Carbon sole

bluedoggy

Does having a carbon sole on your shoe really make a difference in getting power to the bike?

FSR_XC

IMO no, at least I can't really notice the difference between it and a decent fibre / plastic one

Grill

I have both the Bontrager RL and the RXXXL. I can tell the difference between the two, but it's not earth-shattering (the RL is already quite stiff).

TakeTurns

Carbon soles are most certainly stiffer and mine make a difference in "feel", but I can't say that this has translated to speed or performance gains. It probably does, but not so much that I've noticed.

Probably an upgrade which should be withheld till later...or to help reduce your overall weight since your money will most certainly not be weighing you down.

simon_masterson

It's a marginal gain, and a particularly miniscule one if it's even a gain at all; it's just another thing to make you feel flightier.

I'd be happy to wear carbon soled shoes if I had that sort of money, but if I were to buy a pair of road shoes tomorrow, I would rather buy a really decent pair of non-carbon soled shoes than a low-end carbon pair.

teisetrotter

I wasn't pranning to buy carbon soles but i ended up with Shimano 106's because they were so stiff an in my opinion stiff represents comfort as well as the advertised extra power.

tiredofwhiners

I have a pair of Bonty RXL and a pair of Shimano somethings - there is a difference but I only notice towards the end of long rides when wearing the Bonty pair leaves my legs less tired - presumably because of less wasted energy.

BikeSwan

Depends on what you had before. I jumped from the Shimano M161 to the Shimano M240's so I noticed a considerable difference in pedaling stiffness. I can push a gear higher than I used to be able to on the same terrain. If your upgrading from the M240's to the M315's then you wont notice much of a difference (most likely).

smidsy

Compared to my original Muddy Fox SPD-SL shoes from Sports Direct my Giro Factor shoes are a huge difference and definitely noticeable.

Now I am not saying that CF soles are better than plastic per se, but the Easton CF soles on the Giro shoes are certainly better than the plastic ones of the MF shoes. I could really feel the difference, especially with out of the saddle peddaling.

rdt

The greatest benefit of carbon soles comes if you use them with MTB pedals.

The sole stiffness negates the downsides of MTB pedals' smaller shoe/pedal contact area, giving you the best of both worlds: road pedal performance with MTB shoe practicality (ie. recessed-cleat shoes you can walk in easily).

Bordersroadie

rdt wrote:

The greatest benefit of carbon soles comes if you use them with MTB pedals.

The sole stiffness negates the downsides of MTB pedals' smaller shoe/pedal contact area, giving you the best of both worlds: road pedal performance with MTB shoe practicality (ie. recessed-cleat shoes you can walk in easily).

+1

Music to my ears. On this basis I have justified the expense of one pair of carbon-soled MTB shoes for my road bikes and mountain bikes, all running M540 SPDs. Win win.

ricky1980

it saves weight...tho the mountain bike shoe with road cleats...good idea.

joe.90

Makes no difference at all. But feels more positive.

meesterbond

ricky1980 wrote:

it saves weight...tho the mountain bike shoe with road cleats...good idea.

Doubt that would work... MTB shoes have the 2 hole SPD style sole, Road cleats usually need 3 (or 4 holes), plus cleats are a lot bigger and the additional tread interferes with it.

I guess the biggest advantage of carbon soles is that you can make a shoe as stiff (or stiffer than plastic) but at a significantly reduced weight.

lotus49

If the MTB shoes had carbon soles, wouldn't that make them extremely uncomfortable to walk in?

rdt

lotus49 wrote:

If the MTB shoes had carbon soles, wouldn't that make them extremely uncomfortable to walk in?

I'm not going on a walking tour in them! I'm walking to/with my bike across (sometimes slippery) flags & stone setts in my garden, or into a cafe or shop I've stopped at, etc. The idea is to make those short walks less potentially treacherous that's all. Had the occasional dodgy moments in road shoes, and found the MTB shoes fixed that with no material downside if they're carbon soled. YMMV.