There are three kinds of cyclists: those who love white shoes, those who hate white shoes, and those who hate white shoes but will wear them if they rock. Specialized’s S-Works mountain bike shoe rocks.

I’ve been wearing this shoe for five years and its the carbon sole is just as stiff as when I first slipped them on. They’re still as lightweight and burly as when they were new, the uppers are still strong as iron, and the fit is still great. And that’s after using the shoe about four days a week for half a decade. Yet the outsoles show next to zero wear.

The S-Works shoe hasn’t proven itself only to me. Specialized is pretty fond of the design, too. This past spring, they finally brought out a new version. The big change? There are two BOA lacing reels instead of one.

Oh, and another change that makes me very happy: They’re black.

$370 LINK; much less on Ebay used

Photos by Michael Frank