Shimano R241 Shoes
My first impression when riding was just how stiff the shoes were. I’ve always been a bit unsure about overly stiff shoes. I’m a fairly lightweight chap and certainly no powerhouse, so stiff shoes seem to offer me more discomfort than marginal gains, but the R241s didn’t cause any soreness down the outside of the foot. Climbing out of the saddle the shoes felt incredibly supportive and actually drew me out of the saddle a little more than I would usually ride. The single direction fabric in the heel prevented any slipping and the ratchet and velcro straps did an excellent job of keeping my foot in place. I didn’t have to fiddle with anything once I had got going.
Toe area of the Shimano R241 is roomy and well ventilated
Coming down the other side of the mountain and onto the flat, the toe box area really began to show its worth. There are two large vents on the front of the shoe, as well as two on the sole, which all help to channel air through the shoe. It did a great job on both days of keeping my feet cool and comfortable; something you can easily overlook but very hot feet can be incredibly distracting whilst riding.
When I returned from France, I found the time to have the shoes custom fitted by the guys at Mosquito Bikes. The shoe did become ever so slightly more snug after fitting but it wasn’t an enormous difference; it’s possible that after a few weeks riding the shoes have already shaped to my foot. These sorts of things can differ hugely from person to person, so it is something I would recommend buying from a shop where they could do it straight away.
Jordan initially rode the Shimano R241 in the Etape, a tough testing ground
After a few months of using the Shimano R241s, the finish has held up very well. It hasn’t scuffed up much on the sole or anywhere on the shoe in general. The shoes really do excel in everything you could ask of a shoe to the point where they are now my go-to shoe over my Sidis, and I have found almost nothing on which to fault them, except perhaps the colour of blue; it doesn’t quite match my bike. Not exactly Shimano’s fault that one…
So after a fairly lengthy and extensive test, I’ve come to a conclusion about the Shimano R241 shoes. For those too used to Twitter, I’ll surmise now: they’re excellent.
Shimano R241 road shoe: RRP £249.99. A pair in size 40 weighs in at 541g.
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