Shimano RP5 SPD-SL road shoe

We brought you news of Shimano's new range of road cycling shoes last summer, and we've been testing a couple of models from it, we've already reviewed the impressive RP900 race shoe and now it's the turn of these, the RP5 SPD-SL road shoes, which are – in Shimano's words – "built for endurance events". They're an excellent pair of cycling kicks, offering both 2-bolt and 3-bolt cleat compatibility, and I found them so comfortable that I tended to forget about them while riding.

The RP5 (or RP500 – they seem to be called both) is available in either black or white – no garish Euro colours here – and the uppers are made of a synthetic leather with a rather unusual dimpled finish. It reminds me rather of a certain brand of posh wheels and maybe because of this, I think it looks rather good – in the flesh these look like more expensive shoes than they actually are.

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Shimano makes no claims about the dimples giving any aerodynamic advantage, but it certainly makes for a different aesthetic to the competition, and even the rest of the range. The material is very easy to clean too, at least in our tested black colour – just a quick wipe was enough to get it looking like new again.

The sole is made primarily of glass-fibre reinforced nylon, with a carbon fibre plate beneath where the cleat mounts to provide additional stiffness here. You can get full-carbon soles at this price point, but mostly you're looking at non-carbon composite material as used here.

Carbon gives more stiffness in a thinner and lighter sole, but is also more expensive to produce. Here, the use of a glass-fibre sole makes for a shoe that's a bit heavier and less stiff than full-on racewear, but this doesn't claim to be a race shoe. Using a smaller piece of bona fide carbon under the cleat is a smart move – this is where the most concentrated forces are experienced and the shoe feels plenty stiff here.

Grab the RP5/500 from both ends and apply some force and you can make it bend to an extent that you wouldn't be able to with most carbon-soled shoes. The theory is that a stiff sole means all of your pedalling forces go straight into the cranks, and if you've ever tried pedalling hard in some really soft-soled shoes (such as a pair of Vans slip-ons) then you'll know it doesn't feel as efficient. However, in stiffness terms, the RP5s are much closer to a race shoe than they are to a pair of Vans, and the reduced stiffness wasn't something I really noticed when riding.

Comfort is an area where I found the RP5s really excel. I haven't always got on with Shimano shoes in the past (even the posh ones that you can heat-mould), but these shoes fitted my feet brilliantly. They are slightly unusual in that despite being a relatively slim fit, there's acres of room in the toe-box – more than in any other road shoes I can remember using. Shoes can be quite a personal thing, like saddles, so it's worth trying on a few brands to see whose geometry suits your feet, but these certainly worked for me; I've used them on all-day rides without any issues.

The RP5 uses a couple of Velcro straps and a ratchet – a pretty common arrangement. Unusually, the ratchet itself is on the end of the top strap, rather than fixed to the outside of the shoe. The main benefit of this arrangement is that one-handed removal is easier than with the ratchet the other way around. The strap has a couple of mounting points, allowing some minor customisation of its position.

You can use these shoes with either 3-bolt (road-style) or 2-bolt (mountain bike-style) cleats. They work a bit better with road cleats as the mounting surface is flat, not recessed into the tread like a mountain bike shoe. This means that if you fit 2-bolt cleats they're a bit unstable to walk in. Fitting some Shimano cleat stabiliser plates improve matters, but for use with SPD pedals I'd generally opt for an SPD shoe. That said, it's nice to have the flexibility to fit either – something that only a minority of shoes offer.

There's a decent chunky rubber grip under the heel – not replaceable but substantial enough that it should last – and a rubber bumper at the front too.

> Check out our guide to the best performance road shoes here

The RP5 is a well-ventilated shoe, with various vents in the sole and on the top. I've been mostly testing them in the winter, but I reckon they'd be just fine in the warmer months. Finally, there's a small but well-positioned reflective detail on the heel.

The weight is acceptable rather than outstanding – bear in mind these were tested in a size 48. The pricing is pretty decent too – a lot of features in these shoes have trickled down from more expensive Shimano models from previous years, with the absence of a full-carbon sole (and attendant weight penalty) the only real indicator that they are not a top-end shoe.

Verdict

Very comfortable and smart-looking road shoes for a decent price – recommended