Specialized Carbon Comp Road Shoes
Thursday, 14th October 2004
Specialized have incorporated a design philosophy, Body Geometry into their range of shoes for a number of years. This philosophy has been carefully researched and backed up with science to integrate technologies into their shoes to provide the rider with performance and/or ergonomic benefits.
This is the Specialized pitch into a very competitive market and in particular to shoes in a market where riders demands are high. They are often looking for a product that not only looks good, but performs excellently. I feel that footwear is the singularly most important piece of equipment. The wrong cycling shoes never really break in, due to their construction and the importance of having a very stiff sole and they can also cause further injuries to the feet and legs. Also for a Triathlete, who ever wants to arrive into T2 with sore feet, only to put on trainers and pound them even more for 5km, 10km or even 42km? The right shoes mean complete comfort, increased power transfer, meaning faster speeds and once broken in, they feel like your favourite slippers.
So to the particular shoes on test, the Carbon Comp Road Shoes. These shoes fall in the middle of the range with the Carbon Soled Boa at the top, with a very innovative closure and the Competition Road just below, which incorporate a buckle closure but no carbon sole. All these Specialized shoes offer 3 areas that are Body Geometry.
A - The Varus wedge is designed to stop the rotational movement of the foot (D), shin and knee during the pedal cycle by keeping the foot in full contact with the pedal platform at all times during the cycle. Flatter soles (C) can cause a rolling of the Knee (B), according to Specialized.
E - The Metatarsal Button spreads the Metatarsal bones slightly to stop the blood vessels being squeezed during the pedal cycle.
F - The Longitudinal Arch supports the arch to minimise the foot movement and in particularly the arch flexing during the pedal stroke.
With all this technology in such a small pair of shoes, size 41, was there going to be any room for my foot? I am a firm believer that technology is a good thing, but should not detract from the original function of the item. I was worried that after riding for over 2 years in shoes that have a very flat sole, all the lumps and bumps in the Specialized shoes would be uncomfortable.
There were a few other points that immediately stood out. Starting with the straps, it is usual to have these reinforced with carbon in shoes to stop the natural stretch of the strap, also to secure the foot more firmly when working hard climbing or sprinting. The straps on these shoes appeared to be fairly short and very thin.
With regards to the sole, this is full carbon with 2 larger rubberised sections for walking and a rough area around the drillings for the cleat. I would be very grateful in the next couple of days for the large rubber sections!
So far the shoes have taken me to work for 2 days, a 35km turbo session and an unintentionally long club ride over the weekend. My initial reaction to the shoes has been very positive. The rough areas on the sole was an excellent touch, attaching the cleats was made much easier by the fact that as you tightened them, they stayed put rather than moving at just the wrong time, usually just as you line them up. All the technology went completely un-noticed; it was there but did not detract from the overall feeling of the shoes.
The shoes fitted like a glove, the slight tilt in the sole, the supported arch and the spreading of the bones in my foot all helped in a hugely positive experience. Even the thinner straps were comfortable and did not move at all when working hard. It is also worth noting at this point that the heel cup is on the small side, fitting me perfectly, however it may not suit some. They also have a full and roomy toe box.
At this point there is not a bad word to say about the comfort of the shoes, they will be with me for at least another 2000km, and as is usual for the UK this time of year, in all weathers. The only downside, from a triathletes perspective, is that as they are such a good fit they are slow to get on. With wet feet, I would guess even more so, however that is why Specialized have the Trivent. The Carbon Comp Road Shoe definitely fall into the high end training shoe category, although with the amount of km these would cover in a year, it is money well spent.