Philipsen debuts some mysterious Shimano S-Phyre at the Tour de France

Shimano is once again using the Tour de France as a laboratory to test equipment that has not yet been officially presented. If during the Paris-Roubaix it was a new pedal and cleat system that captured attention after an incident involving Mathieu van der Poel, now it is Jasper Philipsen who has been chosen once again by Shimano to debut completely new shoes that point to the next generation of the S-Phyre.

Shimano reveals new S-Phyre shoes at the Tour de France and reignites doubts about its new pedal system

At first glance, the new shoes maintain the identity of the current S-Phyre RC903, launched in 2022, but hide several changes in the construction of the upper that show Shimano is still evolving its most exclusive competition model.

A discreet evolution, but with visible changes

The shoes used by Philipsen retain the characteristic double Boa closure configuration of the S-Phyre range, although they feature a different arrangement of the adjustment system.

The enveloping panel that crosses the upper is now smaller and resembles the design used in the Shimano S-Phyre PWR, the model specific for sprinters, time trialists, and track cyclists. However, unlike those, which combine a Boa dial with a Velcro strap at the front, this new prototype maintains two Boa dials, although it seems that the lower one has been slightly moved towards the toe to improve pressure distribution.

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The lacing route also changes, which are now black on a white shoe, a different detail compared to the current RC903.

Beyond these external modifications, no radical changes are noticeable at first glance. In fact, Shimano's recent history suggests that the future generation — which could be called RC904 — will focus on progressive improvements in fit, ergonomics, and efficiency rather than an aesthetic revolution.

The precedent of the Paris-Roubaix

These new shoes arrive just a few months after Shimano hinted at another of its major developments during the Paris-Roubaix.

In that race, Mathieu van der Poel had a flat tire in the Forest of Arenberg and had to try to continue with Jasper Philipsen's bike. However, he was unable to clip the shoes into the pedals because both were using incompatible systems.

That scene confirmed that Philipsen was using a prototype Shimano pedal different from the usual Dura-Ace. Everything points to the fact that the Japanese brand is working on a new standard, unofficially known as SPD-SLR, which would abandon compatibility with the current SPD-SL cleats to minimize the distance between the shoe and the pedal axle.

Do the new shoes belong to the same system?

For now, there is no official confirmation from Shimano, and we also do not know if Philipsen is using the same pedals and cleats during this Tour de France that we saw in the Paris-Roubaix.

It is also not possible to assert that these new shoes are specifically designed for that system. However, both innovations could be closely related if Shimano's ultimate goal is to further reduce the stack — the distance between the footbed and the pedal axle.

This would not be an unprecedented strategy. A very recent example can be found in the Q36.5 Unique Pro, developed in conjunction with SRM. In our test, we were able to see that this system, which uses shoes specifically designed to work with exclusive pedals, achieves one of the lowest stacks currently available on the market and unique sensations. That integration between shoe and pedal is precisely part of its technical proposal, and it would be logical to think that Shimano could follow a similar path if it is indeed betting on a new standard.

For now, everything remains in the realm of hypotheses. The only evident thing is that Shimano is already testing both new shoes and a new pedal system in competition at the highest level. The big unknown is whether both pieces are part of the same project and when the Japanese brand will officially present one of the biggest evolutions of its road ecosystem in recent years.