Watch: Seven stunning shoes coming in 2019

The most desirable footwear of the future

Here at Cycling Weekly, we don't hide the fact that we love a great looking pair of cycling shoes and here are seven of the best looking ones available, or are going to become available in the next year.

Shimano S-Phyres

Shimano’s S-Phyres were one of our favourite pairs of shoes from last year; a stunning pair of performance orientated racing slippers that were both comfortable yet very stiff.

For 2019, Shimano has sought to improve on the best. There’s this new stunning green colour and minor changes to the closing system of the shoes. It still uses two Boa dials to allow minute changes to be made on the fly, but they’ve changed the cable’s routing a little to make the fit more snug and comfortable.

Gaerne Stilo

The new shoes have a full carbon sole that is extremely thin whilst still managing to maintain stiffness, helping bring the weight down to an impressively low claimed weight of 275g per shoe.

Gaerne says the other benefit is that your foot is very close to the pedal, offering maximum power output with minimal loss of energy. The funky look to the microfibre upper is actually made by precise lazer drilling which should help maximise breathability. In turn, this is helped by two channels within the sole to help boost airflow.

A reinforced heel cup and two Boa dials on each shoe help with retention. Interestingly, each dial has a rubberised edge to help grip when making changes on the fly.

DMT KR1

DMT might be late to the knitted cycling shoe party but they’ve arrived in style, and these stunning new shoes are the DMT KR1 coming with a knitted upper that looks very supple. Unlike the knitted shoes like the Fizik R1 Knit and Giro Empires, these DMTs have a sock like cuff that grips the ankle closely.

The upper is closed by a single Boa dial and the shoes come with a carbon sole to give them a performance edge.

Bont Helix reflective

For 2019, Bont has jumped on the reflective bandwagon, producing this Dazzling pair of reflective shoes that both look great, and will help keep you safe out on the road. 

Aside from the reflectivity, the Helix shoes also use a very novel retention system wherein the Boa cable passes inside the shoe, underneath the sole. It’s supposed to give a more secure and snug fitting. At 260g a shoe, the Helix are competitively lightweight, probably thanks to the durolite upper and the stiff carbon sole, which is wide – as is often the case with Bont shoes.

Northwave Extreme Pro

Brand new for 2019, the Northwave Extreme Pro shoes have seen moderate updates across the board from the previous Extreme RR models. At the beating heart of the new design is the XFrame2 upper. The biggest change that this brings to the shoe is a dual SWL2 dial fit system, which allows riders to have a different fit on the instep and on the forefoot.

The shoe also gets a new generation microfibre upper that’s more adaptable for a close, but less restrictive fit.

Northwave’s Extreme Pro has a unidirectional sole that gives slightly more arch support than the previous one, and the brand is claiming it to be the stiffest on the market.

Sidi Shot

Nothing new here really except for the stunning new red colourway.

Afterall, if it ain't broke, don't fix and for that reason these shoes retain the distinctive Sidi techno-3 push closing system, which includes 2 ratchets on the tongue and then the Reflex Adjustable Heel Retention device on the back of the shoe.

One other unique feature of the Sidi Shots is the closable vent on the stiff carbon sole which makes the shoe useful in both the hottest, and coldest weather.

Lake CX241

The interesting thing about these Lake CX241 shoes is that they’re specifically designed for riding with a very high cadence and are made from a 'competition last', which gives the shoe more of a curved shape. This increases heel lift and gives a wider area for the ball of the foot.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1