After completing a 3,600 km bikepacking trip I can report that my new Specialized Recon 3.0 mountain bike shoes deliver comfort, efficiency and durability. For the last many years, I have been experiencing severe foot pain on long 24-hour bike races and bikepacking trips, with shoes from Shimano, Giro and Bontrager. Thankfully with the Recon shoes my feet were comfortable on my latest 3,600 km bikepacking trip, even with 68% being rough unpaved road or trail and pedaling an average of 140 km/day. I felt the shoes efficiently transmitted my power to the pedals. They also were reasonably comfortable walking during hike-a-bike sections. The shoes are very durable as the uppers and soles look pretty good after such a rough trip. And they dried very quickly. The two independent BOA dials provided great micro adjustment and stood up to a lot of punishment. I did replace the standard insole with the Specialized Body Geometry SL Footbeds that I already had in my previous shoes. For more details on these shoes see the link and information below.
Recon 3.0 Mountain Bike Shoes | Specialized.com
- Body Geometry sole and footbed are built with purpose and backed by science to boost power, increase efficiency, and reduce the chance of injury by optimizing hip, knee, and foot alignment.
- Carbon STRIDE toe-flex technology allows for natural toe movement off-bike but remains stiff for pedaling. Stiffness Index 10.0.
- Fully-welded upper reduces seams for superior step-in comfort.
- Uppers made from XPEL Mesh to create a comfortable fit that sheds water, keeping the shoe light and making it dry quickly.
- Two independent BOA® L6-Snap dials for on-the-fly micro-adjustment.
- SlipNot™ rubber tread for confident traction on all terrain with removable toe studs.
- Two-bolt cleat pattern fits all major MTB pedals.
- Approximate weight: 355g (1/2 pair, Size 42)
- MSRP $350 Canadian
GregRidingWithoutBorders 