Use of function-specific zones, power transfer optimisation and engineered fit provides remarkable holding power and supreme comfort for all riders.
Ridden to countless victories in the world’s highest level bike races since its introduction in 2017, Shimano’s S-PHYRE Road Competition racing shoe is for those who want to outperform the rest. The new 2021 version combines scientifically guided design with next level materials to create a shoe that is most at home when it’s first across the finish line – proving its credentials already by powering Wout van Aert to victory in the 2020 Milan-San Remo.
Features common to all S-PHYRE road shoes include reinforced micro-fibre leather, replaceable heel pads, low-profile BOA dials and a Dynalast fit. However, it’s the engineering and design development that makes the new RC902 a real stand out shoe.
This latest iteration of SHIMANO’s S-PHYRE road competition shoe focuses on three areas of design – function-specific zones, power transfer optimisation and engineered fit – to provide a platform for world-beating performances.
Cycling shoes are more than just pedal pushing platforms – each shoe needs the right combination of support, movement and comfort for their intended usage and their intended rider. By studying the pedaling dynamics and foot movement of the highest level road racing cyclists, Shimano was able to create function-specific areas of the new RC902 shoe, solving an engineering puzzle by using reinforced mesh and leather upper materials in layered ways to maximise fit, rigidity, flexibility/elasticity and breathability.
Aside from using SHIMANO’s maximum level 12 carbon fibre sole, power transfer has been optimized through the use of the RC902’s new anti-twist stabilizer heel cup shape. Foot movement and pedaling studies of professional-level riders were analysed to discover the forces exerted during explosive accelerations. This resulted in a redesigned heel cup featuring a combination of flexible and rigid materials built to handle the intense twisting forces caused by explosive accelerations.
Finally, the engineering involved in creating the perfect fit across all size variations (including regular sizes, half sizes, wide sizes and women’s sizes) was another complicated puzzle to solve. A new 360° Surround Wrapping Upper wraps the foot in a supportive cocoon from the upper all the way around the outsole to provide remarkable holding power and supreme comfort for all riders.
The RC902 closure system uses the BOA Fit System Li2 dials with two-way adjustments and features Silvadur stay-fresh treatments to keep shoes smelling better for longer. The RC902 is available in blue, black, white or a red premium S-PHYRE dealer version.
The RC902 has a target weight of 235g and comes in sizes 36 to 48 and four colour variations. The women’s-specific RC902-W comes in white and features a narrower last and upper, available in sizes 36 to 44.
AVAILABILITY
The SHIMANO RC902 shoe will be available in stores from mid-October. Please contact your regional SHIMANO dealer or distributor for pricing information.
Source: SHIMANO
