S-Works Torch: The I-Beam Sole, the Asymmetric Last and 448 Grams

The I-Beam Sole and 20 Grams

The sole is where the S-Works Torch separates from the shoes below it. A carbon plate with an internal I-Beam running along its length resists bending without adding material to the edges, and Specialized quotes the result as 20 g lighter than the previous S-Works sole while being wider under the forefoot. A wider sole puts more of the metatarsals over structure instead of over air.

The I-Beam is a structural idea borrowed from building engineering: a beam with a vertical web resists bending far better than a flat plate of the same mass, because the material is placed where the bending stress is highest, at the top and bottom of the section. In a shoe sole the beam runs fore and aft, so the plate resists the bending that pedalling applies through the ball of the foot.

A lighter sole is not automatically a better one. What matters is the ratio between bending stiffness and the sole's ability to spread load across the foot. A sole that is stiff and narrow concentrates pressure under the metatarsals; the Torch answers that by widening the platform as it removes mass, which is why the two claims belong together.

Body Geometry and the Asymmetric Last

The last is asymmetric and follows the Body Geometry argument: the foot is not symmetrical, the first metatarsal sits lower than the fifth, and a symmetric sole forces the knee to track inward under load. A varus wedge built into the sole and a metatarsal button under the first metatarsal head address the two most common sources of knee pain in riders who otherwise fit their bicycles correctly.

The varus wedge tilts the foot outward by a small angle, which brings the knee's tracking line back over the foot instead of inside it. The metatarsal button is a raised area under the first metatarsal head that prevents the nerve between the first and second metatarsals from being compressed when the foot loads under power.

Both features are built into the sole rather than added as footbed inserts, which is the difference between a shoe designed around the correction and a shoe that accepts it. An insert can be removed; a moulded sole cannot, and the correction stays where it was placed through the life of the shoe.

BOA S3-Snap and the Two-Zone Closure

Closure is two BOA S3-Snap dials in aluminium, one over the instep and one over the forefoot, which allows the two zones to be tensioned separately. The separation matters because the two zones do different work: the instep holds the heel into the heel cup, and the forefoot controls volume over the metatarsals, where a tight closure causes numbness rather than security.

The S3-Snap platform releases by pulling the dial rather than by turning it, which is faster with cold hands and gloves. Aluminium rather than plastic is a durability decision: the dial is the part that fails first on a shoe that is used daily, and the mechanism is replaceable.

The upper is a welded synthetic with a perforated forefoot. Welding rather than stitching removes the seams that press on the toes and removes the stitch holes that let water in. The perforations sit over the forefoot, where a rider's foot produces the most heat.

Mass, Sizing and Acquisition

Reference mass is 448 g for the pair in size 42. That figure is measured with the standard insole and without cleats, and it is competitive for a shoe with a carbon sole and two dials rather than a single Boa and a strap.

Sizing is the decision that matters most. The Body Geometry last is built around a specific foot shape, and the asymmetric correction means the shoe fits differently from a symmetric last at the same nominal size. Riders between sizes should size up rather than down: the compressive upper holds the foot without needing a tight fit, and a shoe that is too short compresses the toes on the downstroke.

At $450 or €440 the Torch sits at the top of the road shoe range. The question to settle before ordering is whether the rider has a fit issue the Body Geometry correction addresses, because a rider without one is paying for a carbon sole and a closure system rather than for a correction they will not use.

The sole is not repairable in the way an upper is. A carbon plate that has been cracked cannot be re-laid, and the shoe's structure depends on the plate, so a damaged sole ends the shoe's life rather than its season. The upper is welded rather than stitched, which means a repair is a re-bond rather than a resole, and the dials are the only serviceable part.

Cleat position is set once and checked after the first hundred kilometres. The printed adjustment range on the sole is generous enough to cover most riders, but a rider who needs the cleat behind the ball of the foot should confirm the range before ordering, because a sole this stiff will not sit flat with the cleat outside the printed area.