Shimano

XC7 Wide Cycling Shoe - Men's

The XC7 Cycling Shoe - Wide might sit just below the XC9 in Shimano's hierarchy of cross-country shoes, however, it does offer a performance to dollar proposition that's hard to ignore. We'd compare it to its XT M8000 groupset, sacrificing a few high-end features to XTR M9000 yet it's still plenty capable for most folks and we'll happily pocket the cash saved for future upgrades or travel expenses later. This particular version of the XC7 comes with a wide last that's a blessing for those of us with higher volume feet and receives the latest updates including the addition of a second BOA dial versus the hook-and-loop strap of the previous model.

Wide last aside, the XC7 Wide is the same as the standard XC7 meaning it rides atop a sole comprising of different materials. Given that the XC7 is a race-ready shoe, the carbon-reinforced midsole is the most important of these layers as it places the XC7 near the top of Shimano's stiffness index. It clocks in at a nine out of 12 on Shimano's stiffness scale, and the only Shimano XC shoe that's stiffer is the S-Phyre (11 out of 12). This is made all the more impressive when you realize that only three of Shimano's road-specific shoes are stiffer and the next stiffest XC shoe ranks a lowly seven.