Award Winning Global Tri-Sport Shop
The only shoes on test with a full carbon sole, at under £90 they seem excellent value. Supple synthetic leather uppers and a well-shaped tongue, fastened by a ratchet system and two Velcro straps, plus an externally reinforced heel make for a very secure fit. the shoe isn't the widest and the carbon sole chipped before we got on the bike, but first impressions are of an ultra-stiff sole with excellent power delivery...
A bargain basement highly specced dhb offering favouring slimmer feet.
A real carbon sole for £85? The pose factor alone will sell lots of pairs, but that's missing the point. Weighing in at 351g each, this is a true race shoe. The carbon sole is exceptionally stiff, enabling fantastic power transfer, and the ratchet holds your foot tight. There's also a clever half step release in case you overdo it. The fit is firm and narrow, except for the slightly taller toe box.The RCs are compatible with three-bolt systems (Look, Time, SPD-SL and Speedplay), and the vented sole also features a cleat grip, surface, heel and toe grips. Another dhb hit.
Great value race shoe for the serious riding.
Said of the 2008 dhb R1, all that's changed for 09 is that dhb have added a leather toe cap to improve the looks!Considering the price the R1 road shoes have a surprising feel of quality to them and a performance to match. The vented resin sole will accept a three-bolt cleat (like Look, Shimano and Time) but also a two-bolt pattern for Shimano SPD And SPD-R cleats. There's a good degree of stiffness to the sole which is married to a hard-wearing upper. The high toe box comes with extra protection and there's a double tongue to pad the food from the three Velcro straps. They are also available in black.
Excellent value for money and performance for the sports rider
When we last tested the R1, the shoe scored very highly for its 'excellent value for money and performance'. The only thing that has changed for 2009 is that the plastic toe cap has gone, replaced by a better looking leather one.There's good meshed venting panels in the synthetic 'leather' and Cordura uppers, and also in the fairly stiff 'I-beam' profiled nylon sole. The high-profiled heel and toe bumpers will save any cafe stop embarrassment too.The double tongue is a nice feature - one outside the shoe to keep the weather out and spread the force of the three Velcro straps across the top of your foot, and an elasticated one inside with a loop attached to the base for making the shoe very easy to pull on.The vented resin sole will accept a three-bolt cleat (like Look, Shimano and Time) but also a two-bolt pattern for Shimano SPD And SPD-R cleats. There's a good degree of stiffness to the sole which is married to a hard-wearing upper.Considering the price, the R1 road shoes have a surprising feel of quality to them and a performance to match. They also come in black and silver - which we'd prefer to the slightly pallid red here.
Comfort and performance combined at an excellent price
RCUK said of the 2008 dhb R1RCUK is continually impressed with online retailer wiggle's dhb products, and it's not just the low prices that are attractive, but also the high quality and equally high performance that are hard to avoid . The R1 road shoe, released earlier this year, aims to expand dhb's presence into footwear, and while it's undoubtedly an entry-level product, there's a lot to recommend. A stiffened nylon midsole is stiff for good power transfer, and an anatomical designed heel cup ensures a comfortable fit. Three velcro straps keep the shoes in place and the cordura and synthetic leather upper works well in a range of temperature conditions, offering good ventilation in warmer weather. The reinforced toe-cup ensures durability. Underneath it's pleasing to see that the R1 shoes have drillings for most common cleats, including Look, SPD and SPD-R. Available in eight sizes (40-47) and two colour options.
They may not sing and dance like the top-end carbon ratchet shoes, but they provide a surprisingly good platform for pedalling, are comfortable and the Velcro straps keep the weight down and are easy to adjust. And all at less than £50, they are a steal.
£240 is a lot of cash, but you'll be hard pressed to find many Sidi wearers who complain about the price, and past experience suggests they'll last ages.The Laser has many neat features, including a forget-you're-wearing-them slipper-like fit, main strap that's fully adjustable on both sides and easy to adjust on the move, and polymer teeth in the Velcro straps for extra security.It also has a non-slip, supportive heel cup, good-sized heel pad to aid walking; a thin but stiff carbon sole with just a tiny amount of give at the toes for long ride comfort, and a breathable, supple upper. All the consumable parts are replaceable.
So good, but so expensive. But if you're worth it, they're worth it
Lake's CX401 race shoes are expensive, there's no two ways about that, but they might just be the most comfortable you ever buy thanks to their custom fit.
When we say 'custom fit', we're not talking about moulding the insole or even heating the upper with a hair dryer, as you can with shoes from some other manufacturers. No, it's the carbon fibre sole that's shaped to your foot ?" or, more precisely, the section of the sole that wraps around the sides of the shoe to form the heelbox.They can adjust things considerably so that the shoe holds your foot securely and, if necessary, the process can be repeated as many times as you like.The uppers are made mostly from kangaroo leather which Lake reckon is the lightest, strongest and most durable leather out there. It might be ?" who knows? It certainly scores highly on all those counts. It's extremely soft and supple too, and is lined with an Outlast fabric that helps shift sweat and keep your feet comfortable. There's a fair bit of mesh on the toebox to let air in and several vents in the sole too.Closure is handled by a Boa system over the padded tongue. You know all about Boa? Several manufacturers, including Specialized and Scott, use Boa laces on their high-end shoes, and Lake use them on a lot of their models. Essentially, it comprises a mega-strong line that's tightened by a dial-driven ratchet.What are the advantages? It's light, it tightens evenly all the way up your foot, and it's easy to adjust on the fly. We're big fans. The only potential problem is that you can't separately control the tightness at different areas of the closure.Huh? Say you found the Lakes a little loose down at the bottom of the closure; you couldn't tighten that bit without tightening the top section too. Well, that's not completely true. You kind of can. the lace guides allow you to double the loop at a couple of points, but you don't get as much adjustability for the different sections as you do with, say, a three-strap system. We had no problems on this front, but it's something to be aware of when you try on any shoes like this.That little leather tab that reaches across the front of the tongue, by the way, doesn't help the Boa system with closure; it's there purely to give Lake a little extra advertising space.Out on the road, I found these as comfortable as any bike shoes I've ever used, and I've used a lot of bike shoes. Lake offer them in Euro half sizes (42-48) and in a wide fit as well as the standard version. Along with the custom fitting, this means you're sure to get shoes that are absolutely right for your feet, and that's half the battle.I've been wearing the CX410s for short rides, long rides and everything in between and they've felt great throughout, no hotspots, no heel slip, no pressure points... no nothing. They've kept my feet cool enough however hard I've been going, and the soles are really stiff so power transfer through to the pedals is spot on. We've really got nothing negative to say about the performance. Weighing in at 644g for the pair (size 46), they're pretty lightweight too.You do need to bear in mind, though, that these are race shoes, not everyday shoes. You get a rubbery toe bumper and a tiny, replaceable heel strike pad, but there's really not much protection for the shiny carbon soles when you walk. The leather panels reach around to the bottom of the outsole up front too. They don't touch the ground when you have cleats fitted, but they're not far off. What we're saying is that you don't want to be clip-clopping around in these any further than is absolutely necessary... they're race shoes.As well as a standard three-hole drilling, the CX410s are available with a Speedplay cleat pattern.