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review

Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes

8
£320.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Awesome looks, comfort and performance... for a price
Awesome stiffness and power transfer
Size up a bit small
Weight: 
606g
Contact: 

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 Suplest Edge+ Road Pros are among the stiffest-soled race shoes I have ever worn, and they are beautifully made out of some brilliant materials. They are a fair chunk of money, but if ultimate performance is your goal then give these a go.

I'll deal with the sizing first. I'm currently testing three pairs of shoes: these from Suplest, Fizik's Vento Powerstrap R2 Aeroweaves, and Spiuk's Aldama Carbon Road Shoes, and they all vary in size quite considerably when on.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

The Fiziks are a EUR45/UK10.5, the Spiuks are a EUR45/UK11 and the Suplests EUR44.5/UK10.5 – which really shoes why you need to try before you buy if you are giving a new brand a go.

I'm a size UK10 and the Suplest fitted me perfectly. Unlike a trainer or normal shoe, you don't need room to allow your feet to move in a cycling shoe, and with my big toe just a matter of millimetres from the front of the shoe and my heel snuggly gripped at the back, I can't imagine getting a much better fit for performance riding, so I'd say you want to go about half a UK size up if buying online.

The upper is made from a thin microfiber which is soft and supple and gets better the more you wear the shoes. After a few hundred miles these have started to develop little creases as they've moulded to my feet and have become much more comfortable.

> Buyer’s Guide: 19 of the best performance road shoes

They don't have a tongue as such, instead the upper kind of wraps itself around your foot, with the Boa cable system pulling one half over the top of the other.

The piece that sits underneath has a foam section added to it where it rests against the top of your foot to stop any irritation, like a tongue would.

To protect the upper from the Boa wires there is a carbon fibre section, which also adds stiffness that helps to keep your foot in place as you lift on the second half of the pedal rotation.

2020 Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes - boa.jpg

The heel section also has a grippy fabric inside to stop your foot lifting there.

2020 Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes - heel inside.jpg

All of this means that, once tightened, the Road Pro shoes fit like the proverbial glove.

The Boa system also gives you loads of adjustment and it's easy to tweak on the fly. The only little niggle is that when you initially tighten the upper Boa wire it often gets caught on the edge of the upper, so you have to flick it up with your finger to stop it catching. It really is a 'first world problem' though.

The sole is full carbon fibre, as you'd expect at this price point. Unlike many brands Suplest doesn't give a stiffness index rating; if it did I imagine it would be something like 200 out of 10 as these are unbelievably firm. Power transfer is phenomenal, and if you enjoy riding on the rivet, you're never going to feel any flex no matter how much power you are putting out.

2020 Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes - sole toe.jpg

The only downside is that on rough roads, where a broken surface can give a fair bit of vibration, you can feel it through the soles of your feet.

2020 Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes - sole heel.jpg

The outsole isn't as contoured as some, leaving the shape defining to the Solestar insole. It has quite a high curve to support the arch of your foot and there is a thicker section at the rear of the foot to stop it squashing when you really put the power down.

The overall quality is top notch, with the finish flawless throughout. Being white they do pick up marks quite quickly, although the majority of them wipe off. If white isn't your thing then they are also available in black with different colour detailing.

Priced at £320, they are up against some tough opposition.

They have a lot in common with the Northwave Extreme Pros when it comes to stiffness and comfort; those will set you back £339.99.

For the same price as the Suplests, Shimano offers the S-Phyre RC901s: truly top notch cycling shoes that deliver loads of stiffness and plenty of comfort, putting them in the same ballpark as the Road Pro.

Overall

The Suplests are a very pricey pair of shoes but wow, do they ever deliver on performance and comfort. Their build quality is excellent too.

Verdict

Awesome looks, comfort and performance... for a price

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Suplest EDGE+ Road Pro shoes

Size tested: 44.5

Tell us what the product is for

Suplest says, "The EDGE+ Road Pro is designed for high velocity and meets the demands of the world's best racers. The thin microfiber upper from Japan with the two Boa® IP1 closures ensure perfect fit. The stiff carbon sole in combination with the SOLESTAR insole allow an efficient boost power to the pedal during the whole ride. Our premium road shoe combines efficiency with comfort."

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

Suplest lists:

Segments ROAD SERIES

Levels Pro

Colour White

Upper Material Micro Fiber

Closure BOA IP-1

Outsole Carbon

System Compatibility Look, SPD-R, Speedplay, Time

Insole Solestar

Sizes 39 to 47

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10

As long as you get the right size you can't fault the actual fit when the upper wraps around your foot.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
6/10

I'd say they are about half a UK size out – these UK10.5 size up like a UK10.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

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

The majority of the marks like mud and road spray wipe off, but others, like rubber marks from touching your tyre are much more stubborn to remove. The shoes are also available in black too which will help.

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

A full-on performance race shoe.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Excellent stiffness and comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Some marks won't rub off.

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

The price tag is high but they are no way in a league of their own, with many brands' flagship shoes similarly priced.

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

When it comes to performance and the comfort of the upper these really can't be faulted, but the price is quite an investment.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 3 years ago
0 likes

How do these compare to Bontrager XXX's when it comes to the width of the shoe?

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