha Pro Team Shoes — £260.00
Rapha’s race-orientated Pro Team shoes come with woven uppers, a dual Boa dial closure system, and stiff carbon fibre soles, and they do a great job of mixing a high performance with plenty of comfort.
Rapha released a couple of new shoe models last year – the Classics and the Explores – but the Pro Teams are very different in that the uppers are made from Powerweave rather than microfibre, and feature a Boa dial closure rather than laces.
Read our review of the Rapha Pro Team Shoes
Time Osmos 15 — £199.00
The iconic French brand that made Greg LeMond’s shoes in the 1980s is back. The Time Osmos 15 has been meticulously designed with modern tech that makes it every bit as good as the flagship shoes from the latest big names that have taken advantage of its absence.
Time is owned Rossignol, who used used their own R&D facility at Montebelluna, Italy, regarded as the global capital of sports footwear, to design the new three-model range of Time shoes with the Osmos 15 as the flagship.
Without headline-grabbing features like laces, knitted uppers or crazy-light mesh, at a glance the Osmos 15s might seem a bit ordinary. However, we’ve been impressed with the way all the elements of its design combine to supply pro-level performance with hardly any comfort compromised.
Read our review of the Time Osmos 15 shoes
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Rapha Classic Shoes — £180.00
The Rapha Classic shoes are a superbly comfortable design with a novel lacing system, good sole stiffness and durability, and – shock, horror! – a not-outlandish price.
They’re comfortable, with a stiff and durable sole, though they’re not the lightest and the lace closure won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Compared to Rapha’s previous Grand Tour, Climber’s and Cross shoes, made in collaboration with Giro, these designed-in-house kicks use a last with a little more volume in the forefoot. My feet are a middling width and I found them to have plenty of room up front – certainly enough to wiggle my toes freely. If your feet are narrower, you can always cinch the sides in via the Velcro forefoot strap. I guess you might struggle if your feet are particularly wide, although the supple upper offers a bit of leeway.
Read our review of the Rapha Classic Shoes
Specialized S-Works 7 — £281.23
Specialized’s flagship S-Works 7 road shoe offers outstanding performance with superb comfort, fit, foot retention and power transfer. Yes, they are spendy – and if you opt for custom insoles (more on them below) rather than standard that adds another £110, but they’re about the same as other top-end shoes and are easily a match for the best shoes in this class.
If you’re interested in the lightest shoes Specialized makes, check out the S-Works Exos and Exos 99. Unless you’re a weight weenie, for all-round performance, outright stiffness demands and durability, the S-Works 7 is the shoe to plump for.
You don’t need us to tell you just how important fit is to cycling happiness and performance, whether it’s the bike or shoes. You can have the spangliest shoes but if the fit is wrong, you’re not going to extract your best performance and you risk injury. Specialized has always focused on fit and its Body Geometry tech, developed over a decade ago, has seen its shoes become incredibly popular even with brand conscious types.
Read our review of the Specialized S-Works 7 shoes
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Giro Trans Boa — £143.99
Giro’s Trans Boa shoes update the excellent Velcro-secured original design to create stiff, comfortable and thoroughly modern shoes. They’ll please everyone from keen amateurs to sportive riders and occasional racers with their stiff carbon soles and easily tweaked comfort, though they’re not the lightest available.
These Trans are broadly similar to the version that scored an impressive 4.5 stars back in 2016, meaning an Easton EC70 carbon sole, a very breathable microfibre and mesh upper, and an attractive mix of matt and gloss panels. Two of the three Velcro straps are now gone, replaced by a quick-release Boa L6 dial that tightens in 1mm increments.
Read our review of the Giro Trans Boa shoes
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Le Col Pro Carbon — £250.00
Le Col’s Pro Carbon Road Shoes are the company’s first attempt at bringing a pair of race shoes to its lineup and if these are anything to go by then it should keep going: they’re impressively stiff with a great shape and a soft, supple upper. The only potential drawback is that they are currently only available in whole sizes 41 to 45.
Yanto Barker, ex-pro and the man behind clothing brand Le Col, says on the website, ‘Your shoes are not only the principle point of contact with your bike, but some of the most personal items in a cyclist’s kit. Stylish, well made shoes have been something I’ve always sought after, and knowing what’s needed, I decided we would make our own.’
For some riders, function over form is the way to go but on a warm sunny day when you’ve got your best bike out and your favourite kit on, watching a pair of bling cycling shoes turning the pedals over is a thing of beauty.
These Pro Carbon models offer exactly that.
Read our review of the Le Col Pro Carbon shoes
Fizik Infinito R1 Knit — £287.99 – £305.99
Supremely comfortable and cool, if you know that you’ll be in the market for a lightweight and stiff summer shoe in 2019 then Fizik’s Infinito R1 Knit should be right in the mix, despite the hefty price tag.
We’ve seen a few knit-based cycling shoes hit the market in the last couple of years, and we’ve rated a couple highly: the mid-priced Giro Empire E70s and the ultra-premium Scott Road RC Ultimate shoes. Both scored highly in the breathability stakes, while also proving that the far more mouldable nature of a fabric upper section can really improve comfort in pretty much any situation you have in mind. Apart from wet and cold weather, obviously.
That’s the downside the Fizik Infinito R1s also share – these shoes are certainly not for winter – but in any other situation they’re an absolute dream to wear.
Read our review of the Fizik Infinito R1 Knit shoes
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Shimano RC7 (701) — £132.99 – £163.00
Shimano’s highly impressive race-orientated RC7 shoes have had a significant redesign for 2019, gaining dials and losing Velcro completely. They’re still a very comfortable, secure and well-vented option (with a great fit), but while the carbon soles are stiff and vibe-free, they could be stiffer still without sacrificing comfort.
The new RC7s – technically RC701s – are easily distinguished by their twin dials. The mid-foot one allows you to tune security very precisely, creating a fit that’s both firm and unconstricted in seconds. I never missed the ability to cinch the toebox with a Velcro strap, which the older style had, and I appreciated the extra room it leaves around my toes for thick socks.
Read our review of the Shimano RC7 (701) shoes
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Liv Macha Pro Carbon — £233.75
The Liv Macha Pro Carbon shoes are a top-end design for those who are serious about performance on the bike (or have the money simply to enjoy riding in a quality shoe). They have super-stiff soles and effective Boa closures, are lightweight and fit exceptionally well around the arch area. The price is high, but so is the performance.
Like most female-specific shoes, the Macha Pros have been designed around a female last. Women’s feet tend to be narrower at the ankle and lower volume. Female-specific shoes take this into account, and the biggest manufacturers are accessing huge databases to ensure they are designing products that not only fit exceptionally well, but also aid performance. Liv is one of these, and the Macha Pros are evidence that it’s getting it right.
There’s a men’s version, the Giant Surge Pro (£220). We’ve reviewed those too.
Read our review of the Liv Macha Pro Carbon shoes
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Shimano XC7 — £125.00
Not long ago we tested the Shimano RC7 road shoes and found them to be excellent (see below). Turns out that the XC7 mountain bike shoes are excellent too. They’re roadie-looking enough for the tarmac with enough versatility for the dirt too; cyclo-cross, gravel riding and mountain biking are all within their remit. As such, they’re almost one pair of shoes to rule them all. You can pretty much do anything with these.
At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking the XC7s are road shoes: with Boa closures and an unfussy, shiny upper they have a pretty racy look. Unlike the RC7s, which have a very stiff full-carbon sole, the XC7s have a carbon-reinforced midsole that’s a bit more forgiving. That means if you’re off the bike jumping the hurdles in a cyclo-cross race or pushing up an off-road climb that’s defeated you, there’s enough flex to make walking feel pretty normal.
There’s a full Michelin rubber outsole, too, to aid off-bike grip, and you can fit two studs at the front for extra grip. The SPD cleat is recessed enough into the sole that you get plenty of purchase from the rubber on cafe floors, although the XC7s are still a bit click-clacky.
Read our review of the Shimano XC7 shoes
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Lake CX301 — £175.00 – £250.00
Comfortable, light, airy and lairy – the impressive CX301s from Lake are great performers as long as the temperature is up and the sun is out.
Straight out of the box I was impressed. They stunned first with the luminous yellow glow, and then by just how remarkably light each shoe was minus cleats, bolts and insoles. Tipping the scales – barely – at 402g for the pair, that’s an impressive figure. As a lightweight warm-weather shoe for days out in the hills or when pinning on a race number, they are a winner.
Read our review of the Lake CX301 shoes
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Van Rysel 500 Road Cycling Shoes — £49.99
The Van Rysel 500 road cycling shoes are designed for regular road riding and entry level racers. They hit the mark nicely when long, steady miles or competitive stuff’s involved.
As the price would suggest, the materials are tried and tested, rather than particularly exotic but they’re made in Italy to a decent standard and come complete with the brand’s two year warranty. The rigid outer sole is reinforced with fibreglass and has fittings for two-bolt Shimano SPD-style cleats and three-bolt Look Delta, Keo and Shimano SPD-SL cleats.
Read our review of the Van Rysel 500 shoes
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Fizik R5B Donna Women’s — £102.89 – £131.63
Great value for money for stunning-looking, well-featured and genuinely comfortable women’s performance shoes.
The R5B BOA Donnas are some of the most instantly desirable cycling shoes we’ve had the good fortune to slip our feet into. First off, they mark a departure from the usual solid black or white/silver colour schemes, being a slatey grey with hot pink accents that some will doubtless hate and others love.
They also have a raft of performance features to keep even the most demanding rider satisfied. The BOA system and single Velcro strap are designed to optimize both comfort and performance, while the overall lightness of the shoe and stiffness of the carbon reinforced nylon outsole also contribute to enhanced power transfer.
The men’s R5B Uomo shoes are also excellent, as are the slightly more expensive women’s R4B shoes.
Read our review of the Fizik R5B Donna Women’s shoes
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Shimano RP9 — £69.00
Shimano’s RP9 shoes are a really excellent race and performance shoe that brings much of the quality and fit of the pro-level 300-series shoes down to a much more affordable level. It’s less of a trickle down, more of a flood. They’re great.
The RP9s use a very similar carbon fibre sole to the top-end shoes, with Shimano rating its stiffness as 11/12 on their own scale. Certainly it’s plenty stiff enough for racing, but it’s not uncomfortable for it. That’s got a lot to do with the insole, which is excellent, and also features an adjustable instep section with two different heights to tailor your support. The sole is drilled for a 3-bolt cleat only, and there’s plenty of fore-aft adjustment available. There’s a vent at the front and decent rubber bumpers that do a good job of keeping the sole free of scratches.
The old RP9 with a buckle closure is only available in limited sizes at this price. The new version with a dial is £129.00.
Read our review of the Shimano RP9 shoes
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Giro Empire SLX — £219.00 – £254.99
Impressive comfort, low weight and stunning looks — as close to a pair of slippers as you can get in cycling shoes. At just 408g for a size 45 pair, the Giro Empire SLX are among the very lightest shoes available. This low weight is backed up by incredible comfort from the lace-up uppers and a super stiff carbon fibre sole that doesn’t waste any of your power when sprinting for the line.
Read our review of the Giro Empire SLX shoes
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Scott Road RC Ultimate – £359.99
These high-end shoes from Scott certainly aren’t cheap, but worth stretching to if you want a very light and comfortable set of kicks for racing and riding in the mountains. Scott have combined Carbitex, a structural carbon fabric, with a textile mesh for superior comfort and breathability in the upper while allowing you to transfer all your energy to the pedals. The sole has Scott’s maximum stiffness rating of 10, and blended with their most exotic materials on the upper, this is a top all-day shoe option for serious cyclists.
Read our review of the Scott RC Ultimate
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Giro Factor Techlace — £169.00 – £259.00
The Giro Factor Techlace shoes are lightweight and comfortable, and the novel closure system – a hybrid lace and Velcro strap, plus a Boa dial – makes it easy to adjust the fit on the fly.
Read our review of the Giro Factor Techlace
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Bont Vaypor S — £229.27 – £276.24
Bont’s Vaypor S shoes are super-stiff yet they provide an excellent level of comfort… but you do have to stump up a whopping great wad of cash if you want to enjoy them!
The soles are handmade from unidirectional Toray carbon fibre and they just don’t flex. There are quite a lot of stiff-soled shoes out there these days if you’re prepared to pay top-end prices, but the Vaypor S takes things to another level. For what it’s worth, Bont claims that the sole boasts the highest strength to weight ratio of any cycling shoe currently available. I don’t know if that’s true, but I can detect absolutely no flex at all.
Read our review of the Bont Vaypor S
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Mavic Comete Ultimate — £630.00
No round up of go-faster shoes is complete without Mavic’s staggeringly expensive Comete Ultimates. Almost everything about the Comete Ultimates is outside the shoe-box, from the ultra-stiff carbon fibre sole and shell, to the two-part construction to the low ankle that makes for an easier, more fluid pedalling action.
Tester Dave Arthur was impressed: “They’re incredibly stiff, stiffer than any other shoe I can recall testing in recent years. Press down on the pedals and there’s no hint of flex from the one-piece carbon shell, and that translates into a phenomenal feeling of speed and acceleration. You feel like you have any extra 80 watts at your disposal.
“Ankle movement is the other big factor and a key differentiator to almost all other high-end shoes. Ankle movement is unhindered compared with other shoes. Because of the low cut ankle of the carbon shell and the flexible tongue of the bootie, my pedalling stroke – which does have a reasonable degree of ankling – felt freer and less restricted than with other high-end shoes that wrap higher and closer to the ankle. This freedom of ankle movement is the biggest takeaway for me of the Mavic shoes and goes some way to supporting Mavic’s claims for ’rounder’ pedalling.”
That enormous price tag is the big issue, though. You can get two or three pairs of most manufacturer’s top-line off-the-peg shoes. Heck, you can get a pretty decent bike for that. But if you must have the latest and greatest, and the fit and shape suits your feet, then the Comete Ultimates are the shoes for you.
Read our review of the Mavic Comete Ultimate shoes
Want even more choices? Explore the complete archive of reviews of cycling shoes on road.cc
