Shimano S-Phyre XC9 shoes review

We’ve been testing Shimano’s range topping S-Phyre XC9 off-road shoes in the winter wet and mud

Shimano S-Phyre XC9 shoe
(Image credit: Shimano)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Shimano’s top-of-the-range S-Phyre XC9 off-road Boa shoes are comfortable and stiff with good power transfer to the pedal. There are lots of size variants, but they are prone to heel lift and the spike mount surrounds are fragile if you don’t use the studs.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Very stiff

  • +

    Comfortable

  • +

    Good grip

  • +

    Lots of size options

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Prone to heel lift unless worn tight

  • -

    Spike surrounds are fragile

  • -

    Dimples are hard to clean

  • -

    Expensive

  • -

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.

Alongside its new Boa-dialled road shoes, Shimano has recently launched equivalent off-road versions.

The S-Phyre XC9 is the top of its mtb shoe line-up and worn by a number of elite cyclo-cross riders, including Mathieu van der Poel and junior world, European and British champion Tom Pidcock.

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