Five cool kicks in for review from Fizik, Specialized, Trek, and Cafe du Cycliste

Spring is the best time for new shoes, isn't it? That certainly seems to be the thinking of most brands, as we've seen new shoes enter the market in large quantities in the last couple of months. The best road cycling shoes come with a whole host of claims about being stiff, light, breathable and the rest of it, but we're here to put those claims to the test. Full verdicts on all of the shoes below are going to drop soon and you can find them in the shoe bit of our reviews section. 

Specialized Torch 2.0 shoes - £165

Specialized has taken its popular Torch 2.0 and 3.0 cycling shoes to the drawing board for a refresh and we've got the 2.0 in to review. These kicks sit below Spesh's top-line S-Works model - which we really rated highly in this review - and have various trickledown features from their more expensive big sibling, such as the Body Geometry sole construction and Boa dials, though everything is just that little bit less refined and thus, more affordable.

> Specialized Torch 1.0 Road Shoes

The Torch 2.0 have a woven carbon sole, which is slightly less engineered than the unidirectional one on the S-Works and Torch 3.0. The upper comprises a single-piece construction complete with laser perforations but lacks the mesh inserts of the 3.0. Closure is handled in the form of a single Li2 BOA dial and Velcro strap. 

The Torch 2.0 has a claimed weight of 268g per shoe, though Aaron, who's reviewing these shoes, has reported his size 42 test shoes tipped the scales at 273g per shoe. Check back in soon to read Aaron's full review. 

Find out more here

Fizik Vento Omna Wide - £169.99

Fizik's Vento Omna Wide could be a welcome addition to any wide-footed cyclist's tootsies. They're basically a wider version of the Omna mid-range road cycling shoes Fizik added to its lineup last summer (but you guessed that). 

As you'd expect from a wide-fit shoe, the Omna Wide provides a higher volume forefoot area being introduced around the ball of the foot and metatarsals, according to Fizik.

> Where can I find wide cycling shoes? The best shoes for wide feet

The shoe comes with a ventilated PU (polyurethane) upper, a two-directional Boa Li2 dial, and a nylon outsole that’s designed to provide a "moderate" level of stiffness. The claimed weight is 240g per shoe - our size 37 pair weighed 441g… so, an irritating to type, 220.5g per shoe – although 37 is a quite a small size. 

Find out more here

Cafe du Cycliste Outlands Shoes - £295

Though Boa dials are superb in fine-tuning your cycling shoes fit, shoes with laces are not going anywhere. They look classic and less like you're about to race, and these Cafe du Cycliste Outlands Shoes are a case in point on this front. 

These hiking-boot-looking gravel shoes boast "a superb connection to your machine and the wilderness that awaits you". Be interesting to see how white the uppers stay after contact with UK 'gravel'.

These have a leather upper, paired with a carbon footbed and rubber outsole for "optimum comfort, stability and power transfer". Off-road shoes are usually a little rugged in design, so these ones have a claimed weight of 370g per (size 43) shoe. Does their performance match their look? We'll need to wait for Jo Burt's review to find out… we'll all be on tenterhooks cos he's not one to rush. Allegedly. 

Find out more here

Trek RSL Knit Road Cycling Shoes  - £399.99

Trek has been very busy with new shoes having released not only one but three new pairs in the last month - and we're reviewing all of them. The RSL Knit are perhaps the most interesting looking of them all - and similarly to the RSL Road and Velocis (below)models released at the same time, these feature what Trek dubs as ‘METNET relief zones’ designed to stretch with your foot to avoid discomfort.

The knitted upper is made from polyester yarn and is designed to be “exceptionally breathable, providing better temperature management and comfort than cycling shoes with a traditional upper,” Trek claims, adding that the fit is "sock-like" and certainly there is some visual resemblance between these shoes and socks. Hopefully they wont' end up smelling like socks, but we'll keep you posted on that.

You get a 100% carbon-fibre outsole that Trek rates 14 out of 14 for stiffness, and closure is handled by two BOA Li2 dials.

Find out more here

Trek Velocis Road Cycling Shoes - £229.99

The Trek Velocis are a little more affordable (compared to the above), yet still performance-oriented road cycling shoes "designed for committed cyclists who need power and comfort on every ride". 

These shoes also have a polyurethane upper, dual BOA Li2 dials, and a similar two-layer system for the stretchy zones as the above RSL Knit. If you're making a shoe that costs less money something has to give somewhere, and one of those things is the sole's stiffness: Trek rates the carbon composite plate a 10 out of 14 in stiffness, although for some people a less stiff sole is not necessarily a bad thing. The Velocis's (or possibly Velocae) are a reasonable weight too, our scales said 255g per shoe on our scales – not bad at all for a pair of size 46. 

Find out more here