What do you get when one of the world’s most decorated young riders sends a WhatsApp message to Specialized asking for a lighter, faster shoe? Well, if you're Remco Evenepoel, you get the most radical road shoe ever put into production.
And by radical, we mean lightest, stiffest, and whatever other performance superlative you want to throw in, but also one of the priciest non-custom shoes yet. And you thought the S-Works Ares 2 was peak wallet-breaking!
Meet the S-Works Torch Remco, a featherlight, race shoe co-developed with the Belgian phenom and launched just in time for the shoe’s Tour de France debut.
At 148.2g per shoe (size 41), Specialized claims it's officially the lightest in the WorldTour peloton — and, yes, likely the most non-custom model currently on the market.
To our knowledge, Giro's Prolight Techlace is the shoe's closest competitor when it comes to weight, coming in at around 150g in a size 41.
This is prime “you-can’t-afford-this-but-you-want-it-anyway” territory, so let’s dive in and see if you’ll be asking for an extra shift at work this summer.
Specs
- Brand: Specialized
- Model: S-Works Torch Remco
- Claimed weight: 148.2g in a size 41 per shoe (296.4g for the pair)
- Actual weight: 287g for a pair in size 39
- Sizes on offer: 39through 46 with half sizes
- Colourway: white/peloton orange
- Price: $700 / £549 / €599 / $800 AUD
Remco who?
For those who don’t know the shoe’s namesake: In 2024 alone, Remco Evenepoel made history by becoming the first male cyclist to win the Olympic double, winning gold in both the road race and the time trial at the same Games. The 24-year-old Belgian also snagged a podium finish and the Best Young Rider jersey in his Tour de France debut, before capping the season by successfully defending his World Championship time trial title. Before 2024, Evenepoel had already established himself as one of cycling’s brightest young stars by winning his debut Grand Tour, the 2022 Vuelta a España, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège twice. Specialized clearly can’t stop celebrating him (and why would they!). After the release of a $15K limited-edition S-Works Tarmac SL8 last month, he’s now getting a shoe of his own.
From WhatsApp to the WorldTour: How the Torch Remco was born
It all started back in October 2023, when Evenepoel shot a WhatsApp message to Specialized’s Leader of Equipment, Nick Gosseen, and Footwear Development Manager Ashley Sult with a request: he wanted a lighter, faster shoe to help him tackle the grueling climbs of his debut Tour de France in 2024.
In photos of past races, Evenepoel appeared to be favouring the S-Works Torch Lace, presumably because it's lighter than the BOA dial-equipped version, indicating that weight was top-of-mind for the young star.
With just eight months to deliver, the Specialized team went to work, combining the brand's extensive product history, some 100,000 3D foot scans and Remco’s feedback to create something radical.
Remco was hands-on throughout the process, testing three prototypes and sharing feedback over WhatsApp. He even experimented with the prototype shoes during last year Tour de France, including up the Col du Galibier and Pla d’Adet — and not without our notice!
"It is crazy to think that in my first Tour de France, I raced 5 stages on a prototype shoe. But I trusted the shoe team at Specialized and knew what we created in partnership with each other was worthy of being tested at the Tour,' Evenepoel says.
"It felt good to race and the weight of the shoe enabled me to carry more water without weight penalties, helping me attack in the mountains like never before."
Torch went on a diet
To meet Evenepoel's demands, the Torch needed to go on a diet, and not a single aspect of the previous top-tier model was safe. Off came the second BOA Li2 dial, out came the heel liner and even the amount of glue and bonding was reduced.
In the end, this highly pared-back, race-day-specific shoe weighs a full 65 grams per pair less than the existing S-Works Torch.
And to be honest, it barely even resembles the beloved Torch model.
The upper has been replaced with a thin, Dyneema-reinforced mesh, and Specialized also stripped away the laminated reinforcements and padding to the point where the shoe barely holds its shape when empty.
The top BOA dial remains but the mid-foot dial has been replaced with a velcro strap.
Any solidity the shoe does have comes from the carbon sole, which also went on a significant diet.
Taking an 'everything you need and nothing you don’t,' approach, the Human Performance team went in search of finding the precise stiffness threshold where power loss begins, allowing the team to design a shoe that stays above that mark while using only as much material as necessary.
"Most cycling shoes on the market are overbuilt when it comes to stiffness, adding unnecessary weight without improving performance,” says Todd Carver, Specialized’s Human Performance Manager,
Carver was part of six years of outsole studies, including sprint tests, load-bearing flex experiments, and real-world rides with elite cyclists, including 2,000-watt track sprinters.
In the end, Carver states, the new nylon-injected carbon plate sheds 14 grams compared to the S-Works Torch without sacrificing any efficiency.
Comfort for 21 stages
Specialized notes that the S-Works Torch Remco is purpose-built not only for race day, but for "riders who generate massive power." With that said, the shoes still need to be comfortable enough for long, hard days in the saddle, day after day.
So despite the aggressive gram-shedding, the shoes stay in line with Specialized’s long-running Body Geometry design philosophy to focus on fit and performance.
The Body Geometry methodology is all about aligning the foot, knee and hip to reduce strain, prevent injury and improve pedaling performance. While these features have been a Specialized staple for years, the latest generation of Body Geometry Last, first introduced in the S-Works Ares 2, builds on this by more closely matching the foot’s natural shape.
Built using data from more than 100,000 RETÜL 3D foot scans, the Last design elements include things like widening the toe box and improved anatomical shaping that supports the arch and forefoot more naturally.
Specialized claims the latest design elements reduce pressure by up to 44% compared to traditional foot shape models. This is said to yield more comfort, better stability, and less numbness or “hot foot.” All without scarifying performance, of course.
Evenepoel certainly is pleased with the result.
“Super light, great foothold, comfortable — it’s everything I need for races and stages with a lot of climbing. This is the exact tool I asked for,” he says.
Availability
The S-Works Torch Remco is available starting June 24 via Specialized.com and at select Specialized retailers.
