Shimano S-Phyre RX910 review: versatile racing shoe is one of the best I've tested, but the fit won’t suit everyone

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Shimano’s S-Phyre RX910 gravel shoes are among the best all-rounder cycling shoes I’ve ever tested – provided their relatively narrow shape suits your feet.

With sleek uppers, a stiff carbon sole and a minimalist amount of tread for short stints off the bike, the S-Phyre RX910 gravel shoes bridge the gap between road and off-road shoes elegantly.

The new, moveable cleat ‘pontoons’ help improve foot stability on SPD pedals compared to previously available shoes (although I found one set of third-party pedals they didn’t work perfectly with).

At £369.99 / $480 / €419.95, they’re undoubtedly expensive, but if you’re looking for one set of shoes to cover all of your fast riding with clip-in pedals, it’s hard to think of many better options.

The only caveats to that praise are that the standard-width last is fairly narrow, and the wide-fit version isn’t carried by Shimano’s distributor in the UK. As always with cycling shoes, then, it’s wise to check they’re a good fit for your feet before investing in a set.

Shimano S-Phyre RX910 gravel shoes performance

On the bike, the Shimano S-Phyre RX910 shoes perform as you’d expect – the wraparound uppers hug your feet comfortably, with the dual-Boa Li2 dial setup making tension adjustments a cinch.

The new, movable Pontoons also make for a tangibly solid connection to SPD pedals with less detectable rattle or slop.

The only pedals I found they interfered with slightly were Favero’s Assioma PRO MX power meter pedals, where clipping in required a little more force. Foot retention and clipping out were unaffected, though, and they worked perfectly with Garmin’s Rally XC210 pedals.

The stiffness of the carbon sole on the RX910s is also excellent, with no discernable flex.

There’s little evidence to suggest this makes you any faster, or any more powerful, but in my experience it does make a cycling shoe more comfortable for hard riding.

Your mileage may vary with regards to comfort, of course, but I wouldn’t invest in expensive cycling shoes with super-stiff carbon soles if you’re hoping for a power boost.

At 660g in a size EU45 (standard fit), the RX910s aren’t the lightest cycling shoes available – and they’re almost 40g heavier than the cheaper RX810s – but this isn’t something you’ll notice while riding.

What is noticeable is the excellent insoles and the adjustable arch support. I typically prefer a little more arch support than comes as stock with most cycling shoes, so having the ability to adjust this variable for free is great.

On the straight and narrow

Overall, the fit, comfort and performance reminded me a lot of Shimano’s S-Phyre RC902 shoes, which I also rated highly.

As with those, though, the RX910 shoes are relatively narrow in the forefoot area, which won’t be ideal for anyone with wider feet.

During testing, my right foot occasionally felt cramped with some discomfort that doesn’t occur when wearing roomier shoes, especially on warm days, when your feet tend to swell slightly. For reference, my feet measure around 280mm long and 104mm wide.

Notably, the RX910s feel narrower than the Shimano RX810 shoes I was wearing for off-road riding previously.

Shimano seems to have an odd view that shoes should get narrower and less roomy as they get ‘racier’ and/or more expensive.

There’s a certain logic to the idea that racers want a more ‘locked-in’ feel from their kit – racy jerseys and bib shorts tend to fit tighter, after all.

However, I don’t believe the same logic applies to shoes, given they generally can’t stretch to accommodate your anatomy in the same manner as polyester jerseys and shorts can. Instead, a shoe that’s too narrow will simply tend to restrict your foot from its natural shape.

Specialized’s latest S-Works Recon EVO shoes feel wider and more ‘foot-shaped’ in the forefoot, even in a slightly smaller size EU44.5, and are much more comfortable for it.

When it came to picking a shoe for a recent 215km audax, I opted for the Specialized shoes only for this reason.

Wide-fit versions of the RX910 shoes are available, but not in every territory – and the UK unfortunately happens to be one of those. I therefore wasn’t able to try those to see if it resolved the issue or not.

Shimano has also recently announced an update to its ‘Dynalast’ last – the model foot around which its shoes are constructed. Dynalast 2.0 features 4 per cent greater toe volume, with an extra 2mm of width at the ball of the foot and 3mm extra at the toes on ‘standard fit’ shoes.

Having tried the wider ‘standard’ fit on the new S-Phyre RC910 shoe (which Shimano provided to test alongside its new Dura-Ace R9300 SPD-SLR pedals), the difference is noticeable.

A new ‘narrow fit’ option has also been added for riders who prefer the current 'snug performance fit' (as Shimano describes it).

Overall, that’s a welcome change that will hopefully come to this shoe in an update, or to the next generation of it.

If you can’t wait until then, the recently announced RX710 shoes are heavily inspired by the RX910s and feature the new Dynalast 2.0 lasts. At £269.99 / €254.95, they’re around £100 / €160 cheaper, but the soles are ‘only’ rated 9/12 on Shimano’s arbitrary stiffness scale (if that bothers you).

Is white a bad choice for off-road shoes?

Out of the box, white seems a terrible choice for an off-road cycling shoe – given the prevalence of mud in the UK – but I’ve been impressed by how well the RX910s clean up post-ride.

The uppers don’t easily absorb any colour casts, and though the stitching has gone slightly grey, a toothbrush and some oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) can work wonders here.

Even the white soles have cleaned up relatively well, all things considered, leaving the shoes looking remarkably good even after nearly six months of use.

Of course, if you don't want to have to wash your shoes after every wet or muddy ride, perhaps white isn’t the best choice. Fortunately, there are three other colours available, including black, so you can take your pick.

Shimano S-Phyre RX910 gravel shoes bottom line

Shimano’s S-Phyre RX910 gravel shoes tick a lot of the right boxes, delivering the performance of a pro-spec road shoe paired with enough tread for occasional mid-ride jaunts off the bike.

The price is undeniably high, but considering they could run equally well as a shoe for road, gravel or XC use, it’s fairly easy to make a case for the RX910s as something of a quiver-killer (assuming you don’t mind running SPD pedals on your road bike, of course).

In terms of lows, it’s fair to say they aren’t the lightest shoes around – coming in heavier than the cheaper RX810s is a slight letdown, even if it makes next to no difference on the bike.

More important, though, is that the standard fit is relatively narrow in the forefoot, and wide-fit versions unfortunately aren’t available in the UK.

Wherever you live, then, carefully assessing the fit before committing to a purchase would be a wise decision.

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