The best road cycling shoes will increase your enjoyment on your rides, with a comfortable fit, good ventilation and a sole that’s stiff for good support and power transfer.
Ventilation tends to be prioritised in quality road cycling shoes. It’s fairly easy to warm your feet up a bit, depending on conditions, by adding a slightly thicker pair of summer cycling socks, swapping them out for warmer winter cycling socks (although this can affect the shoe’s fit and potentially reduce blood circulation to your toes, exacerbating cold feet), adding overshoes or, once it gets proper cold, investing in a pair of winter road cycling shoes. If you’re cycling in hot weather though, good ventilation will keep your feet much more comfortable and help stop them from swelling.
Dial closures have more-or-less taken over on top flight road shoes too, although Velcro still makes an appearance due to its lower weight. Lace-up shoes also keep weight down, but at the expense of adjustability while riding. Still, if they’re good enough for Tadej Pogačar…
Reviews of the best road cycling shoes
- Specialized Torch 3.0 – Read our full review
- Rapha Pro Team – Read our full review
- Shimano S-Phyre RC903 – Read our full review
- DMT KR4 – Read our full review
- Van Rysel RCR – Read our full review
- Canyon Tempr CFR – Read our full review
- Lake CX333 – Read our full review
- Fizik Vento Infinito Carbon 2 – Read our full review
- Giro Regime – Read our full review
Related questions you can explore with Ask Cyclist, our new AI search engine.
Why trust Cyclist’s advice?
Cyclist‘s team of reviewers has huge experience of riding and reviewing the best road bikes available and a whole range of other cycling equipment, including cycling shoes. It’s led by tech editor Sam Challis, who has spent nigh on a decade riding and writing for Cyclist.
With so many of the best road cycling shoes passing through our office, we understand what makes a great pair of cycling shoes and can pick out the features that make a shoe really stand out among the huge range available. Premium cycling shoes are a big ticket item, but we’ve also reviewed some of the best budget road cycling shoes if you’re looking for more affordable options.
The best road cycling shoes 2025 reviewed
Specialized Specialized Torch 3.0
£210 | View offer
- S-Works features at Specialized prices
- Wider toe box and sleek looks
The Specialized Torch 3.0 are now similar in appearance to the more premium S-Works Torch shoes, and borrow some of their key design features – including a thoughtfully sculpted heel design and a wider toe box – while remaining in a mid-range price bracket.
Having inherited the looks and asymmetric dial setup of the S-Works shoes, our tester pointed out the rare incidence of ‘trickle up’ technology in the Specialized Torch 3.0, with a transaction of features and design moving in both directions across the range.
Specialized’s Retül fit system formulates its foot lasts based on scans of over 100,000 feet. This research has led to the inclusion of details like the ‘metatarsal button’ for reducing numbness and an outward sole tilt for improving body alignment while pedalling, features that contributed to a locked-in and not overly compressed ride feel for our tester.
The Torch 3.0 shoes scored less well in the ventilation stakes, and the upper material lacked a bit of suppleness at least to begin with, but overall they performed as good all-rounders, suitable for riding at a range of different intensities.
- Read our Specialized Torch 3.0 shoes review
- Buy now from Specialized (£210)
Rapha Pro Team
£295 | View offer
- Woven upper for higher thread count and less stretch
- No seams for less chance of rubbing
Despite appearing similar initially to some of the other shoes on show, Rapha claims its Pro Team shoes are markedly different. The upper is woven, not knitted, which gives it a higher thread count.
Rapha says its ‘Powerweave’ material can therefore be used to create more complex structures that are much less prone to stretching or abrasion. What’s more, the upper is seamless – which the brand says promotes comfort – and DWR-treated to better cope with wet conditions.
At a claimed 250g per shoe, the ‘Powerweave’ upper contributes to the shoes’ light weight too. Dual Boa IP1 dials take care of a fairly conventional-looking closure pattern and the tongue is padded to disperse pressure across the rider’s foot. The Pro Team shoes are also available as a lace up option.
As we found out in our review, the unidirectional carbon sole is unyieldingly stiff, however Rapha has sensibly included rubberised heel and toe caps to improve durability and walkability.
- Read our Rapha Pro Team shoes review
- Buy now from Rapha (£295)
Shimano S-Phyre RC903
£349.99 | View offer
- Highly perforated microfibre upper
- Bonded-on sole reduces weight and stack height
Shimano’s S-Phyre design is such a perennial favourite, boasting such a versatile design, it would have been remiss for us not to include it in our roundup.
The upper is made from regular synthetic microfibre, but is heavily perforated to promote ventilation. It is made from one piece and wraps around the foot so that closure and tension are evenly spread. Shimano says the ‘Powerzone’ routing of the lower Boa IP1 dial further enhances this effect.
The S-Phyres use a sturdy external heel cup lined with a ‘cat’s tongue’ fabric inside to prevent heel slippage in use.
The upper is directly bonded onto the stiff carbon sole, eliminating the need for a lasting board. Shimano says this lowers stack height as well as weight – despite not being overly lightweight, the S-Phyres remain competitive at a claimed 248g per shoe.
- Read our full Shimano S-Phyre RC903 review
- Buy now from Tweeks Cycles (£349.99)
DMT KR4
£174.99 | View offer
- Highly vented knit upper with minimalist looks
- Nylon sole is stiff and light
Not the most high-profile name on the list, our experience with DMT’s KR4 shoes convinced us that the brand deserves a much higher profile. Pleasingly minimalist to look at, the shoe’s summer-style knitted uppers are closed with an equally neat Boa dial. Feeling almost like fast running shoes, there’s no tongue to bunch up or otherwise complicate matters.
Slender fitting, this lightweight assembly is then married to a nylon sole. At this point, you might be considering scrolling along to find something a bit fancier and made of carbon. However, our tester reckons you’ll struggle to find another set of plastic-soled slippers able to get the power down like these.
They remain a great option for racers and the choice of sole material also actually leaves them lighter than the brand’s more expensive models, resulting in a lightweight, peerlessly comfortable shoe for warm-weather rides.
- Read our full DMT KR4 review
- Buy now from Fawkes Cycles (£174.99)
Van Rysel RCR
£179.99 | View offer
- Excellent value for a carbon-soled shoe
- Habu dials are just as good as Boas
Van Rysel has made a name for itself by undercutting more established cycling brands on price with bikes, helmets, shoes and kit that are well-designed, high-performing and feature many technical elements that are normally the preserve of only the most premium goods.
While £179.99 is still a decent investment in a pair of road shoes, in the RCRs you are getting a comprehensively ventilated shoe that is easy to clean, has replaceable parts, a stiff carbon sole, and two Habu dials produced in partnership with industry stalwart Boa.
Van Rysel has hedged its bets by giving the RCRs deeply inoffensive aesthetics – both the black and white models are essentially blank canvases. The list of shortcomings is, well, short. The dials are a touch high on the shoe which does a bad job of spreading tension, the top-and-bottom ventilation means they aren’t the best for inclement weather, and they aren’t particularly light either.
But aside from these minor gripes, at this price the RCR’s excellent overall performance will give other more expensive brands food for thought.
- Read our full Van Rysel RCR review
- Buy now from Decathlon (£179.99)
Canyon Tempr CFR
£319.95 | View offer
- Deeply comfortable tongue-less design
- Contoured innersole and carbon plate
Without any previous skin in the shoe game, Canyon partnered with inner sole experts Solestar and ex-Giro and Specialized designer Eric Horton to create the Tempr CFR, a brilliantly well-thought-out fair-weather shoe.
Our tester was most impressed by the Tempr’s capacity to achieve foot-hugging comfort, thanks to the combination of a tongue-less sock-like upper, a noticeably high Achilles support and two Boa dials that pull the foot backwards into the heel cup. The upper also varies in thickness to add some give where it’s most needed.
At £319.95 they are certainly not a cheap option, but the rigid carbon plate and carefully sculpted Solestar insole contribute to the Tempr’s high-end finish. The significant perforations in the synthetic upper render them less suited to autumn and winter riding, but the wipeable material is easy to maintain all the same.
Overall, the CFR Tempr was one of the most carefully designed shoes that we tested, effectively marrying together a range of complementary design features.
- Read our full Canyon Tempr CFR review
- Buy now from Canyon (£319.95)
Lake CX333
£395 | View offer
- Comprehensive fit options
- Thermal heel moulding
One thing you can rely on Lake Shoes for is choice – dizzying amounts of choice. Its CX333 shoes, designed for high-cadence, performance riding, come in three widths, two different upper materials, and 20 sizes – and are just one model of the dozen road shoes Lake offers. But our tester was particularly keen on CX333’s balance of comfort and performance.
The pair of CX333s tested had a sturdy microfibre upper that contributed to a relatively bulky overall weight of 660g, but extensive arch support and internal padding was deemed a worthwhile trade-off. Fit is Lake’s calling card, and the CX333 shoes can literally be baked in the oven to make them tesselate to the heel. The Thermaform Carbon Fibre moulding process is straightforward and effective, albeit slightly unnerving.
As some of Lake’s highest spec shoes, they also include a fibreglass layer that sits beneath the arched inner sole and on top of the carbon fibre sole plate to create a sandwich of stiffness and comfort. These certainly aren’t the lightest, cheapest or the most ventilated shoes we’ve tested, but the comfort is market-leading, and with so much choice available, there should be a comfortable solution for most riders.
- Read our full Lake CX333 review
- Buy now from Lake (£395)
Fizik Vento Infinito Carbon 2
£349.99 | View offer
- Smartly positioned Boa dial and strap system balances fit
- Careful use of technical materials
Not the most recent release on the list, or even Italian brand Fizik’s most recent, but the Vento Infinito Carbon 2 shoes have a strong range of attributes that recommend them as very capable all-rounders.
The Infinito fit system relies on two Boa dials and a Microtex strap, with the fabric lace guides reaching far down the foot, a feature that helps maintain balanced pressure on the foot. The rear part of the shoe is made from a ridged plastic material, which is easier to keep clean than the porous surface of the Microtex.
The R2 carbon sole has now been superceded in Fizik’s range, but our tester had no issues with the level of stiffness. Fizik also offers a wide version of the Infinito, easily replaceable walking pads, 20mm of fore-aft cleat adjustment and a well-constructed inner sole which are useful day-to-day details.
- Read our full Fizik Vento Infinito Carbon 2 review
- Buy now from Fizik (£349.99)
Giro Regime
£229.99 | View offer
- Borrows tech from top-end Giro shoes
- Excellent value for the spec
Despite not being at the top of Giro’s range, the Regimes benefit from enough trickle-down technology and top-end materials to make them a seriously strong option. Our tester put down some serious mileage in the Regimes, and the main headlines were long-lasting comfort, durability, foot support and – thanks to all that and a £229.99 pricetag – value.
The use of Synchwire material – a composite thermo-bonded film – helps to make the Regimes both strong and pliable and distributes pressure from the two Boa dials across the foot. In the cons column, the material wasn’t well ventilated and the shoes weigh 556g which isn’t particularly light, but it was very easy to clean and coupled with the ample padding, made wearing them very enjoyable.
Giro saves its most premium carbon fibre plate for its higher spec models up the food chain, but if anything, slightly less stiffness contributed to the high comfort levels. Overall, while racers and weight-weenies might not be swayed, for most road cyclists the Regime is all the shoe you will need.
- Read our full Giro Regime review
- Buy now from Tredz (£229.99)
Check out our guide to the best budget road cycling shoes for more affordable options.
