Shimano RC3 cycling shoes review

Taking design cues and trickle-down tech from the pro-level S-Phyre RC9s, the Shimano RC3s have a high-end look and feel, but sole stiffness is aimed more at comfort than performance

Shimano RC3
Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Shimano RC3s are good looking, comfortable and well made but a flexible sole means they’re not as performance orientated as you might expect given Shimano's description and their three-bolt cleat designation. Having said that, if you’re happy with a comfortable fit, you like the indisputably high-end look of the RC3s and you're cycling for enjoyment rather than performance (although of course the two aren't mutually exclusive), the RC3s would make a good everyday or commuting shoe.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Comfortable

  • +

    Good looking

  • +

    Low stack height

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Flexible sole

  • -

    Needs closure at toes

  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Shimano says the RC3 is for “finding that sweet spot between comfort for bigger rides and efficient power transfer when you want to put the hammer down.” Based on a last design (Dynalast) that derives from Shimano’s pro-level S-Phyre RC9 series shoes, comfort is good, but compared to other cycling shoes at this price, performance doesn’t quite measure up mainly due to the sole. We found it was the most flexible of the five sub-£100 shoes we tested recently, which were the Bontrager Starvos, the dhb Dorica Carbon, the Giro Stylus and the Specialized Torch 1.0.

Shimano RC3: construction

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