By Price: $425
Weight: 1.3 lb./pair (size 42, claimed)
Style: Women’s mountain bike
The right shoe for: Mixed terrain, gravel, XC mountain biking, cyclocross, crushing off road climbs
These new off-road shoes from Specialized are like having a little e-bike motor strapped to your feet. Only they’re always on and you never have to recharge them. Pedaling up a tough, rutted, persistently 15 to 20 percent double track grinder (and trying to make it look effortless as I passed my friend), I was amazed by how easily I could put down more power without doing more work because these shoes don’t waste a watt.
The magic is largely in the materials. At the bottom, where the ped meets the pedal, the outsole is Specialized’s stiffest, lightest FACT carbon footplate. The company constructed the upper using insanely light and strong Dyneema Mesh, a fiber that is considered one of the strongest materials in the world—reportedly 15 times stronger than steel, yet light enough to float on water.
The Recons also keep your foot firmly in place via Specialized’s PadLock heel construction, which prevents even a smidge of slipping from the heel, improving power transfer and acceleration.
They also have a nice roomy toe box, which is key for long days on the dirt. The sole and footbed incorporate Specialized’s Body Geometry design, which the company claims reduces injury risk, improves efficiency, and, of course, boosts power.
With great power, however, comes a price. At $425, the Recons are not cheap. At all. However, my past experience with Specialized S-Works shoes is that they’re extremely durable, lasting several seasons of seriously hard wear. I would expect these shoes to last a long time.
Because they’re so stiff and power-oriented in their construction, they also may not be 100 percent comfy right out of the box. Mine actually hurt where the stiff collar of the shoe pressed too snugly under the ankle on the outside. I broke them in like you would a good pair of hiking boots, and within about a half dozen rides, they were completely comfortable.
Specialized claims the Recons are the fastest shoes on dirt. After more than 200 miles hammering away on mixed terrain, I’m inclined to believe the claim is legit.
The S-Works Recon is Specialized’s Flagship Off-Road Shoe
There’s nothing like the new S-Works Recon in Specialized’s Recon lineup. The former Recon Mixed Terrain Shoes are nice, but they’re lace-up, made of synthetic leather, and are now being sold for $90, a fraction of the original price. The next closest shoe is the S-Works 6 XC Mountain Bike Shoe, which retails for $400.
specialized S-Works Recon Shoes
Lots of Features to Help Your Feet Perform Great Feats
You’d expect a pair of $425 shoes to spare no details, and the Recons deliver in that regard. They’re dressed with Boa closures, which isn’t anything new these days. But the style of Boa they use most definitely is, and it’s a most welcome upgrade.
The Recons stay put using two alloy Boa S3 Snap dials, which are unique to Specialized and are not only noticeably lighter than other Boa setups, but also allow you to make the teeniest micro-adjustments, either snugger or looser, on the fly. Like other Boas, the S3s are backed by a lifetime guarantee.
Though these shoes are designed to shine brightest while you’re on your bike, the sole is outfitted to keep you moving when you have to hit the ground running (or hike-a-biking). The sole has tread under the heel, toe, and the ball of the foot is made from Specialized’s SlipNot rubber, which in my experience works best after being scuffed in a little over a few wears. There are also two removable toe studs for extra grip when the going is especially slippy.
Because my home trails are a river of rocks, I especially appreciate the protective bumper around the toes to guard against high-speed stubs and strikes.
The Recons feature a two-bolt cleat pattern with titanium alloy cleat nuts that will work with most clipless mountain bike pedal systems. They’re available in black and red.
How the Recons Performed
I really love these shoes. But like many good lasting relationships, it did require a little work and patience on my part.
The issue for me is I have flipper flat feet. So as my foot collapses under my weight, the outer edge was pressing quite uncomfortably into the stiff collar of the shoe beneath my ankle bone on the outside. Standing in the shoes hurt. Pedaling was better, but still uncomfortable, especially out of the saddle, at least initially.
Having broken in quality hiking boots and other speciality shoes before, I knew they’d get better if I gave them time. Specialized’s footwear product manager Stephen Quay also gave me a few tips.
“We’re always riding that razor edge where you want to provide comfort without sacrificing performance, and certain feet are more prone to some problems,” Quay told me, with the reassurance that there were some “simple solutions.”
Specifically, he said I could accelerate the break in period and help the shoe collar accommodate my foot by massaging the part that was causing me discomfort on the corner of a table or counter top. I placed shoe opening around the corner of my desktop and pressed outward, working the outer part that was giving me trouble. It made a noticeable difference, and is definitely something I would do right out of the box if I had the same issue again.
Now after a few weeks and a couple hundred miles, these shoes fit like a glove, are 100% comfortable, and give me great joy as I feel the power, quite literally, beneath my feet.
Three Women’s MTB Shorts for Shredding
Cool Camo
Zoic
Navaeh Camo
Also available in Digi and Green camo, with subtle color details.
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Multi-Purpose
Dirty Jane
DHaRCO Ladies Gravity
Super-cute—and adjustable—inner waistband that only you can see.
$117 | Dirty Jane
Race-Cut Design
Yeti Cycles
Women’s Enduro
Glide patches on the legs make for smooth pedal strokes.
$84 | Backcountry
