Shimano RP4 SPD-SL Shoes

The cheapest of Shimano's line-up of Boa-dial road shoes, the RP4s are snug, comfortable and easy to live with. There's a tiny amount of flex in the fibreglass-reinforced soles, but it's barely noticeable in use, and they're bang-on in the value-for-money stakes.

• Pros: Boa closure for on-the-fly adjustment, snug fit from moulded upper
• Cons: Non-replaceable heel pad

With a fibreglass-reinforced sole, a moulded synthetic leather upper, single-dial Boa closure and overall snug, foot-cradling fit, the RP4s might be the third-from-bottom in Shimano's road shoe line-up, but they're still a decent pair of performance shoes for all-day rides.

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Your foot is held firmly but comfortably in place by a pair of Velcro straps at the front and a wide, slightly offset strap over the top that's adjusted with a Boa dial. In effect the Boa dial replaces the ratchet closure that used to be common on shoes in this price bracket, but provides finer adjustment of the tension, and is easier to release to either take the shoes off or tweak the tension as you ride.

There are as many ways of deploying Boa dials as there are cycling shoe makers. Some use a single dial and have the Boa wire do the job of laces, pulling together the entire upper. Others combine one or two dials with a Velcro strap or two, so different parts of the shoe can be adjusted independently, while still others achieve that with a pair of dials. We're not aware of any three-dial shoes, but what are the odds a shoe designer isn't beavering away on such a beast right now? And while most put the dial on the upper outboard side of the shoe, we've seen them right on top and even out the back.

What Shimano has done here is arguably the simplest way of using a Boa closure, because the shoe ends up very similar to a ratchet-buckle design, but with the lighter and more convenient dial in place of the buckle.

And it works well. Slip them on, cinch the Velcro, turn the dial till it's snug and away you go. I didn't feel the need to faff with the adjustment at all after that and in fact at the end of one ride found I hadn't tightened up one dial very much at all, but it hadn't mattered because the overall fit was so good the shoe had just stayed in place without any fuss.

And that's how the RP4s are: fuss-free. They just get on with the job of transmitting muscle power to pedal, without drawing attention to themselves all the time.

Stiffness

We make, in my opinion, too much fuss about sole stiffness. Shape matters far more because you want the force you apply through your feet to be spread evenly to avoid uncomfortable pressure points. When Fizik first got into cycling shoes its – very stiff – soles had a high arch that meant they only fitted a small percentage of riders well. Riding in them quickly became painful, for some.

Fortunately, the sole of the RP4s is really well-shaped and complemented by a firm insole that helps support your whole foot. Very sporty riders might want a stiffer sole, but the small amount of flex didn't bother me at all, and I suspect that for longer rides it actually helps a bit with foot comfort.

Details

Shimano has done a good job with the detailing of the RP4s. There's a soft backing to the microfibre upper that's comfortable even with very thin socks or, indeed, no socks at all. Perforations cover the upper to help keep your feet cool, and the sole has a substantial vent under the toes.

Rubber pads under the toes and heel help with walking, though the toe pad is quite small. I'm tempted to coat them both with a sacrificial layer of Shoe Goo, especially the left toe. That's my touch-down-at-stops foot and shoes always wear there fastest for me.

The upper is perfectly shaped round the heel for me. There's enough padding that it's comfortable, but your heel is securely held in place with no lift or movement.

The sole is only compatible with three-bolt cleats, so you'll have to look elsewhere if you want to run road-style shoes with two-bolt SPD cleats.

Rivals

For £115 you can grab a pair of DMT D5s, with a very similar combination of fibreglass-reinforced sole, moulded upper and Boa closure, though the D5s use the Boa wire to cinch the entire upper.

The Bontrager Circuit shoes that we tested a while back are still available for a hundred quid, and perform well for the money, though they're a little heavier than the RP4s.

> Buyer's Guide: Cycling shoes – find the right ones for you

If you're a bit strapped for cash, you can get dhb's Aeron Carbon shoes for just £70, while if you want to spend a bit more you've so many options it's silly, but I'd suggest you take a good look at the Fizik R4B shoes.

Conclusion

It's hard to get too excited about mid-level shoes like these. They don't have the featherweight wow factor of shoes like the Specialized S-Works EXOS, but on the other hand they're not 450 quid. Nor do they get the 'amazing value for money' kudos of some cheaper shoes. Rather, the RP4s are good, workmanlike cycling shoes that'll do you very nicely for long rides, sportives and maybe even your first race if you don't want to spend silly money on shoes. They're not thrilling, but they're perfectly good at doing what they're supposed to.

Verdict

Decent-value endurance-riding shoes with a sound combination of Boa dial, synthetic upper, and fibreglass-reinforced sole