S-Works EXOS Road Shoes

[nmrt]

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s-...shoes/p/157750

Saw this shoe at the Spesh website. I love how Spesh pushes the envelope. 150 g! Man, that is some serious lack of weight.
Then I saw the price -- $500!!
What is going on? I felt I had to make a commentary at these sky high prices. I really am not in the right job field to drop this kind of cash on a SHOE.

Or, I guess, Spesh knows the market. There are some percent of people that do have this kinda coin. And they will buy it at 150 g without looking at $500.

The point of this thread is simply that I am struck and humbled with how much money some people have. No jealousy, no envy. I just find it interesting. Thats all.

What other kinds of cycling things that when you look at them makes you wonder...gee...thats a lot of pesos?

[dbnm]

I bet the guys who buy and wear those shoes are totally decked out in Rapha kit and they probably have these Mavics (they're just $999).

[Climb01742]

It's a halo product. Almost every brand in 90% of categories have an envelope- and price-pushing product designed and sold pretty much just to show what's possible. How many i8's do you think BMW sells?

[Veloo]

Could be a lot worse.

https://www.brownsshoes.com/GIUSEPPE...efault,pd.html

[muz]

I rode with an older guy on a 300k brevet. He pointed out at these S-Works shoes he was wearing and said he needs all the help he can get.

[metalheart]

Comfortable contact points keep me happy on the bike, especially my feet. I try on most any new shoes that hit the market, hoping to find something that can cope with an arthritic 1st metatarsal that the podiatrist keeps telling me is a candidate for a joint replacement. I have had enough joint replacements and I need a break from surgeries.

My current shoes -- Bontragger Classique lace-ups -- allow me to lace around that joint and I can ride comfortably, but those shoes are starting to wear and they are no longer made.

So, when I stopped into the LBS recently, they had the EXOS in my size and, with some skepticism, I tried them on: Cinderella could not have been more happy. They are very comfortable shoes for me because the boa tightening part does not start until much higher up on the foot, so it does not put pressure on my painful joint.

I have balked at the price and I am going to try the new Rapha Classic shoes first, but if they don't work out, then dropping $500 on a pair of shoes that will keep me on the bike does not seem outrageous. It may for some, but for me it makes the difference between having an inflamed joint that keeps me off the bike or a lighter pocketbook. YMMV.

[zap]

Edit

Originally Posted by nmrt

Saw this shoe at the Spesh website. I love how Spesh pushes the envelope. 150 g! Man, that is some serious lack of weight.
Then I saw the price -- $500!!
What is going on? I felt I had to make a commentary at these sky high prices.

The US$500 threshold for a pair of bicycle shoes was crossed some years ago.

Now the weight.....that's something special.

[ultraman6970]

Man.... I get my shoes in discount and always my budget is at most 150 bucks.

No idea what it is to use a 500 bucks shoe... and i doubt i will...

[cinema]

We spend 3-5k+ on our bikes sometimes. Shoes last a really long time, like, they can last decades. Some things are worth it. I have a $400 sleeping bag that was worth every penny. If it was a glass slipper fit for me... $500 not out of the question, but I'd save petty cash for it. Any higher, I don't think I'd be able to justify it. I wear old nylon/carbon Genius' and they are "perfect". If I had to spend more than the $100 I paid for them, I definitely would. They are the perfect fit for me and nothing could compare

[quattro]

Originally Posted by metalheart

Comfortable contact points keep me happy on the bike, especially my feet. I try on most any new shoes that hit the market, hoping to find something that can cope with an arthritic 1st metatarsal that the podiatrist keeps telling me is a candidate for a joint replacement. I have had enough joint replacements and I need a break from surgeries.

My current shoes -- Bontragger Classique lace-ups -- allow me to lace around that joint and I can ride comfortably, but those shoes are starting to wear and they are no longer made.

So, when I stopped into the LBS recently, they had the EXOS in my size and, with some skepticism, I tried them on: Cinderella could not have been more happy. They are very comfortable shoes for me because the boa tightening part does not start until much higher up on the foot, so it does not put pressure on my painful joint.

I have balked at the price and I am going to try the new Rapha Classic shoes first, but if they don't work out, then dropping $500 on a pair of shoes that will keep me on the bike does not seem outrageous. It may for some, but for me it makes the difference between having an inflamed joint that keeps me off the bike or a lighter pocketbook. YMMV.

metalheart, I couldn't agree more, if the touch points aren't comfortable, the ride can be totally unenjoyable. So,I have foot issues and also try on many different cycling shoes (and sneakers, hiking boots, dress shoes, you name it shoes!) I finally decided on the Lake 241 wide. These shoes have a wide and high toe box with two boa dials. I set the lower dial loose, and never touch it, it keeps my toes, left foot has nerve issues, hammer toes and no fat pad under the metatarsals, happy. Highly recommend this Lake shoe.
Good luck,
quattro

[Mzilliox]

At first it seemed crazy to spend money on saddles and shoes. But then you learn those are the bits that make or break a ride. Now i spend money on shoes n saddles

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by Mzilliox

At first it seemed crazy to spend money on saddles and shoes. But then you learn those are the bits that make or break a ride. Now i spend money on shoes n saddles

^^

If your butt or feet aren’t happy, riding sucks. If these shoes work or any other production shoes, they’re still far cheaper than custom. So there’s that...

[nmrt]

i love how you all justify these things, contact points, comfort, longevity etc etc.
dont get me wrong, i do the exact same thing. heck, even though a stem is not a contact point, i have lusted and come pretty close to purchasing boutique carbon stem from german manufacturers. not to mention boutique seatposts and Ti bolts just to make my bike lighter.

i tell you, and most you already know it, we are addicted, right!
and i know how we all justify this -- better to be addicted to bike and bike stuff than to have a penchant for, i dunno, cars or airplanes.

regardless, i still am in awe of the $500 spesh EXOS and now more so with that $1000 Mavic shoe.

i mean 90% of american, non bikers, cannot swallow a price tag of a couple thousand dollars for a bike. now there is a $1000 SHOE!

again, no judgement on my part, no jealousy, no envy. this is just my observation on the cycling universe zeitgeist. and i am awestruck.

[Lovetoclimb]

My guess would be a high price tag to offset low sales volume while still recuperating some of the R&D costs. The i8 is a good example, albeit a far greater piece of engineering.

[metalheart]

"regardless, i still am in awe of the $500 spesh EXOS and now more so with that $1000 Mavic shoe.

At some point this is all relative, it is not about the price but the overall cost. I was happy to pay $120 on sale for the Bontrager shoes, I'll pay what I have to but no more than I need to to get what works.

But, there seems to be demand for higher end shoes for whatever reasons. For example, at the recent NAHBS show the Rocket custom shoe booth was going non-stop with fittings and orders for $1500 plus custom shoes. I wanted to talk with them about options, but they were literally so busy that I could never talk to the fellow who does the fittings, takes the mold, etc.... I was surprised by the volume of folks ordering these custom shoes.

It made me think that $500 for a pair of EXOS was a bargain.