B'Twin 500 Road Cycling Shoes

The B'Twin 500 road cycling shoes are designed for regular road riding and entry level racers. They hit the mark nicely when long, steady miles or competitive stuff's involved, it's just a shame they don't offer a road-specific, recessed cleat sibling for generic club/touring duties.

As the price would suggest, the materials are tried and tested, rather than particularly exotic but they're made in Italy to a decent standard and come complete with the brand's two year warranty. The rigid outer sole is a polyamide/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) 60/40% mix. These are drilled for Look Delta, Keo and Shimano SPD-SL cleats.

Uppers are good old PVC, and they're durable and relatively low maintenance. Our white and red samples sullied very quickly, especially around the toe box, but scrubbed up nicely, given a quick shot of bike wash and tickled with a medium stiff brush. They also come in black, which might be a little conservative but lowers maintenance and complements pretty much everything.

The B'Twin 500s are available in a pretty comprehensive 3-11 size range. The shape is longer and narrower than usual, so rather than my default of size 44 for cycling shoes, I took a gamble on the 43 ( UK size 8.5). To my relief it paid off. The Velcro closures allow some closer tailoring and the toe box proved broader than it looks from side-on pics.

Other riders have commented on this, suggesting the material will mould/relax slightly in this region during initial rides and ours followed suit. On balance and parting with my own money, I'd still try first rather than simply clicking to cart.

While weight and power transfer could never be compared with top drawer carbon composite soles, within a matter of minutes I had forgotten their budget price tag and concentrated on enjoying the ride. The snug fit and heel cup not only offers excellent efficiency but better support, which becomes particularly apparent as the hours and miles whiz by.

There's no hint of hot spots or similar discomfort either. Somewhat predictably, my feet became clammier, when the temperatures climbed into the high 60s and wearing bog standard road socks. Don't skimp, go for higher end, ideally Merino.

Being as synthetics don't breathe particularly efficiently, narrow mesh panels adorn the toe boxes for improved airflow.

Despite some initial doubts, the mesh facilitates reasonable airflow, while resisting light to moderately showery rain with comparable finesse. In my book this strikes a sensible compromise for year round use, although overshoes are a must for more persistent rain.

When all's said and done, there's no escaping the old adage that you only get what you pay for. However, Decathlon's purchase power means these should be high on the list of newbies, aspiring racers or riders just wanting a budget set of shoes for training.

Verdict

Nice fitting entry level road shoes with decent performance although worth trying for size first