ShimanoSH-RC7E Wide Road Shoe(Return to Product Page)

I've been wearing SIDI shoes since the days when you nailed the cleats on and they used shoe laces. I always loved them and still do. But, as I've gotten older, maybe my feet have gotten more sensitive andor I've grown less tolerant to suffering through long break in periods where I had pressure points, especially on the outside top part of my forefoot. My last new pair of SIDI's is less than 6 months old and on rides longer than a couple of hours, the pain in my feet was barely tolerable. I decided it was time to try something else. Reading a bunch of reviews of the Shimano SH-RC7E shoe, and seeing a great price at BTD, I decided to give them a go. I've not been sorry.

The BOA closure is quick and easy and you can dial in a perfect tension so that the shoe is snug but not biting into your foot. It's easy to dial in a little more or less pressure while you're riding so your feet stay comfortable and the shoes are the right tension for the terrain or riding intensity. These shoes are plenty stiff in the soles, as you'd expect of carbon. The uppers, while very supportive and solid, are not cardboard like and despite their plasticsynthetic materials and appearance, are unexpectedly comfortable. I got the wide version because of pain on the top, outer portion of my forefoot that I experienced with the narrower toe box of my SIDI shoes. I've used cleat wedges as directed to help with that but the Shimano shoes don't cause the agony on longer rides that I experienced with my SIDI's. Bottom line is that if these shoes fit you well, they're great cycling shoes at a pretty affordable price. I wouldn't hesitate to use these for racing or any kind of road riding. I personally prefer these shoes over my SIDI's, which cost twice as much.

Amazing stiffness in the sole. Wonderfully made quality shoe. Is a real bargain in the mid $100 range. Unfortunately i had to return because they caused pain in my right foot. I typically wear a 10-10.5 EE shoe. Ordered these in a 45. Quite long but width was right on.

I use these shoes on my racy road bike. My motivation to buy these shoes was out of a desire for comfort more so than stiffness. These shoes fit my wide feet well and allow me to ride comfortably for more than 3 hours. The stiffness is all there though! On my climbs I feel little to no flex and can take comfort in the fact that those watts are going straight to the rear wheel. In summary a stylish racing shoe with ample comfort for those of us with feet wider than a ballet dancer ( I have tried on multiple pairs of shoes from different makers, constantly disappointed in how narrow they make their shoes).

Being a novice it was important to me to purchase a quality shoe. I have a wide foot so comfort and fit were primary factors in my decision to purchase this product. After some research I decided to try the RC7E wide. Not only does it provide great comfort and fit it looks great as well. The single boa enclosure and velcro wrap are more than adequate to ensure a snug fit. The shoe is very light weight and the sole is relatively stiff. The uppers are easy to clean . I'd say , that this shoe fits my needs perfectly. My advice also is to buy quality socks as they tend to help attain feet comfort. Bike tires direct pricing is competitive with other sites and I plan to purchase more products in the future.

Great shoes! Roomy toe box, lightweight, and stiff.

These were my first Shimano road shoes, having previously ridden Specialized Elites and Audmax. The Shimano were a perfect fit right out of the box without any need for custom insoles. I was fortunate to get these on sale and couldn't be happier. I use Speedplay pedals so I did have to buy an adapter plate for the cleats, but not a big deal, though they will add about $35 to your ultimate cost. I wish Shimano would provide the adapter for Speedplay cleats with shoe purchase.

Love these shoes. I usually wear a 43E and sometimes 43EEE. These shoes fit great. The toe box is roomy and the shoes are stiff, high quality, and the BOA enclosure is a dream.

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.

Nice fit light weight and the sizing is what it says.

I have only used this shoe inside so far this year, so my review is only based on trainer rides. The shoe fits very well. Usually I have issues with new shoes but this one the fit was great at the start. My only problem I have seen so far is the tongue. The tongue falls into the shoe when I put them on. I have learned to completely unbuckle the shoe and even undue the larger Velcro to stop this. This procedure might cause the buckle or Velcro to wear out sooner, but only time will tell.

I've worn these the last four months now, so really broken them in and got used to them. I'm writing a review in part because of the review that complains about the lip. The lip is very close to the buckle, but for me at least this has been no problem. My first ride was 3 hours and I had no discomfort. Since then, they've been great. The shoes feel very tight to the pedals, so there's a wonderful power transfer, and they are very aero. I'm really happy with these shoes.

Also, from my experience, they run 0.5 size big. I went from a 42.5 to a 42 with these. I had to return my original order to do so, but that's never a problem with BTD. Great service.

Picked up (and reviewed) the 321's prior to these, and those put my feet into a new level of bliss while riding. Figured I'd use some points and get the little brother down the road for bad weatherbackup.

The little brother model is barely a little brother, they are also awesome. Fit is the same as the 321, I'm a 10.5 US, I went with 45's in the Shimano's, no issues.

Sole stiffness seems to be the same, I have no hot spots at all.

The 171 isn't as ventilated as the 321, so that could be nice come cooler weather, but I can't say I noticed either way so far.

Weights feel about the same.

Great shoes, if you're never going to heat mold the 321's, these will save you some cash and get you pretty darn close in features.

This road shoe has a nice wide toe box, however, the shoe tongue does not extend far enough to prevent the sharp edge of the outer top strap from biting into the top of your foot.

These are wonderful cycling shoes approximate 500 miles in them. Wider toe box than my Sidi's and Mavic's which I find more comfortable. I feel more pedaling efficiency (as proclaimed) with these shoes than previously mentioned shoes. The lining is very plush adding to the comfort. The adjustable placement for the ratchet buckle across the top of your foot really helps dial them in, so make sure you try both settings. It was tough not buying the 321's since I paid more my Sidi's but I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the moldable insole, so the 171's made more sense and are working out great.

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.