Specialized SWORKS Shoes and its Varus Wedge

Triathlon Forum
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In my yesteryears, Specialized, Trek etc did not excite me at all. I used to be the sales guy for Kuota and hated dealing with the rules they would put on the IDBs, sometimes not allowing them to buy KUOTA… In short, I liked the boutique brands. I now realize there is a huge upside for some of these larger brands. I have been waiting to get a KOUTA warranty for 2 years, plus. The big brands normally don’t take that long!

A few years back, I decided to take on the challenge of Leadville MTB. With that, I had to get a MTB. I tripped across a Specailized Epic SWORKS. Some say I started off on the best bike for this type of event. Since then, I have grown to like the Specialized products…and love some of them. As something as silly as a helmet, I can’t imagine riding anything other than the Prevail I have.

I have worn Shimano MTB shoes for my 3 years of MTB efforts. As will the road shoes, I always wear the ratcheting system out well before the sole etc. A week ago, I decided to see what great magic Specialized has done with footwear. As soon as I put my feet in the shoes, I knew I had struck gold. They really felt like a custom shoe in term of the way the upper wrapped around the foot. Better than Rocket 7. The BOA system amazed me just as much as the comfort. However, when I put the shoes in the pedals and started to turn circles, it felt like my feet wanted to fall off the outside of the pedals. I kinda felt like that old bow legged man riding don the road. After 1 ride I knew that alterations were in the future.

I studied up and learned how they built the shoe with the average person in mind. Either I am not average or the shoe designers did not study enough feet/knees/hips etc. They do provide some wedges in the box , offering different degrees of offset. I tried the yellow wedges. It helped but still feel way off. being so close to Leadville, I am sratching my head asking why I am trying so hard to make these work. Have I completely drank the Specialized Kool-Aid.

It turns that both Marcotte and McCabe here in Az had the same issue last year when their team road SWORKS. They both had lots of yellow shims under the cleat, bringing them back to neutral. Unfortunately it is a harder fix with the smaller cleat a MTB shoe offers.

I love my bike/wheels and helmet. However, I feel like I am in a dysfunctional relationship with my shoes…but trying to make it work.

Is anyone really apart of the 85% Specialized calls the norm?

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I am.

BU tI wedge my Sidis. My preference is for in the shoe wedges when possible.

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It is certainly possible that you do not have the typical forefoot varus found in most individuals.
If possible, have your feet assessed by a BG or other appropriately trained fitter. A PT, Podiatrist etc are also great resources.

With the Specialized shoe, the Yellow -1.5 Valgus forefoot wedge should be inserted under the forefoot of the footbed. This neutralizes the built in Varus wedging.

Because the shoe features only forefoot wedging, you should not attempt to wedge under the cleat to cancel the innate wedging. By wedging the cleat, you are manipulating the entire shoe, including the otherwise neutral heel. Of course, you can wedge under the cleat for different purposes, just not for neutralization. Additionally, its typically difficult to reliably wedge under a mountain cleat as the cleat interacts with the pedal in a different way than a road shoe.

In my experience, Shimano shoes tend to have fairly low arched footbeds. The higher arch of the Specialized may be contributing to the feeling of being pushed out. Cleat position may also not be exactly replicated. Different brands often drill their holes in different places.

Lastly, despite what you feel, how does your pedal stroke look to a trained fitter? Perhaps its better now than it was before…
Goodluck!

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I bought the road pro years ago and neutralized them with wedge my lbs handed me and everything’s fine.