Rapha Pro Team Lace-up shoe review: A new take on road shoe retention

When I first saw the new Rapha Pro Team Lace Up shoes I have to admit I had some reservations about the speed lace closure system and how it would stand up in use. I've long been a fan of the design and aesthetics of the Rapha Pro Team shoes and wanted to test this version out for myself. 

The Pro Team Powerweave shoes have been on the market for a few years now and we reviewed the originals back in 2020 where they received five stars. Associate Editor Josh Croxton complemented their stiff soles and light overall weight. 

The Pro Team Lace-Up shoes feature pretty much all the same design features as the Pro Team shoes which are available with BOA dials. The Lace-up model retains the power weave woven uppers and carbon fibre sole, but uses a 'Speed Lace' closure system to secure the shoe and tighten it down onto the foot.  

The Lace-up shoes are £50 cheaper than their BOA-equipped counterparts. I was keen to see if this was an easy way of saving £50 whilst taking advantage of pretty much all of the same tech or whether the Lace Closure wouldn't stand up to hard riding or sprinting and prove my hunch correct that they would work loose over time.   

Design and Aesthetics 

Design-wise, as mentioned the Pro Team Lace Up model shares pretty much everything with the Pro Team Boa shoes bar the closure system. The most obvious of which is the soft, one-piece woven upper material Rapha calls Power Weave which is constructed from woven Polyester. This is then finished with a DWR coating, which is definitely noticeable; hold the shoe under a tap and the water just beads and runs off, though I guess it will need re-proofing in time. 

The Lace Up shoes are available in either white or black. You don't get the Hi-Viz pink/purple colour that the Pro Team Boa shoes are available in. So if you have your heart set on this colour and are shopping it will have to be the Boa version for you. I, however, stand firmly in the white road cycling shoe camp and think the white version looks great. Up close it's actually a white/silvery grey mix with horizontal grey detailing running across the length of the shoe and down the vertical stripe that runs down to the cleat. If anything I'd personally say go for it Rapha, and make them really white. However, if you don't want hyper-white shoes this just tempers things a little bit and probably helps marks or dirt blend in a little easier too (Rapha recommends water and a brush to clean the shoes).

You get the same glossy carbon fibre sole that can be found on the Pro team shoes, this is really nicely finished and the stainless cleat bolt threads have a marking near them letting you know there's a 6Nm torque rating, something you don't see on every shoe. I asked Rapha who makes the carbon soles, they wouldn't share any specifics which is fair enough, but told me their supplier is a top industry specialist. Previously they've been made by Easton, but there's no knowing if that's still the case. There are two firm thermoplastic heel and toe pads on each shoe. The heel pad can be removed via the inside of the shoe under the insole and spares are available from Rapha if you ever wear one out.  

The shoes are void of branding, bar 'RAPHA' across the outside of the external plastic heel cup that wraps around the outside of the shoe. This is a glossy white and I assume is presumably there to aid stiffness in this area and help heel retention and in turn the foot. It's not totally rigid though and squeezing it does create some give. 

The insoles are EVA and flexible with a bright pink Rapha finish underneath and a soft brushed top section which Rapha says is antimicoribal microfibre. There are also Velcro arch supports that can be changed. A Medium arch is fitted as standard. 

The key talking point around the design of the Lace Up shoes is the speed lace closure system itself. It's similar to the kind that can be found on some running shoes and trainers. I'm personally not familiar with any other cycling shoes that use this tech. The shoes use a lace that runs through eight loops - four on each side of the shoe - and through a kind of plastic toggle which you use to tighten down and pull the laces through. It's easy and quick to pull the laces tight you then run the excess through an elastic tab halfway down the shoe and tuck the rest under a mesh pocket in the front of the lace area. It all looks tidy enough when you're finished. 

One thing you can't do is lock the toggle once you're done. Correct me if I'm wrong here Rapha, but I've spent a good amount of time fiddling around with the toggle and you can't lock it in place once you have pulled the laces itself tight. 

Another point regarding the lace is I can't see any listed as spares for the shoes currently on the Rapha website. I assume if you damaged or broke yours Rapha would only be too happy to find a replacement for you, at least I hope they would given the shoes' £245 rrp. 

Performance  

I've spent a good portion of the summer wearing the Pro Team Lace Ups. I used a range of riding from indoor turbo sessions to short and long road rides including my local hard Saturday morning chain gang. I thought this would be an excellent test for the Speed Lace system and whether it could stand up to sprinting uphill and on the flat and just generally riding hard. 

Fit-wise, Rapha recommends sizing up half a size for the Lace Up shoes. I've worn a UK 9 EU 43.5 pair and they have been fine for me. I pretty much universally wear an EU 43 except in say Sidi shoes which also tend to come up a bit small. My feet are fairly narrow and I haven't felt squashed or restricted in the shoes. The shoe body is
fairly broad but tapers down and the toe box is a little pointy in my opinion and not really the natural shape of a human foot. If you tend to need wider shoes you may want to try them before you buy. The cleat setup was also fine for me, and I could achieve my correct setup and adjustment based on where Rapha has positioned the cleat mounting holes.  

I was comfortable in the shoes from the off, there were no sore spots, rubbing or discomfort of any kind. The Power Weave material does aid this I feel and there isn't the rigid, box-fresh leather or similar to break in like on other new shoes sometimes.

These are performance cycling shoes and Rapha says they are designed for racing and training in all conditions. They are light, look great and the sole felt stiff enough for me I couldn't detect an ounce of flex. The Speed Lace also caught the eye of a few riding companions and does stand out if you're looking. I think most of us are used to only seeing BOA dials or laces these days. This leads us to the key talking point of the shoe and review which is the Speed Lace.

As mentioned, you are able to pull the Speed Lace tight and it quickly and effectively closes the shoe front and cinches everything down around your foot. You can achieve quite a tight fit when tightening it down. I think the flexible nature of the Power Weave material is suited to the Speed Lace and allows the material to move with the lace as you tighten it. 

You are also able to adjust the Speed Lace on the bike, I did this on a long straight descent pulling it tight and tucking it into the mesh pouch again. It wasn't fast (or pretty) but it's achievable and trumps laces here. Unless you are very skilled you are going to have to stop to re-tie cycling shoe laces. 

In my testing I've found that although you can't lock the toggle out once you've pulled it tight it does for the most part stay exactly where it's meant to be and the mechanism 'firms up' for want of a better description. 

After a period of time when riding, the Speed Lace does loosen up a little bit and there was generally a bit more room and give in the shoe for my feet, but it isn't detrimental. It's the right side of loose. It's clear there is a bit more room and give for your foot but it's never been on the wrong side of the line for me. Not once have I finished a hard ride or sprint and been annoyed that my foot has been slipping all over the place inside the shoe. This seems to disprove my theory that the lace would work itself loose. 

That said, if you want your foot locked into a shoe and held more comprehensively I'm pretty sure the majority of riders are going to want or need a BOA or if they prefer it, lace setup. Personally, for racing or hard efforts, I'd choose a shoe with BOA dials due to the way they tighten a larger part of a shoe down. The Lace Up shoes tighten over a relatively narrow area. I spent a few rides wearing odd shoes, wearing a QUOC Mono II on one foot and a Pro Team Lace Up for a comparison on the other. After this period it was clear the Lace Up shoes don't hold your feet quite as firmly and allow for a bit more movement generally. 

That said, not everyone wants or needs their shoes to be locked down tightly and I have loosened my own shoes off after several hours of riding in high temperatures as my feet swelled and became a little sore. For easier days when you don't have your shoes locked down tight, the Lace Up's provide a comfortable and stylish option. 

Verdict 

We're lucky to be spoilt for choice these days when it comes to cycling kit. At £245 / $315 the Lace Up shoes from Rapha certainly aren't the most expensive shoes on the market but they are right up there with other premium, performance-focused shoes. 

I've ridden flat out in them, and they held my feet well and I think delivered good power transfer, but the extra room and movement that comes from the Speed Lace closure wouldn't be my first choice when performance matters the most. For that, I'd look to the BOA-equipped Pro Team shoes from the Rapha range. 

They are great-looking cycling shoes though that perform really well across a whole range of riding. If you want a bit more wiggle room for hot days or in general, and don't require your shoes to be locked down tight for regular racing or training I'd give them a look.