Suplest Edge+ 2.0 Road review - a stiff shoe that breathes

The Suplest Edge+ 2.0 Road shoes are the most expensive pair of cycling shoes I've worn, which admittedly raised my expectations. To compete with the best cycling shoes out there they'd need to perform well to justify the high price tag.

My first impressions were good, they arrived with a nice pair of socks and with a neat little travel bag with Suplest branding on. I put some new cleats in and headed out the door on a ride. These shoes are designed for those who ‘love long distance riding’ and they stood up to most of my personal cycling shoe demands. 

Suplest Edge+ 2.0: construction

The sole is made of carbon. Suplest give it an 8/10 on the stiffness scale and I didn’t notice any flexing even at my full (but slightly unimpressive) sprint. There’s protective rubber on the forefoot and heel for a little bit of added protection when walking from your bike to the table at the cafe. 

The insole is impressive and part of the reason the shoe feels so stiff. Suplest’s ‘solestar’ insole was developed with the aid of pro cyclists and your foot feels locked in and supported. I popped the insoles into another pair of shoes and took them out for a ride and they transformed the feel of the other shoe.

The upper is a mixture of a plastic feeling material and a thin layer of carbon which wraps around your foot. It’s comfortable and deals with a range of temperatures well - tested between -4 and 27 degrees, this is by no means a ‘summer only’ shoe. The heel is slightly reflective and the wire for the BOA fastening is held in place with a carbon feel extension to the upper that appears relatively robust. 

The single BOA system, which comes with a lifetime warranty, is the only real weakness of this shoe. It can lead to feeling tight on the upper foot and looser on the lower foot - especially if you have to tighten the BOAs a little harder due to having narrow feet. This is alleviated a little by the layer of carbon on the upper which redistributes the pressure from the BOA wire a little more evenly but it’s not perfect.

It all adds up to a shoe that weighs 253g in a size 42, which isn't super light but certainly competitive against similar shoes in this price range. 

Suplest Edge+ 2.0: the ride

The first thing you notice when you slide the Suplests on is the insole. It’s well shaped and quite thick, taking up quite a lot of vertical space within the shoe. It feels supportive and happened to fit my feet very well though I fear riders with differently shaped feet might find this much support uncomfortable. The size of the insole most definitely contributes to the impressive stiffness of these shoes.

Out on the road they feel secure and stiff, really giving you the feeling of being an extension of the bike itself. I also tested the shoes during a couple of hard turbo sessions. Typically, the primary issue one faces with shoes on the turbo is overheating but the Edge+ 2.0s dealt with this comfortably. There’s plenty of ventilation on the upper and the holes in the sole also allows heat to escape out the bottom. 

Suplest Edge+ 2.0: value and conclusion

Coming in at €289.99, you would expect the Suplest Edge+ 2.0 road shoe to be almost perfect and they are. The only slight hiccup is the single BOA system might prevent issues for riders with narrow feet that find they have to tighten their BOAs a little tighter than others. Other than this, the temperature regulation is excellent, the fit is good in most cases and the sole is stiff enough for all but the strongest of sprinters who might want to go up a model. 

For comparison, the Fizik Tempo Decos carbon shoes retail at $300 / £280 and also only use one BOA dial and feature a similar uncluttered and refined look. Elsewhere the Giro Regime shoes utilise two BOA dials and, like the Edge 2.0s deliver a stiff sole but also plenty of comfort over longer distances.