Shimano
I have held off several years on replacing my prior Shimano RC301 (?) wide fit shoes for fear of how difficult it has been in the past to find a suitable wide-fit shoe - to the point my old ones were held together with super glue and the cleats could not be removed. My skepticism peaked when I held the RC701 next to my old shoes and noted they were on a slightly narrower last. However, now that I have now put a couple of hundred miles on them, I note that the uppers are supple and super adjustable for a perfect fit, the heel conforms well and the power transfer on the sole is as good as any shoe. I guess I should not have waited so long!
I got my MW 701 Winter shoes today. They are precisely what I was looking for. They fit perfectly, a size higher than my normal shoes (including my normal biking shoes), which can accommodate heavy insulated socks or a layering of socks when it gets really cold. But today I took a 30 mile ride in 40 degree temperature, one pair of ordinary socks, and my feet were comfortable the entire ride. As compared to a 35 mile ride last week, similar temp, my ordinary biking shoes with insulated socks, 2 layers. The ordinary bike shoe is vented, these new Shimano's are not. I didn't have any problem putting the shoes on, tightening them, clipping to pedals with SPD clips, or taking them off at the end of the ride. Plus they were on sale this past week.
I really like these shoes. Great fit , lightweight and look good. Here are the cons: hard to get on, the boa straps are not real smooth when releasing and a little hard to get off. The cons are all about their convenience but once they are on and you are riding they are a great shoe. I have a pair of s-phire road shoe and they have a similar fit but not quite the quality, but hey they are half the price. Performance wise they are on the level of the s-phire.
Very comfortable. The single boa works well and produces even pressure. Weight of my size 45 is 604g for the pair without cleats. The stiff sole doesn't cause an issue when walking; it seems about the same as my previous shoes. The shape of the rubber pads on the shoe match the shape of my Shimano M8020 XT pedals.
