Specialized S-Works 8 Road Shoes?

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kode54
Posts: 3748
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

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MarkoP
Posts: 218
Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:48 pm

by MarkoP

Been wearing these for a few weeks now and easily the most comfortable shoes I've owned. Coming from the latest gen S-Phyres these are a godsend.
Current: 2021 Bianchi Specialissima I 2021 Tarmac SL6 S-Works (Sagan Edition) l 2023 Aethos S-Works

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Sm0421
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:25 pm

by Sm0421

Good shoes.

I wear size 46 wide - for about 1,500 miles now. Previous shoes are:
SW-7 46 wide - 1 year
SW-7 46 regular - 1 year
SW-6 46 wide - 2 years

I have wide feet and very tall top part, I also have flat foot, so I use a $99 insole (SOLESTAR KONTROL), which actually reduces the room in the shoe because it raises my feet.

All in all, a great pair of shoes. Compared to SW-7 wide, same size, it's clear that the SW8 are:

- wider in the toe box, which is excellent, it helped with reducing heat and soreness on the outside of my toes for long rides. It did not completely eliminate them.
- looser in the heel. I've never liked tightness in the heel, but I guess after wearing SW7 for 2 years, I'm used to the secure feeling and Sw8 is loose. It did not impact my performance but I do need to tie the shoes more frequent, which was ok. I actually think because this made the shoes loose that my toes were more free to move around and felt less pressure
- it did not improve my on-bike performance noticeably, it did improve the comfort somewhat

Thanks!

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

kode54 wrote:
Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:58 pm
The shoe stretcher comes with potato head attachments...where you can add bump outs and various other bits. I just used one of the bumps and located the problem area and put it in overnight. I need to repeat a few times according to the instructions...maybe wet the area or use a shoe stretcher spray. The bump on my foot isn't as red as it was initially, so I'm assuming that it works. It just needs a few extra days.
Right, I am giving this ago.

15 quid from Amazon, so worth a try to get a bit more width in the toe box and then I will give up for good if that fails!!

kode54
Posts: 3748
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

What I do is mark the areas I suspect with some tape, then put the stretcher in with the ‘potato head’ bump and leave it overnight. Then repeat for a few days.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

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pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

I got the Specialized in-stock alert this morning for my size/color (41 white). I just placed an order. I'm coming from a pair of Exos in 41.5 in white. I tried out a number of different sizes of the Torch at a store and found the 41 to be the perfect fit, but they didn't have any in the white. I will give a ride report once I've put some miles on the shoes.

mathias720
Posts: 242
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:14 am

by mathias720

i have this shoe now for some time and starting to really like it. i always like the looks of s-works shoes but havent been able to use them as they were to narrow, the torch seems to be good (but cant go much narrower) does anyone know how the Recons compared? are the same width as the old s-works 7 or wider? was hoping to go for a set of recon laces, but might go for the recon vent as they seem looser in the material and might fit better, but would love to use them for winter riding aswell.

bob78h
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2021 7:30 am

by bob78h

mathias720 wrote:
Wed Aug 17, 2022 5:52 am
i have this shoe now for some time and starting to really like it. i always like the looks of s-works shoes but havent been able to use them as they were to narrow, the torch seems to be good (but cant go much narrower) does anyone know how the Recons compared? are the same width as the old s-works 7 or wider? was hoping to go for a set of recon laces, but might go for the recon vent as they seem looser in the material and might fit better, but would love to use them for winter riding aswell.
Recons are about the same as SW7. If you like the Torch and can wait, I'd wait for the new Recon which should fit the same as the Torch. I'm not sure when they'll release it but I already see the sponsored MTB riders using it, so probably coming later this year or early next year.

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pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

Today I put in five hours and 2,000 meters of climbing on the first ride of these shoes. Very comfortable shoes with zero hotspots anywhere. Not as comfortable as my Exos but that is to be expected. But the Torch is way more secure around the mid-foot and heel. The extra security translates into better power transfer. Also, most notably the new Torch is designed for a low volume foot, which is what I have. With the Exos I have to use a thicker insole to take up some of the extra volume (in height). Overall I'm very pleased. Interestingly I compared the Torch 41 insole against the Exos 41.5 insole and they are identical in length and width. And the two shoes seem identical in length and width. But the Torch has much less volume (in height) from the mid-foot to the toebox, which I come to appreciate. My foot has that locked in feel without being uncomfortable. If someone has a high volume foot they may need to upsize it or go wider.

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

pdlpsher1 wrote:
Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:48 pm
Today I put in five hours and 2,000 meters of climbing on the first ride of these shoes. Very comfortable shoes with zero hotspots anywhere. Not as comfortable as my Exos but that is to be expected. But the Torch is way more secure around the mid-foot and heel. The extra security translates into better power transfer. Also, most notably the new Torch is designed for a low volume foot, which is what I have. With the Exos I have to use a thicker insole to take up some of the extra volume (in height). Overall I'm very pleased. Interestingly I compared the Torch 41 insole against the Exos 41.5 insole and they are identical in length and width. And the two shoes seem identical in length and width. But the Torch has much less volume (in height) from the mid-foot to the toebox, which I come to appreciate. My foot has that locked in feel without being uncomfortable. If someone has a high volume foot they may need to upsize it or go wider.
They certainly are.

It's a slighty odd combo to add the width, but take out the volume.

Volume of the 7, with the width of the torch would work better for my foot personally.

I have my stretchers going to work on the shoes right now though!!

bob78h
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2021 7:30 am

by bob78h

tommyboyo wrote:
Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:28 pm
pdlpsher1 wrote:
Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:48 pm
Today I put in five hours and 2,000 meters of climbing on the first ride of these shoes. Very comfortable shoes with zero hotspots anywhere. Not as comfortable as my Exos but that is to be expected. But the Torch is way more secure around the mid-foot and heel. The extra security translates into better power transfer. Also, most notably the new Torch is designed for a low volume foot, which is what I have. With the Exos I have to use a thicker insole to take up some of the extra volume (in height). Overall I'm very pleased. Interestingly I compared the Torch 41 insole against the Exos 41.5 insole and they are identical in length and width. And the two shoes seem identical in length and width. But the Torch has much less volume (in height) from the mid-foot to the toebox, which I come to appreciate. My foot has that locked in feel without being uncomfortable. If someone has a high volume foot they may need to upsize it or go wider.
They certainly are.

It's a slighty odd combo to add the width, but take out the volume.

Volume of the 7, with the width of the torch would work better for my foot personally.

I have my stretchers going to work on the shoes right now though!!
Any luck with the shoe stretchers?

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

bob78h wrote:
Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:39 pm
tommyboyo wrote:
Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:28 pm
pdlpsher1 wrote:
Sat Aug 20, 2022 9:48 pm
Today I put in five hours and 2,000 meters of climbing on the first ride of these shoes. Very comfortable shoes with zero hotspots anywhere. Not as comfortable as my Exos but that is to be expected. But the Torch is way more secure around the mid-foot and heel. The extra security translates into better power transfer. Also, most notably the new Torch is designed for a low volume foot, which is what I have. With the Exos I have to use a thicker insole to take up some of the extra volume (in height). Overall I'm very pleased. Interestingly I compared the Torch 41 insole against the Exos 41.5 insole and they are identical in length and width. And the two shoes seem identical in length and width. But the Torch has much less volume (in height) from the mid-foot to the toebox, which I come to appreciate. My foot has that locked in feel without being uncomfortable. If someone has a high volume foot they may need to upsize it or go wider.
They certainly are.

It's a slighty odd combo to add the width, but take out the volume.

Volume of the 7, with the width of the torch would work better for my foot personally.

I have my stretchers going to work on the shoes right now though!!
Any luck with the shoe stretchers?
They do a bit, but I have to say that the synthetic material is pretty stretch resistant, which is the whole point of it i guess!!

Anyway, I decided to sell my pairs and use a fizik wide, which has a shape and volume that is really suiting my feet with some custom orthotics.

K4m1k4z3
Posts: 339
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:33 pm

by K4m1k4z3

Just wondering,
if the SW Torches are wider than the SW 7's...
What about the BG insoles? Do the standard blue/green insoles fit snugly inside the Torches?
'24 S-Works Tarmac SL8 RTP - soon™
'22 Tarmac SL7 Expert | Ultegra R8100 | Alpinist CL / Custom Rapide CLX 2x60
'19 Diverge E5 Comp
'18 Epic HT Comp Carbon WMN
'18 TCR Adv Pro 1 Disc

tommyboyo
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 12:49 am

by tommyboyo

K4m1k4z3 wrote:
Fri Sep 16, 2022 9:02 pm
Just wondering,
if the SW Torches are wider than the SW 7's...
What about the BG insoles? Do the standard blue/green insoles fit snugly inside the Torches?
They do.

by Weenie


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njleach
Posts: 209
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:46 am

by njleach

Had first few rides with the new S-Works Torch. Compared to the S-Works 7's, they are super comfortable. Have felt the heel was a little looser on the new torches compared to the 7's but other than that very pleased with them

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