O2C’s new footwear range brings a unique outsole design combined with ultra-lightweight uppers and a complete anatomic design based on the foot's natural movement when pedalling.
Steven Nemeth, founder/designer at O2C shoes, has a long history in technical cycling footwear. His journey started nearly two decades ago when he created Bont’s unique bathtub shoe design.
Since then, his shoe designs have been worn for 36% of all Olympic track cycling medals over the last five Games. They've also seen victories in the Olympic time trial, UCI BMX World Championships, Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta, Paris-Roubaix, and in both mountain bike and BMX World Cups.
Now, Nemeth has branched out on his own with a new shoe brand, O2C, releasing a range of new low-profile, lightweight, yet fully anatomically correct performance shoes.
Designed around your feet, not based on tradition
Nemeth's softly spoken Australian lilt masks a designer who’s always looking to improve, learn and be bold. In his opinion, much of cycling shoe design is hampered by tradition, with shoes designed and made the way they always have been, rather than using the latest biometric learnings.
"I’ve always looked to create shoes that mirror the way your foot moves," he says. "If that means approaching the construction differently, changing the ‘norm’ and completely reshaping the shoe, then so be it."
O2C's 10 key elements of a cycling shoe
1. Heel cup
"The heel anchors every pedal stroke, yet many shoes allow the rear of your foot to move under load," Nemeth says. “We’ve designed a heel cup that securely cradles the calcaneus [the large heel bone]. This is done to reduce lateral movement and keep your foot aligned. In turn, that improves power transfer and minimises heel lift.”
The added benefits are that this should reduce friction and improve long-ride comfort.
2. Toe-box shaping
Nemeth's original Bont shoes were known for their broad, blunt toe-box design. They looked worlds away from the classic tapered-toe shaped shoes we were used to. The new O2C toe box falls somewhere in between. It does, however, look more like the natural shape of a foot.
Nemeth explains: "The toe-box shape follows the natural metatarsal parabola.”
The metatarsal parabola is the natural curved arrangement of your metatarsal bones (the jointed series of long bones in your foot from your toes back).
“We did this so your foot has more natural toe splay and reduces compression,” he says.
The goal here is to spread the load, prevent nerve irritation (numbness) and reduce the chances of hot spots.
3. Low stack height
Low stack height has been talked about a lot recently, with new pedal/shoe systems from Q36.5 and Ekoi/PW8. So it’s no surprise that any new shoe will make this the focus of the outsole design.
4. Last construction
“Still today, lots of cycling shoes prioritise aesthetics over anatomy," says Nemeth. "That compromises both the fit and your foot alignment.
"Our last is completely new and based on a true anatomical shape, based around natural foot biometrics. We aim to balance out pressure distribution, keep your foot aligned correctly and keep the foot secure without compression.”
5. Carbon soles
All of the O2C shoes, from the base model RC1 through to the flagship RK1, use full carbon fibre soles.
Nemeth believes such a key element of any cycling shoe shouldn’t be compromised with lesser materials.
“The outsoles throughout O2C’s shoes, with what we’ve launched today and what’s coming, will always have full carbon soles," he says.
"For the ARC design of our outsole, we couldn’t achieve what we need from an outsole without carbon. The soles all use precision-layered Toray carbon fibres to provide the exceptional stiffness combined with a low stack height of just 3.2mm.
“By using load-specific fibre orientation, we can control rigidity and torsional stability whilst keeping our 3D anatomical shoe shape.”
One of the key elements in the outsole is the change in fibre orientation and construction forward of the super-stiff cleat plate.
Nemeth has introduced a small element of flex here. That’s not only to enhance the comfort of the toe box, but also to make walking in the shoes easier.
Nemeth's years of experience informed him that super-stiff, rigid outsoles, when walked in over time, can create a stress point in the outsole, which in extreme cases has led to failure cracks in the sole. That's something he wanted to prevent in the new designs.
Unlike many manufacturers, who use one carbon outsole across multiple sizes, O2C made the decision to make individual moulds for each size, in standard and wide fits.
Nemeth says: “The priority is to get the fit as exact as possible. It’s obviously much more expensive to produce moulds for every size, but I didn’t want to compromise all of the work we’ve done over the years developing the O2C range by saving a few dollars in manufacturing.”
6. Foot cradle and wrap construction
The shoe's upper uses a wrap shape, with a single-sided tongue that enables the upper material to ‘wrap over’.
Nemeth claims this design more closely follows the foot's natural contours, better supporting the midfoot and helping to anchor the heel. The result is a claimed secure and stable fit that doesn’t restrict your foot's natural movement.
I have noticed the side profile of the O2C shoes has much less voluminous height than other models, and from my short time trying out the shoes, it appears to give a sock-like fit that’s enhanced by the knit construction on both the RS1 and RK1.
7. Midfoot stability
The O2C design doubles up on midfoot support by reinforcing the upper to stabilise the foot where collapse is most likely under load.
The O2C design, Nemeth explains, "Controls excessive pronation [when your foot naturally rolls inwards] and rotation [where your feet either splay outwards or your toes point inwards].
"By controlling these elements with a combination of the upper design and construction, combined with the outsole design, we can deliver greater stability. That means sustained power over long rides."
8. Cleat position and adjustment
“Everybody’s pedal position is different, so we’ve given the O2C’s outsole extended fore-aft adjustment," says Nemeth. "That means more precision to get the optimal alignment. That’s key to both comfort and power transfer, coming as a result of reduced joint strain and more support thanks to being able to get your cleat position just right.”
9. Arch-support system
The O2C’s outsole and footbeds combine to create dual-arch support for both the medial arch (the longest arch that runs along the inner foot) and the transverse arch (across the midfoot).
“By maintaining neutral alignment during the power phase, you reduce plantar strain, and reducing these repetitive stresses helps reduce the causes of plantar tears, which can be incredibly painful,” says Nemeth.
"It also means by better distributing the load, your up-pedalling efficiency helps sustain your output for longer.”
10. Sole stiffness and carbon engineering
Nemeth explains that sole stiffness in the right places is a key element of a top-performing cycling shoe.
“We only use high-grade Toray fibres, you won’t find any blends or nylon in any of our shoes at any price, ever," he says. "By using precise layups that maximise stiffness-to-weight ratios, we’ve been able to create a very lightweight, thin, yet very durable sole.”
O2C shoe range
At launch, there are three road-shoe options from O2C, with a lightweight high-summer triathlon shoe in the wings (the RT2), and gravel and aero-road options due later in the year.
At the top of the range is the flagship AXIS RK1. This uses a knitted upper, bolstered with a reinforced midfoot, and a 3D-shaped T800 Toray carbon fibre sole.
The twin polished alloy dials are O2C’s own design, with two-way micro-adjustment and pop-out release.
O2C decided that producing its own dials, rather than opting to buy them in from Boa, was the best option to keep costs down for the end user and provide flexibility to refine the design.
My test pair of AXIS RK1s weigh in at 243.4g each for a size 45, making them some of the lightest road shoes available. They're bested only by Specialized’s featherweight S-Works Torch Remco, at 300g a pair (£549), and Nimbl’s £480 Ultimate Glide (358g a pair). The RK1s are priced at £389.95.
Second in the range, at £359.95, and weighing just over 7g more per pair (247g each), are the AXIS RS1s. They have a larger wrapover section for increased midfoot stability. With more aggressive upper venting, the AXIS RS1 is the sprinter's option compared to the RK1’s climbing intentions.
The base model of the three-tier road shoe line-up is the £174.95 Vector RC1. These shoes share the same core engineering as the range-topping model, but forgo the unidirectional T800 Toray carbon for a more cost-effective 3K woven Toray fibre.
The upper is made from a more traditional, yet still lightweight microfibre rather than a 3D knit.
There’s plenty of breathability on show thanks to the myriad laser-cut holes in both flanks, on the toe box and through the tongue section.
For a simpler shoe, the weight is impressively low at only 248.1g each for a size 45. These are some of the lightest sub-£200 shoes we’ve seen.
O2C road shoes pricing and key spec details
Vector RC1
- £174.95 / $229.95 / €199.95 / AU$354.95
- 248.1g (size 45)
- 3K Toray carbon sole
- Available in black or white
- Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
Axis RS1
- £359.95 / $479.95 / €414.95 / AU$734.95
- 247g (size 45)
- T800 Toray carbon sole
- Available in black or white
- Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
Axis RK1
- £389.95 / $519.95 / €449.95 / AU$299.95
- 243.4g (size 45)
- T800 Toray carbon sole
- Available in white only
- Sizes 36-48 in standard and wide fit, 49 and 50 coming soon
RT2
- £149.95 / $199.95 / €169.95 / AU$299.95
- Details available soon
