Suplest Edge 3 Double Boa Road Shoe Review

With its name on cycling shoes and naught else, Suplest remains a relatively small brand in the cycling shoe market virtually a decade after its inception. The Border/three Pro is the brand's latest top-tier road offering, a shoe that boasts a number of unique features – and some less unique – that help place it on equal ground among other premium cycling shoe options.

Premium race shoes these days are all extremely stiff underfoot and create an efficient connection to the pedals. Similarities in memory systems requite even less to discuss, and with fit being so subjective, it can be difficult to articulate why one shoe is better than another. Even so, David Rome establish plenty to say about these Swiss-designed (Vietnamese-fabricated) kicks.

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Upper pattern

The supple microfibre upper plays host to Suplest's unique Carbon Shield structure with a woven aesthetic flowing on from the carbon sole. That Carbon Shield beneath the Boa wires helps to spread the tension load with a slippery, wear-resistant, and consistent surface, while likewise protecting the top of your foot from any uneven pressure level. Information technology'due south a clever concept that should proceed the shoe looking fresh for years to come up.

Packed to the brim with mod features, the Suplest Ergo/3 Pro road shoes offering a wrap-effectually upper for a supportive fit.

Suplest integrates that feature into a wrap-effectually upper that does away with a conventional tongue. This sort of structure supposedly offers greater pes back up while also offering a more than precise fit. Equally an added bonus, the simplified layout makes for a shoe that's likewise easier to get into.

The microfiber upper is perforated down the outside face, with mesh panels running the height of the foot on the inside. Some other mesh panel appears above the toes, all of which should make for a well ventilated shoe. However, the Carbon Shield design does not exhale and so the tops of my socks did go sweaty on hot days, even with functional ventilation holes in the carbon sole.

Boa IP1 dials are certainly the almost pop retentivity selection among premium shoes. They're hard to error.

While the Carbon Shield is somewhat novel, Suplest's choice in closure systems is annihilation just with two well-proven Boa IP1 dials per shoe. Given the IP1'due south feature gear up, though, it'southward easy to see why Suplest – and so many others – have opted to go this manner. Boa'southward elevation-terminate dials offer precise 1mm on-the-fly adjustments in both directions, along with an instant pull-to-release machinery.

Fit is everything

I have relatively average, if not slightly narrow feet. With that, I generally find comfortable the standard shoes from Shimano, Giro, Specialized, and Bontrager with some wiggle room in the toebox to spare. Like many European brands, Suplest equips the Edge/three with a more aggressively tapered shape up front that lightly pinched my niggling toes inward.

Direct from innersole specialists Solestar, the footbeds are perchance the nicest quality I've seen included as stock. The dual-fabric construction provides a relatively rigid arch support with just enough padding over the height. Combined with the wrap-around upper, human foot stability is impressive and in that location'due south little chance of the foot or ankle collapsing inward under pressure level.

Unfortunately, the support was a little too rearward/aggressive for my feet as I apace got curvation pain; swapping out the innersoles stock-still the upshot.

Solestar foot beds are typically an aftermarket upgrade, but Suplest provide them as the stock selection.

This secure stability is backed upwards with a traction-filled heel cup. The deep heel cup shape is generously padded and and so covered in a Velcro-like textile that's quite like to what Shimano uses. Additionally, there are pocket-size silicone grip dots covering the length of the heel. Those dots have proven quite durable, and so far they haven't caused any wear issues with socks. A large reflective logo at the back of the heel is another neat touch.

Your heel is locked in with a combination of a deep heel loving cup, padding, silicon grippers and a velcro-like material.

Got to have sole

Suplest's upper construction may be slightly off the beaten path, but the carbon fibre sole follows a very tried-and-true formula. The shape is somewhat similar to Shimano's Dynalast sole pattern, with a more than subtle toespring – that up bend at the front of the sole – and a generally flatter profile from toe to heel. While Suplest make no such claim, Shimano country that the more natural foot position reduces tension on the foot, Achilles tendon, and calves. It's a fit chemical element I quite like.

Cleats are unusually adjustable laterally, just not fore-aft.

Similarly, Suplest sticks to the straight-and-narrow with cleat holes that are drilled centrally below the ball of the foot. Somewhat unusually, Suplest offers a generous range of side-to-side adjustment, but non fore-aft, so those who prefer a specially forward or rearward cleat position may have problem getting things placed only so.

The replaceable heel gripper is a overnice bear upon, simply ideally it would exist a little grippier.

Both ends of the sole are fitted with generously sized treads that, while firmer and a bit less grippy than many big-brand models, nevertheless provide decent grip fifty-fifty on troublesome tiles and provide plenty of protection for the underlaying carbon fibre. That firmness bodes well for long-term immovability, though, and when necessary, the heel tread is replaceable via hidden hardware.

Weight

Shoe stiffness is hard to gauge from the saddle at this end of the shoe market, and given the personal nature of fit, weight is one of the few objective matters left to compare ­– even if information technology isn't a factor that should decide your footwear.

My size 42.5 samples weighed 553g for the pair, with the Solestar innersoles accounting for 86g of that.

The premium shoe market is certainly hotly contested, and innovations in sole and upper materials mean the criterion is a continually moving target. The weight watchers will probably scoff at the approximate 100g penalisation compared to ultralight lace-upward shoes like the Specialized Southward-Works Sub6 or Giro Empire SLX. Regardless of what the scale says, these are still at least worth a closer wait.

RRP: US$TBC / AU$495 / €349
world wide web.suplest.ch / www.suplest.com.au (Australia)

Even the black shoes feature a checkered and carbon-like aesthetic.

Mesh panels run the length of the within.

The front toe guard helps to protect the smooth synthetic toe.

The black material is resistant to flex and is therefore extremely supportive. Unfortunately, I found the arch support to be placed besides far rearward.

One side of the upper is reinforced with Suplest's Carbon Shield that provides a slippery and strong surface for the Boa wires to run over.

Transport bag included.

Disclosure argument: Suplest shoes are bachelor for sale in the CyclingTips Emporium, even so, testing of these shoes began well earlier that system was fabricated. The Emporium is a different sectionalisation of the CyclingTips business. Our reviews are, and e'er volition be, editorially independent.

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Source: https://cyclingtips.com/2016/11/suplest-edge3-pro-road-shoe-review/

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