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review

Time Osmos 12 shoes

7
£225.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Good performance, with plenty of comfort and support, though they're not the cheapest
Comfortable
Well vented
Stiff
Only one Boa dial for closure
Weight: 
563g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Time Osmos 12 road shoes, the middle of the new three-shoe range from the major French brand, offer comfort and performance in bundles, with an ergonomic design straight from Italy.

The Osmos 15 was heavily praised here at road.cc just a few months ago, and I was eager to test its more affordable cousin.

> Find your nearest dealer here

As Simon noted in his review of the Osmos 15, the French brand was bought by Rossignol in 2016, which used its own R&D facility at Montebelluna in Italy, regarded as the global capital of sports footwear, to design the new three-model range of Time shoes. The Osmos 12 sits between the Osmos 10 and the 'ultimate' 15.

Over 3,000 3D foot scans were used to design a shoe that would perform for the majority of athletes, and I have to say I found these very comfortable. Bedding in took around two weeks: initially the shoes felt great – and then they became even more supple. My feet are on the wider side of average, and during my two months of testing I didn't get any discomfort or hot spots.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - toe.jpg

The insoles feature Time's Sensor 2 system designed to improve comfort around the metatarsals as well as offering some arch support.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - inside.jpg

The upper part of the shoe consists of the same seamless design as the Osmos 15, with a high level of padding while still being extremely breathable.

The tongue is also fairly well padded, which means there isn't the clamping feeling you can get from the wire of a Boa closure system. However, I did find that the tongue was a little too wide and the top quite long, and required a fair amount of adjustment when putting the shoes on to stop it digging into the top of the foot when pedalling.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - detail.jpg

Much like Simon found with the Osmos 15, the heel cup of the Osmos 12 extends quite high up around the ankle. With the extra silicone grip pattern this meant there was no heel lift out of the shoe, though there was some side to side movement while sprinting.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - heels.jpg

One Boa dial

Closure is performed by a single interwoven Boa dial and a Velcro strap. This design allows for unified pressure over the entire foot, to reduce the chances of developing fatigue, but I did find that to clamp down my foot in preparation for a sprint I had to apply considerable force through the dial to lock down my foot.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - boa dial.jpg

This seems an inherent problem when employing just one Boa dial, and I would prefer a two-dial system for that added security.

Sole

Along with the heavily vented exterior, Time has incorporated three vents within the sole. In the winter this has proved rather too effective outdoors, which bodes well for warmer times and climes, but while training indoors they did improve the overall experience on the turbo.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - sole toe.jpg

Sole stiffness is pretty good, too. The sole consists of 20% carbon fibre and 80% composite material, coupled with a 100% carbon insert underneath the cleat for added stiffness. It's more than adequate for the majority of the time, but I did notice a little more flex when putting out higher end power – though this does contribute to their overall comfort.

The cleat markings are very useful during initial setup, and the shoes also feature a replaceable rubber heel support.

Time Osmos 12 shoes - sole heel.jpg

Like Simon, I found the white design of the shoes to be easy to clean, except for the vents which have begun to discolour a little.

Value

With an rrp of £225, the Osmos 12 shoes certainly aren't cheap, though they are more affordable than their £329 Osmos 15 siblings while housing many of the key features.

This puts them in a similar price bracket to Giro's Empire E70 Knit Road Shoes and the Northwave Extreme GT 2 Road Shoes – both around £220 at rrp.

> Buyer’s Guide: 18 of the best performance road cycling shoes

However, while the Osmos 12s are stiff and comfortable, Shimano's RC7s are both lighter and feature two Boa dials for £169.99, Northwave's Revolution 2s are £174.99, also with two Boa dials, and Giro's Trans Boas, with their single Boa and Velcro strap, are £179.99.

There are good deals to be found online, though.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the quality and design of these shoes is very high, contributing to their exceptional comfort over the testing period. There's some flex in the sole when you're really pushing it, but for longer rides and general training on the road, they're great.

Verdict

Good performance, with plenty of comfort and support, though they're not the cheapest

road.cc test report

Make and model: Time Osmos 12 shoes

Size tested: 10.5

Tell us what the product is for

Time says: "The OSMOS 12 has a unique sole is built with a blend of 20% carbon fiber and 80% composite plus a 100% carbon insert in the forefoot area. Its fit system consists of a Boa® Fit System and a Velcro strap for a precise adjustment. OSMOS 12 has the same level of breathability as the OSMOS15. Combined with Time pedals and cleats, the bioposition is about 22,5mm which allows maximum efficiency from this combination of products."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Time lists:

Weight 500

Fabrics

Construction lower Sensor 2 Mono material

Lacing system 1 Boa IP1 and 1 Velcro

Construction upper cuff Microfiber, PU and Textile

Sole Carbon composite + Carbon insert

Closing system Boa® Fit System IP1 dials and one Velcro

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

High standard of construction.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Perform well, with plenty of comfort.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Seem durable enough, though there is a little discolouring of the white vents.

Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10

Extremely comfortable ergonomic fit. However, if you have particularly wide or narrow feet you may want to look elsewhere.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

Size up as advertised.

Rate the product for weight:
 
6/10

There are lighter shoes out there.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

After a short break-in period, super-comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

A lot cheaper than their Osmos 15 siblings while sharing some of the same key features, but you can spend quite a bit less for similar and lighter designs.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Some baby wipes and all the muck was gone, though the vents are trickier to clean.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Comfortable performance-orientated shoes.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I love the amount of comfort they offer.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

An additional Boa dial would improve the clamping mechanism onto the foot.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

They house a lot of the same features as found in the Time Osmos 15 but at a much more affordable price. That said, you can find similar weight/design shoes for around the £170 mark – some with my preferred two Boa dials.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Time has done a really good job in its new line of performance shoes. For the price, these shoes pack a punch. However, there are still a few things that could be improved.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 20  Height: 6 ft 2 in  Weight: 75

I usually ride: Giant TCR  My best bike is: Giant Trinty

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, club rides, The occasional bit of track

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