The Vector RC1 is one of the best-specified sub-£200 shoes available, with a stiff, low-stack carbon sole and an upper that fits your natural foot shape.
O2C’s founder Steven Nemeth spent two decades working for premium shoemaker Bont, as part of the team behind shoes worn to Olympic, World Championship and Grand Tour wins. Now, his own designs are reimagining the cycling shoe shape based on biometric data rather than traditional construction methods.
The Vector RC1 may be the base model in OC2’s three-shoe road range, priced at £174.95 / $229.95 / €199.95, but unlike most of its sub-£200 rivals, it comes with a lightweight, yet stiff, 3K woven full-carbon sole.
Because of the 100% carbon sole construction, O2C has been able to minimise the stack height, bringing it down to 4mm. The average for a race shoe is between 6.5mm and 8.5mm.
The Vector RC1 is a brilliant debut from a new brand. The foot shape is excellent; the fit and foot retention are secure, and the range of fine adjustment is impressive.
Add in the stiff full-carbon sole and low weight, and the RC1 is one of the best sub-£200 cycling shoes I’ve tried.
O2C Vector RC1 performance
Setting up cleats on the RC1s is a breeze, thanks to the printed markers on the cleat bed, and 10mm fore and aft adjustment for the 3 bolt holes. It's good to see when some of OC2’s rivals such as Fizik, Specialized and Gaerne offer zero adjustment on shoes in this price range.
While Mavic and DMT offer around 5mm of adjustment, Shimano offers a similar 10mm+ on its similarly priced shoes (RC7). However, the new premium S-Phyre shoes, designed for SPD-SLR, offer 22mm.
That means the RC1s are a solid choice for Shimano’s updated SPD-SLR design, for which the cleats don’t offer adjustment. For the classic SPD-SL and other 3-bolt cleat systems, the 10mm is on top of what the cleats provide.
The Microfibre upper is shaped by O2C’s database of foot-mapping and biomechanical research. Unlike traditional shoe designs with a tapered toebox, the O2C's design follows a more natural foot shape, not quite as extreme as Bont’s blunted boxy shape but still different from the norm.
O2C also offers its shoes in both standard and wide fits, in a broad size range from 36 to 48 including half sizes.
The sculpted carbon sole has a welcome toe protector to stop scuffs and chips, and a replaceable heel bumper.
The sole wraps around the base of your foot, with a high arch instep shape that gives the RC1s a great feeling of stability. The multi-density footbed is slender at 3mm, and when combined with the low-stack sole (4mm), there’s a very direct, connected feel.
The microfibre upper has a multitude of laser-cut venting, plenty across the toebox and a large 15x5cm laser-cut pattern running along the instep. The outstep has a laser-cut O2C logo and the traditional tongue is also vented.
Twin two-direction dials handle adjustment to fine tune the fit, with three anchors to the cables and the twin dials providing a well-balanced and even tension adjustment. A textured lining to the padded heel cup makes for great foot retention when sprinting or on out-of-the-saddle climbs.
Through our hot summer here in the UK, I got plenty of miles in wearing the RC1s, and while I’d still defer to a highly breathable 3D-knit upper as seen with DMT’s KRSL for extremely hot weather, the RC1s kept my feet feeling comfortable and aired even when working hard.
At £174.95 / $229.95 / €199.95, the RC1s are good value, especially considering the low weight and full-carbon outsole. My size-45 test pair weigh 248g each.
Around this price ballpark, Shimano’s RC503 shoes are priced at £159.99, with a carbon-reinforced nylon sole and a claimed weight of 254g each (in a size 43).
Quoc’s Motion shoes cost £160 / $220 / €200, with a carbon-glass-fibre reinforced sole and a claimed weight of 255g each (also size 43). Fizik’s Tempo Overcurve R4s are priced at £199.99 / $229.99 / €209.99, with a carbon-reinforced sole and a claimed weight of 232g (size 43).
If you want a full-carbon sole in this price range, Specialized’s Torch 2.0 at £165 / $199.99 / €149.99 is an option, but with a slightly higher claimed weight of 268g each (size 43).
O2C RC1 bottom line
At under 500g for a pair of size 45s (UK 10), the RC1s are noticeably light, and when combined with the excellent fit, more than ample stiffness and lots of adjustability, I can’t think of a better sub-£200 option.
The only downsides are they’re only available in two colours – black or white – and, as a new brand, finding physical retailers will be tricky.
That said, O2C offers a broad range of sizes, including wide-fit options. With direct online sales backed with a no-quibble 30-day returns/exchange policy, you should be able to find the right size without risk.
