S-Works shoes: wearing well after four years

By John Swindells 28 Oct 2017 | Comment
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I'm not very fussy when it comes to foot-wear, but did fall in love with the Specialized S-Works road shoes when I first tried them on in 2013. Very light, stiff, hugging my feet without any feeling of pressure. Bliss!

So, how have they lasted? Well, the shoe itself has survived well, with just a bit of cosmetic "wrinkling" around the achilles area. What's better, though, is that the bits that did fail - the rubber heels and the boa dials - are easily replaceable. The boa dials do need a special torx tool (size T6), but otherwise it's straightforward to get my shoes back to almost-new functionality. I've also got through around 4 insoles and am on my third set of cleats; it's really important not to neglect these two areas of shoe maintenance. Specialized insoles and Shimano SPD-SL cleats are very hard-wearing, but they do wear down eventually.

Just a word of warning with replacing the boa dials: there are many different sorts! My 2013 S-works shoes use the "S2-snap Boa dial". Also, the ones on the left shoe have a reverse mechanism to the ones on the right shoe. You can use a boa dial on the opposite shoe to the one it's intended for, but getting the direction right starts to grate after a short while of use. You can buy the dials as a pair, but just bear in mind that you get a left and a right dial in this kit - which is sensible anyway, as you'll most likely be wanting to replace them on both shoes at the same time anyway.

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About the author

My name is John Swindells and I'm a keen recreational cyclist with a preference for long one-day rides. I've also previously dabbled in time trialling and cyclo-cross. See more of what I get up to on Strava!

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