Ah, shoes. Perhaps nothing stirs the blood of a performance minded road cyclist more than their footwear.
There's even an Instagram account dedicated to bicycle-based shoe fetishisation.
And 2018 looks to be a bumper year in the shoe world, with some key brands releasing updated versions of their top spec models.
So we spent some time staring at professional cyclists' feet at the Tour Down Under to see what's hot and what's not.
1. Specialized S-Works 7
Peter Sagan will be riding in Specialized S-Works 7s this season
The big S has updated the top spec S-Works shoe for 2018 and imaginatively called them the S-Works 7.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The S-Works 6 model was an all-time classic for both professionals and amateurs alike, and while information on these new shoes is currently scarce, we suspect it will be lighter, stiffer and just as expensive as before.
With Peter Sagan rocking a pair in 2018, there’s no doubt you’ll be seeing them doing plenty of wheelies throughout the season.
Spotted on the feet of new Quick Step recruit Elia Viviani, these simple but brightly coloured DMT D1s are sure to get you noticed down at the local cafe.
DMT is somewhat of a rarity among the pros, so information on this shoe is scarce, although DMT claims a weight of 260 grams for a size 41. That’s light but not earth shatteringly so.
Looking at the photos it seems the D1 has a generously sculpted carbon last much like a Sidi shot, and if you don’t fancy the full fluoro model, DMT also does a more subdued black or white colourway.
If DMT shoes look familiar it’s because they’re rumoured to make the Nike shoes for riders such as Mark Cavendish and Adam Blythe.
Another all new shoe for 2018 is Fizik’s infinito R1.
4. Giant
Team Sunweb have gone full Giant this year, with the global bike company providing the team with nearly every piece of equipment, including shoes.
5. Giro Prolight Techlace
The lightweight Giro Prolight Techlace
In a sport where weight matters it’s easy to see why Giro’s Prolight Techlace is a firm favourite for some of Team BMC’s Grand Tour contenders.
The claimed weight is just 150g for a size 42.5 shoe, which is achieved by using a paper thin upper and a combination of both laces and Velcro to keep everything locked in place.
Our US editor in chief Ben Delaney gave these shoes 4 out of 5 stars, so while they don’t come cheap it seems the performance is up there with the very best in weight weenie footwear.
