If you like lace-up cycling shoes, the new Specialized S-Works Torch Lace shoes could be for you. Specialized says that the new shoes are comparable in weight to the twin Boa S-Works Torch shoes and they share many of the same features.
Specialized claims that it’s solved one of the main drawbacks of lace shoes, namely that they’re pretty much impossible to tighten or loosen while riding. The shoes’ uppers use a technology it calls zonal layering, which it says ensures that the shoe will fit a variety of foot shapes without stretching as you ride.
It has also used its Retul bike fit database to assess fit, resulting in a forefoot shape that’s 4mm wider than the older S-Works 7 shoe, a feature that it shares with the Boa-laced S-Works Torch.
It shares other features with that shoe, including the I-beam outsole construction, that Specialized said shaved 20g per shoe when it launched the Boa-closed version.
The Boa S-Works Torch is much in evidence at the Tour de France, even appearing with the logos painted over. But if you need encouragement to opt for lace-up shoes, take a leaf from Tadej Pogačar’s playbook: he wears the lace-up DMT KR SL shoes.
Jonas Vingegaard meanwhile sticks to the twin Boa Nimbl Ultimate shoes, rather than the lightweight Nimbl Feat Ultimate shoes which we’ve recently reviewed and rated highly, or Nimbl’s lace-up options.
Body Geometry features
As with all Specialized’s shoes, the new S-Works Torch Lace shoes use the Body Geometry system, designed to improve leg alignment and foot comfort.
This incorporates a 1.5mm outward slant to the sole, which Specialized calls a Varus Wedge and says improves foot stability and aligns the ankle, knee and hip joints better.
There’s also a metatarsal button included that helps spread the bones in the midfoot to reduce the chances of hot foot or numbness as well as longitudinal arch support, with the option to fit custom footbeds.
S-Works Torch Lace shoe weights and prices
Specialized says that the new S-Works Torch Lace shoes weigh 400g a pair in size 42. It doesn’t quote a weight for the twin Boa-closed version, but our S-Works Torch review found that a pair of size 43s weighed 440g, so the S-Works Torch Lace shoes are likely to be pretty comparable in weight size-for-size. Their weight also comfortably undercuts Specialized’s 496g claimed weight for a size 42 pair of the next-down Torch 3.0 shoes.
The S-Works Torch Lace shoes are priced at £300 in the UK and $349.99 in the US. They’re available in sizes 36 to 49, with half sizes from 38.5 to 46.5 and in four colours: White, Dune White (as shown in the headline image above), Dark Navy and Black.
