Lighter shoes are great, but would you sacrifice grams for durability?
In an off-road riding environment, even the best mountain bike shoes take a beating. Whether its scuffing on rocks, deflecting trail debris or the odd bit of hike-a-bike over terrain. Not to mention the habit of regularly riding in the rain and through muddy conditions.
Specialized offer the S-Works Recon as its top-of-the-range lightweight off-road shoe, that keeps your rotational mass low when riding, but won’t annoy you when dismounted. The S-Works recon is perfect for racing whether it's XC, cyclocross or gravel.
Industrial designers at Specialized know that a lightweight shoe can risk being uncomfortable. The S-Works Recon has a Body Geometry sole and footbed to ensure adequate support and padding throughout your range of pedaling or walking motion.
Supporting the Body Geometry structure is Dyneema Mesh, blended in between the layers of four-way stretch mesh. This creates an upper that is comfortable without inducing slippage if you are spinning at a high cadence, on a steep climb.
As the Black Friday cycling shoe deals can change at a moment's notice, we've set our real-time deal checker to find the best prices on these popular MTB and gravel shoes.
The S-Works Recon targets mountain bikers who value efficiency and a pure power transfer. To ensure that more of your pedaling watts reach the pedals, a FACT carbon plate is embedded in the shoe’s sole structure. It rates among the stiffest carbon soles that Specialize uses in any shoe.
As you would expect from a premium mountain bike shoe, the S-Works Recon uses Boa’s latest S3-specification fit adjust dials. This enables you to make those fractional adjustments, with complete control for tightening and loosening.
Specialized’s designers have used a traditional velcro strap for the S-Works Recon lower closure. This is where the shoe is most vulnerable to flex pressure, during a pedal stroke, or when standing on the pedals during a descent. The velcro strap spreads forces better when the S-Works Recon is flexing, preventing unnecessary wear.
Lightweight mountain bike shoes with carbon-fiber soles can be a nightmare to walk in. But Specialized has added the brand’s SlipNot rubber heel and toe tread, to prevent slipping on that coffee shop floor or technical hike-a-bike portage section of trail.
Stylish, comfortable and very walkable off the bike, the S-Works Recon's are one of our go-to off-road shoes. The S-Works Recon is also terrifically light with our EU43 review samples weighing in at 611g (without cleats).
Looking for more deals? Check out Bike Perfect's other round-ups of the best deals available:
- Black Friday mountain bike deals: Save on bikes, components, clothing and more
- Black Friday cycling clothing: Wardrobe upgrades to look and perform better on the trail
- Black Friday bike helmets: Today's best deals on mountain bike helmets
- Black Friday cycling shoes: Today's best deals on cheap MTB shoes
- Black Friday wheel deals: Today's best deals on cheap mountain bike wheels
