02/09/2013 00:26
The Specialized Elite Road is a shoe for those who doesn’t want to spend a huge amount of money on a pair of S-works shoes, or cant afford them. The Elite Road is as Specialized states it themselves “With a fit and closure inspired by our Pro model, the Elite shoe offers superior comfort and body Geometry fit feature in an affordable design”, also a cheaper but just as functional version of the almost as expensive S-works shoes, the Pro Road.
They come in at a weight of 288 grams per shoe at size 42, which is a good low weight – especially at the pricerange they are in. They have a 3-bolt cleat system to fit all major road pedals like the one Shimano and Look manufactures, so they are very versatile and can be used by more or less everyone no matter what setup they use on their bikes. The have the Specialized Body Geometry too, which means the foot will be wedged a bit outwards in the shoes to ensure, that the user will have as good experience as possible and also decreasing the chances of injuries. However, is this all true?
On the road
I have been using them along with mine Shimano SPD pedals and cleats, and have not tried them with any other system. I have used them for about 2,5years now (From 2011), and so far, they have been doing their job just fine. They are very comfortable, and not at any time have my feet felt like they had problems because of the shoes. Even after I did 540 km in 3 days, my feet still felt fine, which I am pretty sure was thanks to the shoes. The looks of them are decent. Black and red and silver never fails no matter what decade you are in. everything black is just cool, but also a conservative choice. I like the looks of them though, where others rather would like some more bright colors on their shoes.
The shoes can be adjusted three times across. Two times with a standard Velcro band and then a strap you can tight to ensure that your feet are fitted tightly in the shoes, and therefore get maximum performance. The strap seems to be the weakest point on the shoes, but it have not failed yet. I was pretty sure that it would break at some point within a shorter period of time, but after 2,5 years it hasn’t even been close to that yet. You do really get a quality product by buying the Specialized Elite Road shoes.
About the special wedge in the shoes, I can only say that my knees feels better after I switched to the shoes. Therefore, I am confident that the Specialized Body Geometry definitely does help. I remember having a bit of problems in my knees before, especially after having been pushing some extra Watt’s in the system, but that has not been a problem after shifting to these shoes. Also for people who often feels that they feel a big pressure on the nerves in, or the bottom or outside of the foot, this will be a help to prevent that from happening.
The stiffness of the shoes has not been a problem either. I do not feel that I am losing momentum due to flex in the shoes, nor have I felt any tendency for them to flex much when sprinting or accelerating. I am a light rider though, coming in at around 65 kilograms so a heavier rider may experience more flex than I have experienced.
The verdict
For a little less than 100 euro’s I have gotten shoes that is both stiff but also very comfortable, along with being light and of a high quality standard. That is really more or less everything I could ask for, even for shoes that are more expensive. Therefore, they are a very good buy, if you just ensure that you get the right size. They have solved a minor problem with my knee too due to the Specialized Body Geometry, and I am sure that many other bike riders have experienced the same positive thing by getting any of the Specialized shoes. If people are searching for shoes in the price range of 100 euro’s, these will be a choice you will not regret.
Written by René
