I had the Recon 3 shoes before this, which were great, but I wanted a bit stiffer shoe, and thought I'd like the metal BOA dials. The shoes themselves fit great (a little tighter in the heel, etc., which I like, compared to the Recon 3), and are nice and stiff. Note I use these for mtb and gravel. But, the BOA dials are a real problem. After only a couple months (if even that), loosening the dials becomes very problematic. You have to tug on the wire, and even then sometimes they just won't loosen up. I've already warrantied the dials once, just two months ago and already have one that is a big problem again! I've also torn some of the material on the shoe itself, so like others have said the supposedly ultra strong Dyneema doesn't seem that great. I'm sure I hit the shoe on a rock and tore it, but given these shoes are only about 6 months old, and for the price, they don't seem nearly as good as the Recon 3 in terms of durability and wear, and function of the BOA dial, etc.

I will start by saying that the fit of the shoe is excellent. S-Works shoes have always fit my feet very well and these are no exception. They are also stiff and the power transfer is immediate. However, the material leaves a lot to be desired. I had a fall on my first ride in them and it tore a hole on the inside of the right shoe. The shop was willing to sell me another pair at a discount because crashes are not covered under warranty. A $450 bummer.

I saved up for a very long time to purchase these amazing looking shoes. Dreamed of looking like a real racer. They are gorgeous shoes, and felt great in my first ride. I was very disappointed when I went for my next ride as the boa system clogged up and wouldn’t tighten or loosen. After one month and few rides the boa system completely locked up and would only tighten, leaving me stranded with a shoe that was all the way locked. When I tried to loosen the boa it broke completely. This was frustrating to purchase something I wanted for so long to see it work very mediocre. I went ahead and purchased some replacement dials that were 80 dollars. All dials have been grinding and locking and this is unacceptable for a shoe that cost so much. I really wanted to like these shoes and they felt amazing, even giving me faster times on my local trails for the short time they worked. Fix this boa issue and I would say they (we’re briefly) the best mtb/gracel shoe I’ve ever worn. Very sad.

This is my second s-works recon shoe in 1 year. The fit is great, it’s super light and very stiff. Excellent for all MTB riding. Biggest issue is the durability. My first sole cracked in half at the toe box. I replaced it and 1 month later the new shoe lost the rubber grip under the toe.

I have the new S-Works Recon Shoe. This $400 shoe fits well, has the varus wedge, and the metal pro-level Boa S3 snap dial fasteners. They are good shoes except for one issue. The "super-strong Dyneema" shoe last material tore out on my 2nd ride. I had one 0 mph fall over and the Dyneema is delicate as H. It may breathe well and support the foot adequately but it is NOT tough at all. The last time I called Specialized they told me to pound sand so I have not bothered to deal with them again.

The stiffness, performance and looks of my previous high-end road shoes but now I no longer have to worry about getting the cleats dirty and I can walk around comfortably when off the bike. I ride an all-road bike (Specialized Roubaix) on road and light gravel and these are the ultimate performance all-road shoes! The only room for improvement would be switching to a two-way quick release Boa to make taking them off quicker and easier.

Material is very light but not suitable for usage outside nice and clean race tracks; Had a hole on the inner side for a wood stick sucked in by the pedals...it is frustrating to put a patch on a brand new 350KEuro set of shoes!!to less rubber on the lower side , might be very slippery (and dangerous) if you have to push on hard pack and loose stones uphills (any idea how it looks when you're stuck on a trail around finale ligure????). For the money spent i will run them until repaired/seald sections will be more than original partsl but i could not recommend them for 'hard XCC' purposes

The new Recon is a major advancement over the previous generation. No more offset tongue! But the color options are severely lacking. Specialized used to offer great shoes that stood out (remember all those awesome S Works 6 shoes). Really wish they had more color choices like the old sky blue or limon. Now everything is taupe or hipster

These are the best cycling shoes I have ever owned. Very light and stiff. Great quality, materials and attention to detail. They fit my foot well.

These shoes are hard to not like. Light as a feather and fit like a slipper. The walking surface could be better, but I can get around that. The only complaints are the BOAs are fragile. They will get busted on crashes and also get filled with gunk. I’ve replaced mine at least four time last now, and thank goodness BOA sends them. Once you bust the top ones, you can’t use the tongue loops, but I haven’t had issue with that. I’ll buy another pair!

Lightweight comfortable shoe. Very minimalist design. Only concern was that I felt one ride in and the carbon sole would take a lot of damage if walking in marble size gravel. Also the BOA design, although nice looking, appeared to be a bit fragile for my ride style.

Rejected. The upper in toe box constructed from pliable and non-pliable parts. On right foot the 5th metatarsal fits exactly on the border of both materials. This causes acute pain. Left foot is better - my 5th metatarsal positioned about 4mm closer to the heel. So. Shoes standing on wardrobe. Waiting for another upper. Also I changed my mind about taking the torch - stick to Ares.

Super comfortable and good looking. The downside is that the carbon on the bottom got torn to bits after just the first ride. So they won’t look pretty after a few uses.

I've been mountain biking since the mid eighties. I find this to be the most difficult shoe I've ever owned to click in and out of SPD pedals. The cleat is mounted on a protrusion on the bottom of the shoe which inhibits fast entry in tricky situations. I thought I would get used to it quickly, but I've ridden them for months now and little improvement. Very disappointed.

Beautiful shoes. Fits well even with my wide feet. Feels great on the bike.

Light, stiff and still comfortable! Not my first works shoe and definitely not my last on either! Fit didn’t seem to have changed from my 2018 sworks xc or 2021 sworks road…

The performance and fit of this shoe is great. The boa cable broke after two months of use. Yes, it’s warranted by boa. LBS does not carry replacements. But, boa does not have the silver in stock. (White shoes) They’re sending me the black dial. That’s not cool for a two month old $450 shoe. No shoes to ride with for over a week. Additionally, the boas are stiff and are difficult to unwind. This started only after one week of use. I have to wonder how often the cable will break. I bike pack often. What if a cable breaks while in the middle of nowhere? Please, someone at Specialized contact me with a solution. Maybe specific care ideas for the boa to keep it working properly. Considering returning for the lace version.

White version of an off-road shoe: check Old school lace-up for us 50+ riders: check Super light and stiff enough: check Since cycling trends change too fast once I find something that really works for me, I bought an additional pair of these because I love them that much. Well done S-Works... please don't ever retire this model!

Look like great shoes except the exclusion of toe cleats, excluding their use for (muddy) cyclocross. Disappointing.

Overall it’s a great shoe: lightweight, easy to slip on/off with the two boas. However the insole is made of very hard cellular foam. This has caused my feet to go numb after 10min due to the metatarsal button pressing too hard. I have a pair of Torch 2.0 where I didn’t have this issue and swapped the insole with them to solve the issue.

This is my second gravel biking season on the hills of middle Iowa where it gets hot and humid in the summer. Last summer I only did one or two bike rides that were 50 miles or longer and one of those was on a cool, rainy day. My cleats (Shimanos) felt great, I was happy with my introductory pair of shoes, but they aren't gravel cleats, they don't breathe and they are narrow (which, ordinarily isn't an issue for my foot). However, this summer I've been biking longer, am able to attack hills more aggressively and it gets hot and humid. I did one bike event that was 50 miles and my right foot was in agony by mile 38 and by mile 45 it felt like my toes were ballooning inside my shoe - I had serious doubts I would be able to finish the ride and that, when I did stop and take off my cleat, my foot would be puffy, black and blue and potentially with a stress fracture. To my astonishment, as soon as I unclipped and walked around, my foot was pain free. When I took off my cleats about 30 minutes later, there was no puffiness. After a lot of research and shoe review reading, I decided my feet simply had swelled from the heat and pressure of climbs but had no room to expand. I narrowed my search for a new cleat to this model of Sworks and a lace-up option. Given the muddiness of our region, I quickly decided lace-ups would be a mess to maintain (not to mention try and untie after a muddy ride) and went with the SWorks. They have been great! I've done several 50+ miles rides, a 100K and my feet are happy. I still wear my Shimano's for shorter rides but love these Sworks.

Probably the most supple and comfortable Specialized S Works shoe I have ever worn. I absolutely love these over any other shoe. I’m glad I got them, but they are pricey.

I'm in love with my Sworks Torch road shoes and couldn't wait to get my hands on these. I don't know if it was a manufacturing issue or a design difference, but the size 44.5 I received was significantly larger (tongue was much longer too) than the size 44.5 Sworks Torch. This being the case, I ordered a size 44 and they were too small. Maybe it was a one off issue, but what I received didn't work for me.

Nice fit for narrow foot, light, stiff and efficient. After only 4 months of use though the sole had no tread left - none! Many of the 4 months included trainer miles on an indoor trainer so it wasn’t exposed to rocks, mud , grit, etc. For the money , I would expect better. I’ll be taking receipt and shoes back for warranty

If you're old enough to remember glueing treads onto you road bike shoes for XC racing, then you know exactly what these shoes are! Specialized completely revamped the design here and dropped the painful heel cup. In addition the worthless strap is gone and the the toe box is mapped to the shape of foot. The fit is similar to a great pair of boots: wrapped snugly from the ball of the foot back, but plenty of room in the toes. The downside is that the is absolutely no armor on these shoes, so beware if you riding them for XC. In spite of that these are my choice for XC endurance MTB racing. I also suggest added the Specialized aftermarket footbed. It's a nominal cost and makes a noticeable improvement.

Appreciate widened toe box and appropriate body-geometry advances! New, “Cactus Bloom” color pattern is bright & alive!

Love these shoes. I have difficult feet (bunyons and hammer toe) and these are flexible enough to be comfortable. Yet great power transmission

Wore these shoes one time to break in before 100 mile gravel race - awesome shoe! Easy to break in - shoe felt great.

Awesome shoes thanks 😎🤙

Night and day difference to the outgoing s-works recon. gone is the upper/tongue issue that plagues many users where it all "digs in" to the tendon at the front of the ankle. the toe box is nice and roomy without being too big. fit is great, sole is STIFF, heel cup and counter is more forgiving than the previous too. All in all - brilliant shoes.

These shoes are great! I had the previous S-Works recon shoes and they were good shoes but were a bit narrow and had a spot that dug into my ankle. These shoes are super comfortable and the new design is amazing.