Pinnacle Radium Road Cycling Shoes review

Evans Cycles promises "affordable everyday comfort and performance" from its own-brand Radium road cycling shoes.

They look the part, with a Boa-like dial and forefoot Velcro strap.

While they seem slightly under-specced for a pair of shoes costing £120, they’re very good performers at the sort of heavily reduced price you can often find them for.

Pinnacle Radium Road Cycling Shoes spec and details

It’s a pretty familiar spec picture at this price for the Pinnacle Radiums.

A medium-stiffness nylon outsole, a closure that combines a single Boa-like dial and Velcro forefoot strap, and a microfibre upper and mesh tongue featuring plenty of laser-cut ventilation holes are on the menu.

Unusually, the tongue is housed under a diagonal cut pointing inwards, rather than the more traditional forward-pointing line followed by most other road cycling shoes.

The rest of the upper is plentifully perforated for ventilation, as is the sole, with three toe vents and five more placed along the centre.

Pinnacle Radium Road Cycling Shoes performance

I’m not sure whether it’s that distinctive tongue design, but these shoes felt slightly odd at first, with a little bit of pressure building up on the top of my foot at the angle over the instep.

It wasn’t much, though, and after the first hour it disappeared entirely when the Radiums became unnoticeable – presumably because the shoe had ‘bedded in’ a little – which is pretty much what you want from a pair of cycling shoes.

On later rides, it wasn't evident at all, even at the start, so it was really just a case of wearing them in for a few miles.

The sole isn’t overly stiff, so will suit more recreational riders rather than the competitively minded among us. Like the rest of the shoe, it proved comfortable as the miles racked up.

That sole is more walking-friendly than some, but even with the shoes fully tightened I found my heel rising slightly from the heel bed.

This wasn’t the case when riding, and you’re not likely to walk any distance in them, but it was noticeable when clopping around my local café stops.

Rather than the usual Atop or the market-leading Boa found on more expensive shoes, the Radiums come with Freelock dials, which are a very Boa-like affair, working in exactly the same way.

I found it hard to determine any real difference in function, with both having similar actions and adjustable in small increments.

I wasn't so keen on the shiny black tongue, which I thought might lead to sweaty feet, but it's softly padded on the inside and well-vented. Sweat build-up really wasn't an issue.

Pinnacle Radium Road Cycling Shoes bottom line

The Pinnacle Radium shoes have a bright appearance, at least in white, and on-the-road performance that exceeds expectations. That's especially true if you can find them below their RRP, which is usually possible.

They're well geared to non-performance riding, scoring well for comfort, breathability and that disarmingly Boa-like dial.