I tried the Giro ProLight SLX shoes and I like them a lot - simple, with no buckle or wire and feather lightweight, well ventilated and comfortable and stiff. Almost perfect. But one of the biggest cons with the SLX is the super thin, non-replaceable heel pads.

What other top of the line SPD-SL shoes are there that are
- similarly lightweight and simple (the less buckles or wires, the better, i hate finicky "features", I prefer velcro and definitely not considering laces)
- and compatible with SpeedPlay
- and have replaceable heel pad

???

Anybody know?

Sidi. Bont.

Which specific model is as light, and as simple as the Giro ProLight SLX?

Bont Zero, laces.

Or.

Bont Vaypor Plus. If wires aren't simple enough for you, maybe you weren't cut out to do this.

I am not going to go with anything with laces. One of my older cleats had them (Giro empire) and I didn't like them.

And there's no need for that disrespectfulness. Geez.

You might try a layer of Shoe-Goo on the worn area to extend the life of the shoe. Or a shoe repair place might be able to fix you up with some small thin heel pads.

I am not really that keen on trying to use shoe-goo or sugru or epoxy to "create" the sole. to be honest, those after-market gluing wear out pretty quickly.




So far the recommendations are:
- Bont Vaypor + <-- I'm sure they can be comfortable but they also look a bit ugly
- Sidi <-- I am guessing you people mean the Wire Vent Carbon? The Wire Vent Carbon ($500) are way more expensive than the Giro ProLight SLX On Amazon ($325) in my size. I am a little skeptical about paying $175 more.


So just 2 options? Any more shoes that matches my criteria?

Anyone got experience with the S-Works Road shoe?

Cut up an old tire and use shoe-goo to hold it in place. BTW, you'll be surprised at how hard it is to cut up a tire....

I have some teammates that wear S-Works shoes, and they love them. Seems like a good choice.

Lake shoes have replaceable heel pads - you might want to look at those. They come in Speedplay-specific models, too. They're also real leather, which is a lot nicer in hot weather than the plastic of Sidis....

I saw the Lake CX401 when I was in the stores. Tried them and didn't like how they feel.

So S-Works Road shoe or ProLight SLX with old hire as heel pad? Any other recommendations of shoes that doesn't need hack jobs?

I am not a big fan of Sidi shoes. The performance difference in stiffness is not that perceivable to me compared to other brand's top of the line stuff and does not justify the big price difference. Online sites say the Sidi Vent Carbon is also much heavier too.

DMT Radial 2.0

https://www.wiggle.com.au/dmt-radial-20/

https://www.diamantdmt.com/en/road/radial

Their ultra-light and Prisma are both 255g and the radial is 265. The ultra-light model is interesting because they use velcro straps.

They both are super budget friendly for sure. There's no LBS store near me that carries DMT though, so hard for me to get them because I don't want to buy without trying the fit in person.

Same for Northwave. I saw Northwave Extreme (the non-tech model) and they appear to fit all the requirements but no where can I physically try them.

Gita is the dealer in the states, you might be able to find a retailer in your state

https://www.gitabike.com/cgi-bin/shop...&file=dmt.html

FYI, on all my cycling shoes my velcro has worn out (i.e. gotten more finicky) before the buckle broke.

Perhaps, but very easy and nearly free to reapply. A shoe repairman can do a very nice job creating a small heal and fixing it with adhesive and screws. Worth trying if your going to shelve/toss shoes that are otherwise serviceable anyway, IMO.