Specialized Sport Mtn '02 vs '07

A few years after getting into cycling I made the jump to SPD's and my first pair of compatible cycling shoes were the 2002 Specialized Sport Mountain's - pictured below. At the time they were categorised as a summer shoe (more on this later) and and have proved to be very durable. Since their purchase, they've been used almost daily (for both commuting & recreational rides), although my acquisition of winter boots has undoubtedly extended their lifespan. As you can see, only the left heal shows any significant sign of wear - which has otta be down to my poor tensioning of the adjusters than anything else. The patented body geometry insoles felt odd at first but I definitely notice a difference when first donning my Shimano winter booties as the cold days start to close in. Overall, I've been very impressed and although they're close to a full on race shoe I can still walk (ok, hobble) round in 'em fairly well.

2005 model

As my '05's were looking sorry for themselves Chipmunk recently treated me to a brand spankin' new pair of the latest Sport Mtn's. As you can see, they now come with an additional tensioning strap which makes for a more secure and comfortable fit. Gone is the swede (effect) outer, replaced with a more hard wearing finish. But the most significant change is the increased ventilation, now my tootsies are nicely cooled. Back to back tests, confirm that the older shoe is no where near as efficient in this regard. Other than a few reflective strips little else has been changed which hopefully means that I'll get plenty of comfortable miles out of these too.

2007 model

Now with x3 pairs of cycling shoes they're getting close to out numbering my *ahem* normal shoes, confirming my true "bike bore" status :p

PS: Whilst at 7Stanes, I noticed that Chekov had a comparable pair that he also seemed pleased with.