I’m not sure I could feel any great difference on the road, but these were certainly comfortable. Part of that may be down to the sole – it’s pretty stiff, but not incredibly so. With the temperature nudging 20 degrees, after six hours of hills my feet were on the verge of overheating. Heel support and heel lift are often an issue with this type of winter boot though, so make sure that the fit is good if you go this route. Also consider swapping to winter boots and pedals for two bolt cleats for their better walkability in the wet or when it's icy - you're less likely to take a spill on a tile floor at the coffee stop. Do brands make cycling shoes to fit wider feet?

The wraparound upper does away with any discernible tongue, and stretches on an elasticated internal strap to accommodate the foot and hold it firmly in position. It’s a moderate fiddle to get into the shoe, but once you’re in the fit is ultimately cosseting (helped greatly by a well padded collar at the heel). Finally there's price: how much are you prepared to spend? There's no substitute for trying before you buy. What are the important features of well-fitted cycling shoes?

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They have a super-neat wraparound design and a single L6 Boa, which is placed centrally rather than at the top of the foot. Shoe sizing is pretty consistent across brands, particularly when compared to other pieces of cycling clothing – but just because your old and worn-out size 46 shoes were comfortable, it doesn't necessarily mean you can jump straight into a different brand in the same size.

Touching on the performance element, he added: “The foot and ankle don’t generate any power. All the power comes from your quad and your glute. But you can lose a hell of a lot through badly fitting shoes – for example, if your foot is moving around or over pronating, you can waste a lot of energy.” Therefore, I’d class the RC7 as a three-season shoe suitable for the UK winter (provided you wear overshoes).

Shimano S-Phyre RC9 Track

By contrast, Shimano’s top-end S-Phyre RC9 measures 12 on the stiffness scale. If you’re producing an all-in effort, you will get the RC3’s soles to flex, but I think this level of stiffness is about right for most day-to-day and fitness riding. When riding hard in an aero position on the flat or grappling with a grippy gradient, the soles do yield but not so much as to strain the feet or leg muscles or seem inefficient. A highly ventilated pair of cycling shoes or shoes with woven uppers will keep your feet cooler in hot conditions, but won't be so good if it's cold and damp.

Cycling is a forefoot sport. Whilst the foot itself doesn’t generate any power, all of the watts produced elsewhere pass through your digits. So not only do poorly fitting shoes create pain, they can also limit performance. These Road Shoes are compatible with road bike pedal systems that use cleats with 3-bolt standards, such as: Look Delta and Keo, Shimano SPD-SL, Speedplay Light Action, Zero, X-Series (via 3-hole adapter plate), Campagnolo Pro-Fit, Mavic Zxellium, Time Iclic/Xpresso and Time Impact. An optimised toe spring section using Shimano’s ‘Dynalast’, is said to put less pressure on the plantar by allowing the foot to follow a more natural range of movement.Carbon soles will be stiffer and increase pedalling efficiency, which is great unless you're expecting to walk in them, when a little more give will prove useful. Likewise, they don't have and sole grip. There are a number of different shoes on the market such as the Bont Riot and the Lake CX402 that can be customized through heat moulding to fit the shape of your feet. This means that the shoes should perfectly support the arch of your foot, ensuring that you should be very comfortable and power transfer should be improved too as your foot won't move around at all. If you have flat feet or arch-related problems, heat mouldable shoes could be the solution. How do triathlon cycling shoes differ from road cycling shoes? The sole is a pretty thin carbon reinforced nylon. The white finish is a bit of a pain to keep clean. The additional ventilation is noticeable, and so expect to get cold feet on chillier rides. However the big game changer is the mesh panelling which allows for foot expansion in heat and improved comfort when riding hard!