Review: Trek Velocis – A carbon road shoe that flexes, a little
Developed in conjunction with the pro crew of Lidl-Trek, the Velocis is perhaps the only road shoe you’ll need…
The Trek Velocis shoe launched back in February of this year and I’ve managed to clock around 40 hours in them before writing this review. Guess I should also mention this is not merely a rebrand from the Bontrager Velocis shoe, there are meaningful changes with the new Trek Velocis road slippers.
Details
The biggest change to the new Velocis shoe is the uppers are designed to stretch and conform around your foot. The idea behind this flexing of the upper is to improve comfort (and therefore performance) for most riders. To be clear, its the shoe upper that has the new tech to help it flex. Not the sole.
Trek Velocis Shoe
| INTENDED USE | Road |
| CLOSURE | Two Micro-adjustable BOA Li2 |
| UPPER MATERIAL | Synthetic TPU and mesh |
| SOLE | 70% Carbon and 30% Fiberglass |
| STIFFNESS RATING | 10/14 |
| WEIGHT | 227g (size 43, actual) |
| RETAIL | R5250 |
| MORE | trekbikes.com |
The key technology at play is something Trek is calling MetNet. Essentially, by placing a small laminate in the upper, the shoe is said to reduce pressure points through stretching and conforming to your foot. The end goal is to alleviate issues like hot foot, numbness and tingling.
Cooling and breathability is aided by many perforations across the uppers. Underneath, the sole also has two small vents that measure about 10mm each, one is positioned in front of the cleat and the other behind it, to further assist airflow.
Another change to the Velocis shoe is the ditching of the single velcro strap and single BOA dial setup, to a dual BOA dial system. The BOA dials are the Li2 type which offer micro-adjustability, both when adding or releasing tension.
The rating of 10/14 on Trek’s own stiffness index means the shoe offers high power transfer levels that will be more than sufficient for everyone but perhaps the pro rider at a World Tour level. Colourways are black, red or white and sizing ranges from 36 through 48, including half sizes.
Ride Impressions
FIT & ADJUSTABILITY | Firstly, if you are looking at a pair of these I can confirm they are true to size. You won’t need to size up or down to get the best fit. They are perhaps slightly narrow yet still very comfortable — maybe that’s the MetNet tech going about it’s stretchy and huggy business. The fit is more of a ‘full foot hug’ kinda feel as opposed to a ‘locked-in from above’ one. Yet, there’s plenty of wiggle room for toes. What was really striking is from kilometer zero they felt more comfortable than my two-year old and well used Bontrager kicks ever did.
I’m a fan of the dual BOA with micro-adjust closure system because it allows for a finer degree of two-way adjustment than other systems. Thin socks, thick socks, easy rides, hard rides or sprints all have an impact on how a road shoe fits, so being able to micro-fiddle the tension, on-the-fly, is a massive plus.
If your preferred setup entails running your cleats far back on the shoe I can tell you there’s plenty of rail to do that. Also worth mentioning is the snug heel cup — it grasps and holds your foot very securely and there’s very little heel movement inside the shoe — even during ultra low cadence power drills.
COMFORT & PERFORMANCE | So, like me, I’m pretty sure you won’t actually feel the flex and stretch of the Metnet relief zones. Whether climbing, stomping or sprinting it’s not noticeable, at all. There’s also no pinch points or overlaps in the upper that might contribute to rubbing or pressure points. Overall the comfort levels are very high and I’d rate these shoes right up there with others that retail at similar or higher price points.
On account of sporadic numbing in my feet on long road rides, I guess I’m a good test bunny for this kind of technology. It’s a problem I have yet to fully resolve, despite throwing bike fits, many new shoes and soles at the problem over a three year period. It’s not a fatal issue and I can still ride, it’s just irritating. I was hoping the new Velocis would solve the issue completely which sadly was not the case. However, I’m happy to report the severity and frequency of my numb foot issue has improved dramatically during this test. To put a number to it I’d say the problem has improved by around 70%. What’s more is I no longer need to stop on the side of the road to alleviate the issue — a minute or so of soft pedaling does the trick. With other shoes I’d need a complete stop of around 5 minutes for every hour of riding, to fully recover. As I mentioned, I’ve tried at least five other shoes and perhaps as many as 20 different inners to find a solution, with no major change. Based on my gains, I’m guessing there’s something to be said for the fancy flexy tech of Metnet.
BOTTOM LINE | If you have the wherewithal it’s easy enough to get overly-excited and pull the trigger on a pair of performance shoes that might be twice the price of the Trek Velocis. In reality, most of us don’t need the added stiffness of a pro-level full-carbon shoe and wouldn’t really benefit from their mostly marginal weight saving. Most of us could also do with more comfort. From my positive experience with these shoes I have no qualms in recommending them. //