Trek Velocis Road Shoes Review

The Trek Velocis Road Shoe is now all grown up. It now has dual Li2 BOA dials, METNET and a traditional fit, mated to a stiff OCLV carbon composite outsole. I honestly loved the previous-generation Velocis, so I was excited to hop into the all-new Trek Velocis Road Shoe this summer.

2024 Trek Velocis Road Cycling Shoe Features:

• Strategic METNET fit zones
• InForm Pro Last
• BOA Fit System with dual Li2 dials
• OCLV Carbon outsole (10/14 stiffness)
• Breathable mesh uppers with outsole vents
• 3-hole road cleat compatible
• MSRP: $249.99

Dial Up Some Velocis

Some of the best advice anyone can tell you about cycling is to take care of those touch points — saddle, shoes and bars. It doesn’t take much mental gymnastics to understand why. If you are comfortable, your body will perform at its highest level. Trek has long been a proponent of optimizing these touch points and their latest road shoes prove that point. The Velocis Road Shoe has been in their lineup for a long time and I have loved the previous flavors. This year, however, the Velocis steps upward and slips into the spot previously-occupied by their top-tier shoe. With the Trek RSL Road Shoe hitting the market, the race-worthy Velocis now aims to give high performance at a more affordable price point.

As mentioned, the Velocis stepped up for 2024 with dual BOA Li2 dials. The BOA Fit System remains my favorite and the two-way adjustments provided by the Li2 system makes for easy tweaking on-the-fly. Interestingly, Trek has chosen to go with a symmetrical lacing pattern, which differs from the Shimano S-Phyre RC903 and even the previous Bontrager XXX Road Shoe. The traditional tongue and eyelet placement isn’t terrible, but it does leave a little to be desired compared to asymmetrical designs I’ve tested that better contour to my feet.

Slipping inside, I’m immediately met with a foot-cradling fit. It’s definitely different from the wide last on the RSL and feels more traditional, but any pressure points are reduced or even eliminated thanks to the new METNET areas on either side of my feet. These areas stretch just enough to give wiggle room without sacrificing responsiveness. In my testing, I experienced only a little pressure behind my sixth toe area — mostly where an exoskeleton band passes for lateral stability and responsiveness.

To get the Velocis at the $249 price point, the heel cup doesn’t feature directional fibers to lock down your heel. In hundreds of miles of testing, I think that’s a fair trade since the deep heel cup maintains an exceptional lock on my feet. Also, Trek rates the Velocis OCLV Carbon composite plate as a 10 of 14 on the stiffness scale.

When standing and sprinting or climbing, the Trek Velocis Road Shoe really hits the mark. As a side-by-side test, I wore one Velocis and one RSL road shoe on a few rides. I can definitely appreciate the added width and overall performance of the RSL shoe, but the Velocis is incredibly responsive in its own right — just traditionally-narrow. Even performance-oriented riders won’t miss much with the stiffness on offer and actually, it adds more comfort on long days in the saddle. Stiffness is really a toss-up and I wouldn’t go with the RSL solely for more stiffness because normal humans won’t be able to tell the difference.

Breathability is excellent, but that’s another area where the RSL outshines, but again, not by much. On both indoor training and outdoor rides, airflow is adequate to keep from overheating. On cold rides, a thick Merino wool sock was definitely necessary, but when riding thin summer-weight socks, breathability was good overall. Much of that is aided by the white color, which remains cooler in direct sunlight. Black shoes are a nonstarter for me, but I could definitely go with the bright red color way that’s offered.

I tested them exclusively with TIME XPRO 12/10 pedals throughout the summer and they work great with the ICLIC cleats. Between the cleats and the shoes, proper placement is easy. I was able to torque them down once and didn’t have any problems. There is a small rubber toe piece and replaceable heel inserts, in case you wear them out.

Toe overlap is inevitable with racy, aero bikes (Ari Veyo SL was the most egregious in testing) and I now have some derma-scuffs on the toes of these shoes due to the lack of toe protection. Overall durability remains excellent and I imagine these will last for many years of riding.

Fit: I’m a 44.5 in Trek shoes and these fit true-to-size. 

Buy Now: Visit TrekBikes.com