ShimanoRC701 Road Shoe(Return to Product Page)

Purchased after getting too much toe and foot burn with some high end Sidis. More room in toe box with these. Doing well after 1000 miles and an Ironman. Boa dials are nice.

double boa helps grip foot where needed.

very easy to adjust mid ride.

stiff sole.

good ventilation.

there is a slit on the tongue of the shoe which needs to be centered at all times, if not circulation would be restricted.

overall good shoe.

I love this design. I love the twisty thingies and didn't want new shoes to have velcro. This was the verdict. Slick in looks, design, and function. I can get my foot snug. I would probably do a half size smaller next time, but I will definitely buy again

I really appreciate the dual adjuster on each shoe. It helps me get the perfect fit. It also offers the ability to adjust the toe separately from the top strap. It is exactly what I wanted.

They are amazing and definitely recommend them

Shimano shoes fit my feet well and these are no exception. They loosened up quickly and I really like how easy and precise the Boa closures are.

Light, sturdy yet comfortable, love the Boa dials (will never go back to Velcro).

Im impossible to fit in road shoes. These are the best Ive worn yet, and Ive tried all the high end shoes. Feel soft, but plenty firm in the soles for power transfer. Highly recommend.

I initially bought a pair of SIDI Genius 7 road shoes since I have only used SIDI for my mountain biking and found them to be very comfortable. The SIDI Genius were exceptional except for one problem- The Cleat adjustment in the sole did not allow me to place the Cleats far enough backwards. I wanted the place the cleats as far back to allow proper alignment on the pedal. Most carbon soles only have 3 holes without any fore-aft adjustments.

After a lot of research and most of all, the expert help from BTD staff, they directed me to the Shimano SH-RC7 road shoes. As others have mentioned, they are

-Super comfortable from day one

-Very adjustable with the dial system

-Very stiff Carbon sole

-Very light weight- lighter than the SIDI genius

The biggest advantage for me was the Fore-Aft adjustment on the Carbon Sole. It allows you to adjust the cleat placement a lot more than many other carbon sole shoes. If you want to place your cleats farther back for more power transfer, then this shoe will allow you to do this.

Comfortable, light well built carbon shoes. Great value for the money. I got about 1,000 miles on them and they feel great. Big fan of the BOA system.

I have been wearing Shimano shoes at this price point for 15 years. These are definitley the best version yet.

I bought this pair just before Thanksgiving last year. I'm happy to say that they are spot on in comfort, fit, and durabilty. They are light weight and the soles allow for adjustable placements of the cleats. The boa dial is neat and with a twist you may adjust the fit to your needs. I especially like that with just a pull on the boa dial it releases it's tension and you slide your foot easily out of the shoe. Or you may reset the tension should you require a loose fit.Unfortunately I have no experience with other shoes so my opinion is biased. But,rest assured that if this were to be your first road shoes purchase, I'm sure you'd buy these shoes again.My humble opinion of course.

Bought these for my wife. We both wear the mtb version off road. Great fit and plenty stiff. I sense zero flex for my 185lbs. My only quibble is that they didnt put the cats-tongue fabric on the heal of the RC as they did on the XC version.

Good looks but delicate

Comfortable, light, well built carbon shoes. Great value for the money. I got about 1,000 miles on them and they feel great. Big fan of the BOA system.

This shoe is a decent mid level shoe. Stiff, stylish and fairly breathable. The only thing I don't love is the tongue. If you are in a rush to get them on (like in a tri) you might have issues cause it's thin and could bunch up. Last little issue is with the boa. You can only tighten. If you over tighten you will need to pop it and start all over. The higher level shimano allows you to adjust in both directions but you will pay a lot more for that luxury.

Had long postponed replacing my worn-out Shimano R088Ls purely due to dread of the process of buying shoes on-line (have limited shopping choices locally). Wanted to stick with Shimano brand as they have a wide toe box and (I hoped) consistent sizing across their model lines over the years (as needed for my existing custom orthotics to fit into the new shoes). I bought the same size as my old shoes and got a good fit with my orthotics. Being used to old style Velcro straps and ratchet latching systems I had doubts about the Boa system. First look at my new shoes didn’t reduce these doubts as the Boa loops seemed so thin and delicate. Checking out the Boa website convinced me that the wire loops would be more than strong enough. After about 1000 miles of riding with these RC701s I’ve concluded that these are excellent shoes. I’m very happy with this purchase.

Constructed similarly to the S-Phyres, the RS701's are very well made, look extremely durable. Unfortunately I can't use them. As SteveB commented, putting them on is a problem. With the stock insoles, it isn't too bad, but thicker insoles or the orthotics I must use make getting them on extremely difficult. And you end up with your socks pulled tight against the ends of your toes, a real problem if you have hammertoes as I do. So I can't use them. Anybody planning/needing to use anything other than the stock inserts may have this problem.

This is not an issue with S-Phyres because they have two-piece uppers which wrap over each other; the RC701's have a three piece setup: Left, Right, and Tongue. Unfortunately the S-Phyres cost about twice as much as the RC701's.

I got these a half size bigger than normal as my feet seem to be swelling a bit more as I age. So, these are really great shoes right out of the box. I was a little concerned about the stiffness as the soles aren't 100% carbon. But they say they are a 10 on the Shimano scale. Whatever that actually means!

I do have to say that I like these BOA mechanisms far better than the ones that were on a pair of Specialized shoes I had. I think the technology has just evolved. The fine tuning is great and the way the second BOA wraps over the top of the foot ensure a really great fit. I love these shoes!

I am a dedicated (app 4000 mi/yr) older cyclist. These are the most expensive road shoes I have ever purchased, and the first time I wore them on the bike I could tell they are the best - the soles are quite stiff but comfortable and through their stiffness seem to give a boost to each pedal stroke. Once they are on my feet, they are a pleasure to wear on the bike, but getting them on my feet is harder than it should be. With the BOA-secured strap across the top of the shoe, there is not much of an opening to get your foot in, and it can be quite difficult to get hold of the tongue of the shoe and keep it from getting pushed into the shoe by the foot going in. The opening needs to be made larger or the tongue longer or both. A person has to wonder how much actual testing of the shoe was done before the design was finalized.