Specialized Goes Foot Out and Flat Out with the New 2FO Roost Cycling Shoe

The all-new Specialized 2FO Roost cycling shoe lets riders Stick to it and Roost! Foot out, flat out fun shoes that stick to pedals like glue and look great doing it!

Watch our unboxing of the Specialized 2FO Roost Cycling Shoes!

Features – 2FO Roost Cycling Shoes

The 2FO roost shoe has a classic skate shoe look but, these ARE NOT a skate shoe! Sometimes folks take a look at a skate shoe and think, these would be great for riding and they for sure would be better than other shoes. But, skate shoes are for skateboarding. These are cycling shoes and will for sure be better than a skate shoe. The flex and stiffness are engineered for pedaling a bike and the rubber compound, which I’ll get into in more detail, is designed to grip the pins of a pedal, not the grip tape of a skateboard or the ground that you’re pushing on.

Classic Looks

The upper of the shoe is a combination of suede and synthetic materials and is remarkably light! The suede is used for abrasion resistance at the heel and over the toe and over the top of the toes is a rubber toe cap that keeps your piggies happy when you come up against those rocks that seem to come out of nowhere!

Xpela Airmesh Liner

Inside the upper of this shoe is a really cool mesh lining called Expel Airmesh. This breathable custom lining replaces a lot of the foam that is found in many shoes. Xpel does a great job providing impact resistance and avoids absorbing water and helps these shoes dry out super-fast because no one wants soggy feet!

SlipNot Outsole

The real magic of the 2FO Roost shoes happens on the bottom; The Slip-Not sole. I don’t know if you know this but Specialized has its own tire factory, which means that the shoe team has unrestricted access to the rubber laboratory where they can develop and play with, I mean test, endless compounds until they dial it in to perform exactly how they want and need it to. And test, they did. And not just in a lab or on a computer.

Specialized athletes Loic Bruni, Cody Kelley, and Finn Iles were instrumental in testing and developing these shoes, along with a plethora of other downhill, enduro, and trial riders, on the hills and in the dirt.

Slip-not has been around for three generations of the 2FO shoes now but this version is far superior in how it grips pedals. In the previous version, the rubber would deform out from a pressure point as far out as 25mm. This new compound only deforms 8 to 10mm. This hexagonal tread pattern is designed to guide pedal pins into the channels to lock you in. The result is a tighter grab on pedal pins to help lock riders into their pedals without rebounding and feeling “bouncy” when the trail gets rough.

The clipless version gets the same Slip-Not sole but with a roomy “Landing Strip” cleat pocket.

Tuned Midsole

The midsole of the 2FO Roost shoe has been tuned to provide an improved pedal feel. You want to feel your pedals under your feet to be sure that you are in the right place but you also want them to be stiff enough to transfer energy to your pedals. The clipless version features a lollipop insert under the foot that keeps things stiff where they need to be and flexy where you want them to be. This gives a great combination of pedaling stiffness, pedal feel, and walking flex.

Body Geometry Equipped

Just like all Specialized shoes, the new 2FO Roost features all of the Body Geometry features that make them super comfortable. The Varus wedge keeps your hip, knee, and ankle in line as you move through your pedal stroke. The Integrated arch support keeps your arch from collapsing which can allow things to get out of alignment, and the metatarsal button spreads the bones in your foot out just slightly, keeping blood flow and nerve function unimpeded. And, don’t forget about the aftermarket footbeds that are available to further dial in your fit.

Flat and Clipless

The 2FO Roost Flat shoes are available in a Black with Black sole color along with an Oak Green with Black sole.

The 2FO Roost Clip shoes come in Black with Gum Soles and Taupe with the Black soles.

How Do They Ride?

Having had a chance to ride the 2FO Roost Flat Shoes I can attest to how “sticky” they are! This was always my concern about riding mountain bikes with flat pedals and so, I’ve exclusively used clipless pedals for almost 20 years. I had no issues with sliding around on my pedals, at all! I was very impressed with the Slip-Not Sole. The fit is really nice, they are flexible enough that it’s not difficult to get into the shoes but they provide plenty of support. You really can feel the pedals under your feet to know where you have them placed. When I had to get off of the bike, the 2FO Roost Flat shoes were very comfortable to walk in. They flexed way better than any cycling shoe I’ve ever worn and the Slip-Not sole gripped the rocks almost as well as they gripped the pedals! All in all, I am very impressed with the 2FO Roost shoes. Almost enough to ditch my clipless pedals and fully commit to flats!

Check out the all-new Specialized 2FO Roost shoes at your local ERIK’S location (coming soon!) or shopERIKS.com where they’re available for pre-order!