Shimano XC 70 - Custom Fit
With the two top end shoes of Shimano's off road range comes the option to custom fit.
With the two top end shoes of Shimano’s off road range comes the option to custom fit. When I picked up my pair of XC70s in the hustle and bustle of this year’s Cape to Cape, I just couldn’t find time to go through the procedure. For you the average consumer this will happen just after your purchase at the bike shop.
The Process
– First you have to warm up those shoes in the oven so that they will conform to any odd sized foot you may have. Shops will have the special miniature Shimano cooker, heat the oven to 70-80 degrees. Inner soles are taken out of the shoe in the beginning of this process and replaced after a minute to help the shoes and soles bond. Continue to bake those shoes for another two minutes.
– Next you take your toasty new shoes and gingerly do up the straps (you may want to wear gloves, the shoes come out hot enough). You must be wearing long socks! Spread your full weight as evenly as possible within the shoe to help it conform to the contours of your feet. Do this for about five minutes. You should find it gets tighter around your heel to help prevent pull and lift when you ride. You will also find other aspects of the shoe like the arch just that little bit more dialled.
– Then comes the big cool down and some big bootys, like the pirate kind but also vacuumed, not like the pirate kind. Your shop will now use two boots of what look like repurposed drinking bladders with hoses attached, to vacuum all the air from around you shoes. This helps to cool and set the shape of the shoe the heat moulding has created. It is rather awkward having a pump sucking air away from your feet, hopefully the picture attests to that.
That’s it you’re done. Take off the shoes, careful not to burn yourself as the shoes may still be hot. Whilst I found that the shoes worked perfectly fine without this process, the custom fit did make some subtle changes. The shoe does feel that little bit more glued to your foot, particularly in situations where the straps may be loose. So if you have not yet tried your custom fit feature head to your local Shimano partner / Fusion Dealer and get it done. It won’t make your world turn but you will get a shoe much more rounded from top to bottom and maybe a little more power….
