I wrote, last week, about two pair of shoes a friend gave to me that he’d moved on from. He’s into the new knitted shoes and the leather S-Works 6 shoes were snug on him. Joe is a big dude.
They fit me like a glove.
The first couple of rides, while I adjusted the cleats to get my legs in the proper motion, were a little iffy. The yellow pair fit the best, but the outer left heel dug into my foot just below my ankle bone. After three rides, I was wondering if I’d have to endure that pain until the shoes broke in. On the fourth, I noticed my left heel was out just a bit and I was pressing against the float, trying to bring my heel in. I adjusted the cleat to bring my heel in when I got home and that was the last time I felt the edge of the shoe dig into my ankle.
The blue pair was a different story altogether. They didn’t feel near as good as the yellow pair – they also didn’t have as many miles on them, so I thought maybe they just needed to be broken in. I changed the cleats out and fit them giving them the full treatment (lining the cleat up with the proper toe bone, then lining the heels up, etc.). I had my left heel out a little again, so I made the adjustment and they were perfect… they felt just as good as the yellow pair.
Apparently, if you want the shoes to feel good, you have to line up the cleats correctly, because after I did mine, they’re like pedaling whilst your feet are riding on pillows of butter.
And therein lies the problem. In response to a comment from a good friend of mine, I wrote that I would still buy the same Torch 2.0 shoes I had been wearing rather than part with $400+ for a pair of S-Works shoes.
After 194 comfortable miles in three days without a noticeable hot spot over a cleat, I’m not so sure I want to stick to my response, though. My legs simply don’t tire out like they did in the Torch 2.0s… and this isn’t a problem with the cleat positioning, either. I had the cleats on my Torch shoes professionally aligned. I have a feeling the S-Works shoes are just that good because this last weekend should have had me popping Dual-Action Advil like it was going out of style. I took one yesterday and one the day before, and that’s it.
Long post, short, the S-Works shoes play, my friends. They’re a lot better than I hoped for.
Fit Recovery 
The knit shoes seems like a dream come true, I think I will check some out, I hate hot feet.
I never had a problem with my feet being too warm. That’s interesting !
Once you experience the extra luxury, it’s tough to go back! I’ll be in the market for new shoes come our summer so will be looking at these as an option for sure.
I was really surprised, man. I expected an improvement, of course, but not that big a leap.
I checked, and the knit shoes are about sold out, only odd sizes available.
There’s a lot of that going around lately, Dave. Hopefully this all straightens up soon.
I’ve been reading a lot about the specialized vent shoes, those seem to have what I want, a lot of money though…
If you like Specialized’s shoes, the S-Works are exceedingly comfortable. Don’t know as I’d be able to afford that much for shoes, though. That’s a steep price tag.
Its a lot for sure, but if its the main thing that can kill my enjoying a ride, could be worth it? But shoe fit is such a personal thing?
That’s true – fit is so touchy… especially getting the cleats right. I’m incredibly finicky with cleats – and if I go by what’s right with Matt’s fitting system, I hate the results… I always have to adjust my heels out slightly to get my feet and legs to work correctly.