The Shimano S-Phyre XC902 shoes are now even lighter, making them perfect for gravel cycling and cross country riding. The S-Phyre XC902 shoes are Shimano’s top of the line for dirt and will set you back a pretty penny, around $400 or more. The current model (XC9 S-PHYRE) runs $425 at www.competitivecyclist.com.
The Shimano XC902 shoes have been parading in the World Cup at the hands (or rather feet…) of Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman has had them for a week and, in fact, rumor has it, he has been riding them for more than a year as he has competed with different prototypes of this model.
Up top, there’s a new synthetic upper with a familiar layout to the new RC9 road shoes. These new XC9s keep the same double Boa dial layout as the originals (not the reversed orientation of MvdP’s prototypes), down to the extra crossing Powerzone wire loop across the forefoot for more precise adjustment. But they do now get upgraded to lower profile Boa Li2 dials like the latest S-Phyre road version.
The upper now features two separate wrap-around materials bonded together to allow the top section to deliver the best fit, while the bottom section focuses on pedaling performance efficiency and durability.
The most striking feature of the new Shimano S-Phyre XC902 is the weight. They have reduced their weight by 10% and become the lightest MTB shoe Shimano has ever made. Its advertised weight is 296 grams in size 42. This is a mere 34 grams less than the previous ones. Although there are many more small improvements.
At the top they inherit the shapes of the latest version of the Shimano RC9 road. For the closure, they have opted for the double BOA dial. Now the upper part is divided into two zones to improve the fit to the foot.
While the weight will be the most striking element of the Shimano S-Phyre XC902 shoes, the biggest change compared to the previous ones is in the sole. Goodbye to Michelin as the supplier of that part of the shoe. Shimano has created its own sole, dubbed the Shimano Ultread XC. It has a new design of the studs, which are now higher, especially at the rear. They have also made changes to the area where the front cleats are mounted, including a set of new cleats.
They will hit the market in three color options: white, black, and Shimano’s iconic blue. They will have intermediate sizes from 39 to 47 and full sizes from 36 to 48.
While they are live on the Shimano website now, we don’t expect them to be available until at least the end of this coming winter into next spring 2022.
Learn more at bike.shimano.com.