Shimano SH-RC9 S-PHYRE Cycling Shoe - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

After much research and reading many reviews I purchased this excellent offering from Shimano. I’m a 68 year old cyclist who rides 8,000 plus miles a year at a 19-20 mph average pace with my normal group of 5 to 7 riders. Previous road shoes owned have been offerings from Sidi and Mavic. My feet over the past couple of years have become a bit wider. I don’t need an extra wide shoe just one with a little extra room in the toe box and these fit the bill perfectly for me. The best compliment I can pay these shoes is that I don’t think about them when I’m riding. They fit well and are comfortable. In my opinion the sizing is about 1/2 size small. I ordered both a 40.5 which was supposed to correspond to my normal size and a 41. I kept the larger size and returned the other. Definitely a top of the line shoe!

These shoes ARE BANG ON THE MONEY!! I used to have 2 pairs of Bontrangers that i loved but sadly after 6 years of beatings they bit the dust! I spent weeks looking in my local stores and tried on everything from SIDI to Specialized. Initially i went with a pair of specialized but within 2 rides i was getting an ankle rubbing and was destroyed. I stumbled across CC and called them up because i was concerned on sizing. They guided me exceptionally well and as a result... These Shimano™s FIT PERFECT!! I am a size EU45/US10.5 and in normal shoes or trainers i am an EU 44 or US 10.5. I now have over 2,000 miles in one pair of these! They are strong, lightweight, deliver the power i want through the shoe exceptionally well and truly they are up there with the best, if not the best. The teams customer service level is 100% and i will be buying the new RC9s in blue and white when they are out in Feb 2021. Definitely worth the money and a BIG THANK YOU to CC for helping me get the right sizing. Great shoes! Great team! A little pricey BUT FLAWLESS so i definitely got what i paid for and will be buying again in Feb.

I love these shoes! Incredibly lightweight, perfect stiffness in the sole, very comfortable, and they look awesome. I am a woman with long but narrow feet, so I was worried the heels might be too wide because they’re not adjustable, but they fit perfectly. Love these shoes, and would highly recommend.

I’ve had the shoes for 3 weeks now and multiple rides and all I can say is WOW. When I started shopping for new shoes I read and read several reviews, pro’s and cons and narrowed it down to these shoes. I was a little apprehensive due to the price attached to it. After a few more discussion/email with a rep at Competitive Cyclist he put me at ease and I made the purchase. They are so comfortable that for the first time in years I can ride for 50/75/100 miles and not have any discomfort/pain on my feet. Yes they are comfortable, light and would definitely recommend to anyone who is willing to invest in a comfortable cycling shoe.

Over the years I’ve had good experiences with Specialized and Sidi shoes in the Mega size. I need a wide tow box and narrow heel. I bought a pair of the lower ranked RC7’s and couldn’t believe the comfort and overall feel for a pair of $200 shoes. I had been eye balling the RC9’s for quite some time and a recent sale pushed me to pick up a pair. I’ve always been bothered a bit with cycling shoes that have excessive heel slip. The RC9 is amazing with regards to heel slip, it’s non existent. The Boa dial is the two way version vs one way on the RC7. All in all these shoes are unlikely to disappoint you, Shimano really stepped up their game with these newer offerings.

Trying them on after arrival, it's clear these shoes are well designed, light, airy and super adjustable in terms of fit. However, the recommended sizing was way too small. I ordered a 44.5 for a 10.5-11.0 shoe size. Not even close. Size 47 here I come. Folks at competitive cyclist made the return easy. My complaint is more with Shimano. Why bother to have a standard shoe size scale if you don't follow it? More information when I get the correct size and break them in.

Great shoes, good fit, easy to tighten and loosen, even tightness, durable, very stiff. Love them. I need a little wider toe box but did not need the wide size, very simple and equal tightening.

These shoes were given to me as a gift for a birthday. I used them lightly, only putting about a 1,500 miles on them before a boa dial broke at the 8 month mark. After reaching out I was informed the shoes would probably be replaced as they should. But thereafter Natalie a warranty specialist treated me poorly and informed me competitive cyclist would not replace the shoes as it was “wasteful and unnecessary” to do so. This despite the boa dial being a different color from the others which at $400 is a confusing fix if the company cares about its customers. This has changed my opinion of competitive cyclist. Do not expect the shoes to be replaced if a dial fails, regardless of if it is in the replacement warranty period. Therefore the shoes get a 1 star but not for the product itself. The bottom line is if the shoe only lasts 8 months of light use and will not be replaced there are far better goods stores who will honor their commitments such as REI.

Traded up from my Sidi wires. Same size (44) but the shimano’s (44) have a bit more room in the width. Comfy footbed too, Very happy!

I have funky feet, normal to narrow heel and very wide around the toes. This shoe felt a tiny bit loose in the heel walking but don't feel any heel slip on the bike. I wear a size 12 street shoe & 46 fit perfect. Love the boa ratchet in both directions as you can make incremental changes as you ride as your feet swell or contract. Click, boom, done! The only nit to pic is they are very hard to keep clean. I got black and yano black shows dirt anyway, but.... Geez. Ride by any dirt and your shoes are dirty. Nature break? Oh yeah, dirty. I'll live. Bottom line? Comfortable shoe. Light and stiff. Yes, I'd buy them again.

You can ride a really light bike. You can have really fast wheels. You can have electronic shifting, and a powermeter, and carbon pedals, and a whole host of other fancy-schmancy gear to make you that little bit faster, but none of it matters if you aren't comfortable. Close your eyes and think about your favorite shoes. Maybe they're your house slippers, or an old pair of Vans, or even some wooden clogs from your trip to Holland. It doesn't really matter. They fit perfectly, support your foot, and (usually) look super fly. The S-Phyres are my favorite shoes. Now, if the answer to my question was "my cycling shoes," stop reading. You've already found the answer, and unless they're starting to decompose, you'll probably be happiest sticking with what you've got. I'll bet though, that most of you reading are in various states of what I like to call "content discomfort." You wear the shoes that you wear because they were a sweet deal, or they match your kit, or (insert professional rider here) wears them. They probably feel fine, maybe even good. Without realizing it though, you adjust them 7 or 8 times every ride, a toe or two will go numb after an hour or two, and you probably breathe an unconscious sigh of relief when you take them off in the garage. I myself floated in a state of "content discomfort" for years. I've worn Sidi, Lake, Giro, etc, and while all of them were really stellar shoes, the fit was never quite spot on. Enter S-Phyre. Shimano has been making shoes longer than I've been around, and they've always been pretty good. The typical reaction to Shimano shoes has always been that they're dependable, pretty standard, and somewhat forgettable. But then a couple of years ago, the Japanese giant decided to get serious and throw its considerable R&D weight into the world of shoes. When the first pictures of the S-Phyre came out there was an audible "wow" throughout the cycling world. The design was memorable, but not gaudy. Bright, but not garish. I waited eagerly to try a pair, and I was blown away when I did. Out of the box, they feel broken in. The materials are incredible. It feels like you're wearing a rock solid slipper. The boa cables follow an unusual pattern that lends itself to lace-up levels of pressure distribution, and it really shows on the bike. The sole is insanely stiff, but it isn't undermined by poor fit. (A completely rigid carbon sole won't do you any good if your foot isn't held in snug.) As far as fit goes, my foot falls between the designations of "normal" and "wide". Working here at Competitive Cyclist, I've observed that at least half of the customers I work with have a wide foot, but that most shoe brands hold tight to a Euro-centric, fairly narrow fit. Shimano seems to have realized this and sized the S-Phyre line accordingly. For reference, I wear a "mega fit" Sidi, and an HV Giro, but a normal Lake. My fairly wide, square-ish feet felt most at home in the non-wide S-Phyre, and based on that, I would say that the wide series would be great for those of you with a particularly wide foot. I can't attest to the long-term durability just yet, but my initial impressions have been very positive. I can't tell you which shoe is going to help your foot reach podiatric nirvana, but if you're not quite there yet, you're gonna have to give these a shot. If you want to speak in more detail, shoot me an email at jdraper@backcountry.com and we can talk!

I went on a quest to rid foot pain and numbness. Usually when you buy a shoe ever so slightly bigger, they feel better. NOT THESE! A little bigger felt totally wrong. A half size down feels PERFECT. I did get a new fit as new cleat install would naturally be different. Ill lend some of the credit to the new fit. Nevertheless, they feel great. Spend toe $ and get the old stuff. Cheaper will usually feel and perform as such and you will spend more correcting wrongs instead of gettin right the first time. No Price sticker regret as of 5 rides in.

Very nice, light and comfortable shoes. Length and width is about the same as previous shimano shoes like xc90 or r315 the only difference is they have more volume in the front of the shoe. I have a high arch and very low volume feet so I did replace the insoles with giro supernatural insoles which helped reduce the volume and get better arch support.

These are the 2019 model. Just did 20.5 miles on Friday and 33.96 miles on Saturday and they are terrific. No more numb toes. I’ve ridden Sidi, I’ve ridden North-wave, I’ve ridden Pearl Izumi. State of the Art what I always expect from Shimano. Highest Quality throughout. Thank you Competitive Cyclist for having my size and great price.

It's a very comfortable shoe. True to size. Between the Fizik R1 Infinito and the RC9, the RC9 feels more like a glove. I really like the looks of the Fizik but the upper feels very stiff and the tongue would dig into the front of my ankle. The RC9 felt very comfortable from the start. I'm not sure if it's a true or perceived because I spent 400 dollars on a pair of shoes but it feel like I can put more power out with less effort.

Great shoes, very light and stiff. Exceptional breath ability. Fit was almost molded. I have narrow feet.

As a former pro racer many moons ago and now a 200 per week geek I find these shoes to be everything claimed. I’ve tried them all. They are Simply perfect. How can they be so solid and yet so light so close to the pedal perfect ability to adjust them to your foot They provide you with a connection to your bike where you feel as one spinning climbing sprinting. Really a step above any other shoe right now.