Shoe Wear...

Bypassing the question of what to wear (which is pretty much a non-question), as a cyclist, when I think in terms of wear, I think of tires since they tend to wear faster than anything else. Other things may come to mind though, such as brake pads (the other obvious one), or nerves, if you happen to frequent heavy traffic. A few others you may not think of quite as often; chains, brake and shifter cables, rims, cleats, even bar tape, I suppose. And then there are the shoes we wear, which would be the topic of the moment.


Below are photos of the last two pair of cycling shoes I have owned. First, you have my current shoes, a pair of Specialized, the Road Comp model to be exact. The second photo is of my previous shoes, a pair of Vittoria's; I don't know which model these are, though I call them the Mario Cipolini specials because the have some rather flambouant blue striping, and I think Super Mario wore this model at one point. 

Let me say, before continuing any further, that the Specialized shoes are hands down the most comfortable cycling shoes I have ever owned. I would probably consider them as close to perfect as a cycling shoe can get, except for one thing - those soft leather heels. You will notice that they have worn completely through to the padded insides. The shoes are not old, far less than two years. The Vittoria's I wore for twice, maybe even three times as long, and show very little wear in the heels. Yes, the heel on these is a hard plastic, or some type of hardened material. Admittedly, the Road Comp are not the top of the Specialized line, but they don't look much different in terms of their construction, and I have to wonder if, after spending twice as much money, that top of the line model would still have the same wear problem. I would like to think that it is not necessary to give up comfort for durability, but since cycling shoes cost both a pretty and an ugly penny, and I only wear these for, at most, a few hours at a time, I am going to be giving durability a little more preference the next time I buy.