Road Cycling Shoes
We discussed LUCK shoes recently after seeing their power meter soles, and now they are back in the news promoting their new online, shoe customisation app.
The Luck Invictus MTB shoe, showing just how much customisation is possible
As you can see from the photo above, the idea is to give riders the ability to create their own unique, personalised cycling shoes, with their name, club colours or even an image or logo featured on the shoe. Whilst we’ve seen some shoe companies offer customised colour options and go even further for the pros, LUCK claim to be the first cycling shoes brand to offer all customers this level of customisation. We had to have a quick look around to see what other companies are offering: LAKE do seem to have a good system that is similar, whilst Bont have a colour choosing system but don’t permit logos.
The app has been tested and they started to sell the personalised shoes during August 2014. At the moment though customisation is just available for the top Invictus model, which comes as a road or MTB shoe, but LUCK aim to offer the option across other shoes soon.
The Luck Invictus has a lot of technology packed into it’s highly perforated innards
We had a play around with the app, which they call ‘udesign’ and it’s OK. But what we really like about LUCK is the level of service they provide. Assuming you are happy with their shoes, you can add what they term ‘biomechanical corrections’. This is done by LUCK sending you a kit to make moulds of your feet. Based on those moulds, LUCK will then advise you as to what level of customisation you need on your shoes to get maximum power transfer from foot to pedal. Advice can range from a fully customised shoe through to simply using wedged insoles or choosing between different soles. Clever stuff.
The SCOTT Road Premium shoe comes in a Orica-GreenEdge colour scheme, great for the summer, or you can choose a red and black version. Two Boa IP1 closures are used, one at the top of the foot and the other lower down, allowing you to fine tune the fit.
The Scott Premium Road shoe in an Orica-GreenEdge colourway
The upper is constructed from a lightweight 3D nylon airmesh material. The ErgoLogic insole features Poron shock dampening and comes with optional inserts that allow some customisation of the fit.
The carbon fibre sole has a stiffness index of 10 and a replaceable heel counter. Scott worked with Simon Lüthi who has a PhD in Biomechanics on the outsole to produce one that was as stiff as possible for power transfer, without putting undue strain on the knee and ankle. All this in a 255g package (US 8.5) and retailing for around £220.
Not exactly a new boy on the block, as Ekoi have been around since 2001, but they are new to us in the UK. Like many manufacturers they don’t limit themselves to just shoes; with a range that includes clothing, helmets, sunglasses as well as shoes, Ekoi can cover pretty much all your needs.
The Ekoi shoe range is pretty straightforward, with two road shoes and a triathlon shoe. The R2 is their top of the range shoe and uses an ultra light 3K carbon composite sole, that has Look style drilling. Ventilation is provided by two mesh covered openings at toe and mid-foot, while the heel has a replaceable bumper.
The upper is a micro fibre material, that gives the shoe a very clean look and there is some custom moulding available, although how this works isn’t clear – we should be getting some review samples through and will let you know what method Ekoi use. Fastening is via Ekoi’s own Atop system, this is similar to the Boa system and uses kevlar cables. Stated weight for a single size 42 shoe is 265g, which while not super light is plenty light enough and they come with a microfiber pouch to keep them in, a nice touch when you are paying 259 Euros (£184).
The R2s can be ordered online through Ekoi’s own site and once you’re there you can use their ‘configurator’ to add a certain amount of customisation to your shoe. This allows you to add colour to the straps and Atop dials, plus adding text to your shoe. A size guide is provided on the site, you can either measure your foot length, or compare Ekoi’s sizes to other manufacturers.
Conclusion
There’s so much choice when it comes to shoes and you don’t need to get the latest model to get really clever technology. Getting the right fit is essential. Then if a shoe works for you, that is all that matters, not if it has BOA, or heat mouldable carbon, or a carbon heel cup. A good fitting shoe means more power to your pedals, so choose wisely and don’t be afraid to admit you got it wrong with one brand and try another.
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[…] we have the Ekoi R2 shoe, which we briefly mentioned in our recent shoe guide. These glossy white beauties have a 6mm thick, 3K carbon sole that accepts 3-hole, Look style […]