The Suplest Edge+ 2.0 Performance road shoes.
If you’re an average American cyclist like me, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Suplest (yet). The first time I heard of them is when a beautiful pair of Suplest Edge+ 2.0 Performance road shoes landed on my desk. Now that I’m finally enlightened, I can enlighten you too!
Suplest is a small Swiss shoemaker that specializes in premium cycling shoes. It was founded in 2007 in Berne, Switzerland and now there are several pro racers riding in Suplest shoes. They have clever tech, impressive fit, and good looks. I’ll give you the basic run-down of the Suplest shoe line-up and my first impressions of the Edge+ 2.0 Performance road shoes.
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The Suplest Cycling Shoe Line-Up
Suplest Shoes come in a few different versions:
- Road Series
- Mountain Series
- Trail Series
- Flat Pedal Series
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The Road Series is made for road riding. It is designed around Suplest’s Competition Last which provides maximum support and power transfer for pedaling. It has a large amount of ventilation and uses a standard three-bolt cleat mount. There are currently two models within the Road Series: the Edge+ 2.0 and 30.8. The Edge+ 2.0 is the “standard” shoe, while the 30.8 is a lighter, more breathable woven shoe made for hot weather.
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The Mountain Series is made for cross-country mountain biking and gravel riding. It has the same high-performance Competition Last as the Road Series but it uses two-bolt cleat mounts and adds low-profile lugs topped with SUPtraction rubber for grip when walking off the bike. The ventilation is also designed with water drainage in mind. The current Mountain Series model is the EDGE+ 2.0.
The Trail Series and Flat Pedal Series have a more gravity-oriented style for trail, enduro, and downhill riding. They’re built around Suplest’s Trail Last, which is made specifically for off-road riding. It’s stiff where it needs to be for pedaling, but flexible enough for comfort on long hike-a-bike sections. Both models — the Trail and the Flat Pedal — use Suplest’s SUPtraction rubber for grip on the pedals and walking off the bike.
Suplest Sport vs. Performance vs. Pro Shoes
Suplest shoes are available in three different spec levels:
- Sport - Base-level
- Performance - Mid-range
- Pro - Top-of-the-line
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Sport is the most affordable but has the fewest features. Pro is the most expensive but has all the best materials and tech. Performance is somewhere in the middle.
Here is an overview of the different features offered at each level for Road and Mountain Series shoes:
|
Sport |
Performance |
Pro |
|
|
Outsole |
Composite |
Carbon Composite |
Carbon |
|
Sole Stiffness Rating |
6/10 |
8/10 |
10/10 |
|
Insole |
Ergo 360 |
Solestar |
Solestar |
|
Anatomic Wrap |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Carbon Shield |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
3D-Heelcounter |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
BOA Closure |
Boa L6 |
Boa Li2 |
Dual BOA Li2 |
Performance and Pro shoes share many features. Both use the Solestar insole, which is firmer and designed to give the foot extra support and stability for hard pedaling. They also use Suplest’s Anatomic Wrap tongue construction, a wrap-around design engineered to accommodate a wider range of foot shapes while maintaining security and comfort.
There is a Carbon Shield, a thin layer of carbon on the tongue that evenly distributes pressure from the BOA laces for better fit and comfort. At the heel is a 3D-Heelcounter, a pre-shaped foam heel cap combined with grippy silicone dots to prevent heel lift. They also upgrade to the new BOA Li2 dial, which is slimmer than the BOA L6 dial and has finer clicks for a more precise fit.
The main difference between Performance and Pro shoes is that Pro shoes use the stiffer full carbon outsole and also use dual BOA dials instead of a single dial for a more fine-tuned fit.
All three levels use the Suplest Ergo 360 outsole but vary in construction and stiffness. Sport soles are composite and rated 6/10 on Suplest’s stiffness scale. Performance soles are carbon/composite and rated 8/10. Pro is full carbon and rated 10/10 for maximum stiffness and power transfer.
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What Does Suplest Mean?
Suplest is a play on the word “souplesse.” If you’re a long-time cycling fan, you may have heard that word before. In French, it means suppleness, softness, flexibility, adaptability, or fluidity. In cycling, it’s used to describe observable smoothness in a rider's pedal stroke or body movement. Imagine a rider who effortlessly powers away in a solo attack or gracefully dances up a steep climb while everyone else is rocking back and forth pedaling squares. It describes a state of perfect oneness with the machine.
One rider I always think of when it comes to souplesse is the legendary Fabian Cancellara, who had the magical ability to blow riders away while seated in the saddle. His accelerations appeared so casual and effortless, people even accused him of having a motor in his bike! Perhaps it’s no surprise then that he has his own limited edition Suplest shoe.
Suplest Road Edge+ 2.0 Performance: First Impressions and Fit
I was provided a pair of mid-range Edge+ 2.0 Performance road shoes in the “multicolor” colorway. My immediate impression was that the uppers on these shoes look stunning. Over the years I’ve worn Giro, Fizik, Specialized, Shimano, Northwave, and Lake, and the construction of the Edge+ 2.0 is among the highest quality that I’ve seen.
The upper is made from 3D-mesh combined with a thin TPU skin and Japanese microfiber. It’s super thin and feels extremely modern and refined. The Carbon Shield on the tongue looks amazing too.
The Performance model is less stiff than the Pro model, but I think most riders would be hard-pressed to tell. I can sort of feel the extra stiffness of the Pro carbon sole if I try to bend the shoes by hand, but on my feet and on the bike, I can’t detect any difference in flex and they might as well be the same.
Really, I think the main reason to jump up to a Pro shoe over Performance, is if you really need two BOA dials. Riders who like to get the front of their shoe really snug might miss it. As for me, I’m fine without it.
Overall, the fit is impressively glove-like. I have wide feet (more on that in a bit) and while the Anatomic Wrap design of the upper felt very snug, it easily accommodated my foot. The pressure from the BOA laces was distributed evenly, and the 3D-Heelcounter does a great job of preventing heel lift. The ventilation is very good in hot weather. Overall, it’s everything I expect from a $290 cycling shoe.
I’ll add that the Solestar insole really impressed me. It might be the best stock insole I’ve ever felt in a cycling shoe. It’s not some floppy piece of foam. It’s stiff, well-supported, and padded in the right spots. It has a good amount of arch support and overall it just feels super comfortable.
How Do Suplest Shoes Fit? Do Suplest Shoes Fit Wide Feet?
My feet are size 10 US/43-44 EU, duck-shaped, and 4 3/16" wide at the widest point.
My biggest concern when I got the Suplest shoes was whether they’d fit my wide feet. Euro shoes in general have a reputation for being narrow. My feet are EE-width, so pretty darn wide.
I was actually really impressed with how the Anatomic Wrap upper of the Edge+ 2.0 Performance was able to expand to hug my foot. It’s well-designed and can clearly handle a pretty wide range of foot shapes. The outside edge of my forefoot extended past the actual sole of the shoe by about a ¼ inch and upper was able to stretch enough to accommodate. For me, the shoes overall had a very snug, high-performance feel.
Now, ideally, your feet should never overhang the actual sole of the shoe. But my feet are so wide, they are wider than nearly every cycling shoe sole on the market. I've had to make a lot of compromises in my cycling shoe history, but ever since I switched to Lake's shoes, I generally don't like riding in shoes that aren't specifically made for wide feet. That said, I found I could get away with wearing the Edge+ 2.0 Performance for everything but ultra-long rides. They're a tiny bit wider than some road shoes I've worn from brands like Giro and Fizik, and I'd put them on par with some Specialized shoes, but they're not as wide as many Shimano shoes.
Ignore the cow mask for now. Cory is a serious racer (he rides for Holy Cow Racing) and the Suplest Road Edge+ 2.0 Performance shoes are right up his alley.
I got a few hundred miles out of the shoes, but ultimately, I decided to give the shoes to my co-worker Cory to try too. Thogh not as wide as mine, his foot is slightly wider as well. We anted to see if he could make the shoes work for ultra-long rides. Here's what Cory thought after putting in a few hundred miles in Edge+ 2.0:
Explaining a way a shoe feels is challenging since everyone will perceive it a bit differently. As far as the fit I'd personally describe it as "friendly" and "aggressive" — like my feet felt aero and ready to transfer some power, but with a slight sacrifice in comfort. That is, in comparison to a less-narrow everyday riding shoe (I normally ride Shimano's). I think the shoe puts pressure in the right spots to help with pedal stroke but with slight punishment if you seek relaxed comfort lol.
After riding them everyday for 6 weeks, including races and long endurance days, my feet adapted to them and I liked them very well. The only thing I missed was not having two BOA dials. Can't beat the style though!
If you have narrow feet, you might want to snug things up with the double BOA of the Pro-level shoes. If your foot is average width or even slightly wider than average, Suplest shoes will likely fit very well. But if you have truly wide E or EE-width feet like me, I’d recommend trying options from Shimano and Lake shoes.
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Product images courtesy of Suplest.
