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TECH NEWS
First Look: Shimano RT5 road shoes with recessed cleats
If you want a cycling shoe that has the appearance and style of a sleek high-performance road shoe but with a recessed cleat for easy walking, there are a small handful of options available to you, and you can now add the new Shimano RT5 shoes to the shortlist. We’ve just got a pair in for review so here’s a first look before we get testing them.
Shimano unveiled a new Explorer Collection last summer which “fuses technology-driven performance and minimalist urban styling” and includes shoes, gloves, shorts, jerseys and trousers. The RT5 shoes here (there are also the lace-up RT4) look like a pretty normal road shoe from the outside, with three velcro straps and a perforated synthetic upper, and the thoughtful addition of some reflective details on the strap and heel. As one person on our Instagram pointed out, they look a bit like Rapha’s Climbing shoes, which isn’t a bad compliment at all.
Turn the shoe over and there’s no ultra stiff low profile carbon sole with a road-style three-bolt cleat drilling here. Instead, it’s a glass fibre sole with a recessed two-bolt drilling that’ll accept Shimano’s mountain bike SPD cleat system (other pedal systems are available) with the raised tread sections ensuring you can walk without fear of slippage. It’s not an aggressive sole like you get on a mountain bike shoe, they’re not intended for walking in muddy conditions, but getting around town, the office or cafes without slipping up and spilling your flat white. There’s a good range of fore-aft cleat adjustment so setting up should be a doddle.
That all makes them well suited to commuting, Audax, touring and, we think, potentially bikepacking and adventure riding, which is obviously on the rise and raises some interesting kit debates. And of course, there’s no reason why you can’t use them on a road bike in place of conventional road focused shoes. There’s a visual similarity to the Specialized Audax shoes I tested last year, but those had a regular three-bolt cleat sole so they fell down in the walking test because they don’t have a recessed cleat like the Shimano RT5 shoes here. Using a mountain bike shoe has long been a popular option for road cyclists that want the convenience and practicality of a recessed cleat, but Shimano has cottoned on to the needs of road cyclists before with its own RT82 shoe, which has been a popular model over the years.
These are a size 45 and the fit feels, well perfect really. Shimano also offers wide version if you have, um, big feet… And as well as these bright blue shoes, the company’s signature colour, more subtle black and navy colours are also available. Weight on the scales for one shoe is 378g, Shimano claims 317g for a size 42. Sizes are available from 36 to 48. The last bit of info you probably want is the price? They’re £89.99 and available now from all good bike shops. Stay tuned for a review soon.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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17 comments
Smurf clogs
I bought these as I wanted some road shoes that could handle a bit of walking, take a two bolt cleat and not be mtb shoes (harder to get in overshoes).
Looks are subjective and I like them, I wanted something a bit retro like the Giro Empire.
After a weeks commuting to wear them in I've used them for the Audax UK National 400 and just finished London-Edinburgh-London. I'm a bit ouzzled by Amazon's quote above about them looking hard to clean as I bought because the material looked wipe clean! I haven't bothered with overshoes unless ots proper rain as they do a good job of staying dry.
In summary, comfy and efficient enough for long rides, good weather resistance and not suicidal walking on a wet floor. I'm very happy with them.
I bought a black pair to supplement my ageing RT81's, which have been a fantastic workhorse, 18k miles and still in good condition. Taking the RT5's out of the box, they felt and looked cheap and nasty, and the odd microfibre material looked like it would last about 5 miles, be impossible to clean and disintegrate in the rain. Sent them straight back.
I think there's a nice looking shoe under those velcro straps...
They look just a bit odd...
I use RT82s on my commute/endurance road bike and love them - the recessed cleats are so much more convenient for walking about - though I'd prefer Look pedals for the more solid feel when riding.
These don't look any better than the RT82 (I'm not much a fan of the RT82 look anyway as they don't have very clean lines).
I don't know why they didn't take the clean design of the RP5 and add a recessed cleat. The funny look around the nose and lack of ratchet puts me off these shoes
They look like a cackhanded student made them for a project
Had a pair for a couple of months now, pretty much nailed what I need for commuting. I wouldn't go as far as walking around town in them - not quite enough grip for that, occasionally slip a bit on polished floors, bit too rigid. Perfect for negotiating train stations & walking from building to bike rack, coffee stops etc., and I've comfortably put a few 80km-ish rides in with them.
Do what they claim to, I've got the bright blue ones (visibility/matching kit) and I'm tempted to get the grey RT4s as well for something more sober.
Fabric does mark quite easily if you clip the front tyre, but that's the only fault I can pick.
I quite like them. They remind me of the specialized audax shoe as well. I'd consider them had they used three bolt cleats, although I guess that defeats their purpose.
Fizik M3b. Look like a road shoe, perform like an mtb shoe. Quite pretty too. Nicer than this tosh, anyway.
I'm about to sell my M3b's, they're just a little too narrow for my feet, look nice though. Gone for the S-Works 6XC instead which really delivers in terms of comfort and performance.
I hear this a lot. Mainly about fi'zi:k and Sidi. Do Italians ALL have tiny little narrow feet?
Not bad at 58 quid from wiggle https://cheapestbikeparts.com?terms=shimano+rt5
So what you're getting is a pair of 2/3 bolt road shoes with a pair of these on:
https://www.evanscycles.com/shimano-spd-cleat-stabilising-adapters-EV148476
I have a pair of Diadora ones set up like this for spinning classes - also occasionally used for commuting.
Pricey for a bit of plastic though. Adds a few mm to the stack height too, which might not be ideal.
I've been riding Specialized Sport Road shoes for a few years with two-bolt SPDs. Perfect for commuting, stiff enough, and I don't suffer any hot spots etc. I do like the look of the lace up RT4s, but have never seen a pair in a shop. Wonder where they're stocked.
This type of shoe makes a lot of sense.
I've been wondering for a while about chopping-in my carbon Ultegra road pedals for some A600s. I currently have quite a collection, and suspect many others are in a similar position:
- Good road shoes - most riding on my road bike
- Old road shoes - commuting on my road bike
- Winter road boots - winter riding on my road bike
- XC MTB shoes - most riding on my gravel bike and MTB
- Winter MTB boots - winter riding on my gravel bike & MTB
- Casual/Downhill style MTB shoes - commuting on my Brompton, family rides on the MTB or gravel bike, etc..
I could drop 3 pairs of shoes in exchange for one pair like this. I like the little bulges on the sole either side of the cleats - that would make walking & standing a lot easier, and whilst I don't race, I would like to see a slightly stiffer sole for fast road riding. In my opinion the RT4 is nicer looking than the RT5. Would be interested to know if there is a slightly more performance oriented RT7 or similar in the pipeline...?
You're not kidding, really ugly. They look like first draft prototype slipper shoes.
Seems like they're over thinking it a bit. Why not take one of the brands most popular road shoe and just add a recessed 2 bolt sole?
So they're gripless MTB shoes. Ugly ones too.