Specialized 05 S-Works Road Shoe

Price Paid:  $430.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Cervelo soloist, ultegra, specialized toupe (bent Ti rails, no idea how),speedplays, cosmic elites, prorace2s

Summary:
Provides no customer service after sale. A crash took out the dial and took over a month to receive replacement part. I was consistently reminded by staff that specialized had no obligation to assist me because it was my fault it broke... Thank you very much.

Australian specialized dealers (from my sample size of 3...) are abysmal. Durability is not a high priority for their products. Which is fine, if you can afford to pay $450 every 6 months for a pair of shoes.

NB: Not very speedplay friendly.

Strengths:
Boa strap, colour schemes, weight, insoles.

Weaknesses:
Tongue, boa strap, durability, heel (walking), weight distribution, repair options, customer service. Poor leather/overall construction.

Similar Products Used:
Sidi Ergo 2 - Delivers everything you could want in a shoe, excellent after sales service.

Price Paid:  $299.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Argon Ti, Ultegra groupset, Mavic CXP33 wheels.

Summary:
Love the shoes, which have a very very stiff sole. The BOA closure system is great, but can be difficult to loosen just a small amount - you may end up completely releasing the closure mechanism. The BOA lace is strong but when it breaks (as mine did)the whole closure system releases - not great if it happens in a sprint.

Strengths:
Stiff and comfortable. Closure system is quick to use and the shoe is smooth looking

Weaknesses:
BOA closure system uses a single lace, which can (and did for me) break. Another related problem is I can not get a new lace until late August 07 (posting this in early July 07), which is a pain in the proverbial. US Specialzed site won't ship outside USA.

Similar Products Used:
Specialized Road shoe

Price Paid:  $250.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Anytime Hot

Bike Setup:
Road

Summary:
This is for the 2006 model These were almost the shoe for me. The sole is great, the BOA closure is great, the toe box was too small for me.

Strengths:
Everything, if you need a normal to narrow toe box. Specialized is great with returns.

Weaknesses:
Pricey, but worth it.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano R75, R151

Price Paid:  $255.00 at Bodin's

Summary:
This review is for the 06 S-Works carbon Road shoe.

Strengths:
Stiff sole, VERY comfortable, easy to put on. Just turn the knob and go. Too bad they are hard to walk in, I'd wear em all day long!

Weaknesses:
The release mechanism is not the easiest. But I think it is more getting used to. Other than that, a great buy! They are pricey However

Price Paid:  $230.00 at Dresden

Favorite Ride:
Kopanec climb

Bike Setup:
TREK w/ Campy

Summary:
The carbon sole is VERY stiff. Previously, I was using SIDI Revolution 2 cycling shoes (they lasted 15 years!). Although I liked the SIDIs, the Specialized shoes are an order of magnitude better. With the stiff sole, pedalling is much smoother and power transfer is more efficient (I am using Speedplay pedals). The insole is great - it fits like a glove. The varus wedge feature (side to side tilt) is the right thing for me - with SIDIs, I had to run 3 LeWedges under the cleats. The Boa closure works fine, definitely better than just velcro straps.
I believe these shose made me faster, especially on climbs.

Strengths:
stiff
comfortable
look great

Weaknesses:
the carbon sole gets easily scratched

Similar Products Used:
SIDI Revolution 2