Specialized announced the new S-Works EXOS EVO shoe today, the lightest off-road shoe they’ve ever created. The new mountain bike shoe effectively combines the bottom half of the S-Works Recon off-road shoe with the unique 'Dyneema' material-based upper of the S-Works EXOS road shoe.
Specialized says that they were able to create a shoe that weighs just 232 grams in a size 42, or 464 grams for the pair, because of that Dyneema material on the upper and because they did away with the weight and bulk of a traditional molded heel counter.
It wasn't about saving weight at any cost however, and the off-road shoe weighs about 80 grams more than the ultra lightweight road shoe. On the S-Works EXOS EVO mountain bike shoe, Specialized includes a protective toe bumper and they added
Specialized EXOS Evo MTB Shoe
• Body Geometry design
• XC FACT carbon plate with Stiffness Index of 13.0
• 464 grams for a pair of Size 42 shoes
• Dyneema Mesh on outer
• BOA Li2 dial for on-the-fly micro-adjustment
• SlipNot rubber heel and toe tread
• Titanium alloy cleat nuts can rotate to position pedal/cleats 5mm rearward
• Added Mudguard TPU layer for additional protection and durability
• Two-bolt cleat pattern fits all major MTB pedals
• Sizes 36-49
• $425 USD
a layer of Mudguard TPU for additional protection and durability. The shoe has a 13.0 Stiffness Index as does the S-Works Recon off-road shoe.
To secure the foot, Specialized has used the newly released BOA Li2 dial, which features an increased level of micro-adjustment, a lower profile, and a refined ergonomic design. To achieve the low weight, the upper lacks any form of rigid or moulded material. In addition to forgoing the usual molded heel counter, Specialized has reimagined toe box uses a sleeve that stretches over the top of the toes and forefoot while maintaining room for movement and flexion.
In addition to forgoing the usual molded heel counter, Specialized has reimagined toe box uses a sleeve that stretches over the top of the toes and forefoot while maintaining room for movement and flexion.
To achieve their low weight, the S-Works Exos uses an upper that lacks any form of rigid or moulded material.
Learn more at
specialized.com. For a full review,
check out our sister site CyclingTips.
72 Comments
Regarding price, at some point you just stop caring if the fit is right. A good shoe lasts thousands of miles anyway, which sort of evens out the steep initial "investment".
Have you by any chance tried Lake? Their "shoes designed for real feet" approach sounds very promising as well.
They are amazing on the bike though, I own heavier socks and when fitted properly they are the most comfortable big ride shoes I've ever owned.
As a huge fan of Adidas Ultraboosts, the sock-like fit sounds very promising. I'm a bit skeptical about the lack of a molded heel counter though.
Where is fantasy league???