I have moderate Raynauds, which makes winter riding difficult. I've tried all the tips for people like me, and finally ordered these boots two winters ago. They help for temps in the low 40sF, but below that, or even for long rides in low 40s, my toes still become painful and white (going through all the colors with rewarming...). At very low temps, I add battery powered heated socks. The battery packs are annoying, but so is not riding :-)
I will say that the boots are quite comfortable and have held up well.
I'll also add that Pearl Izumi's lobster gloves are the best that I've found for my Raynauds fingers. A little awkward with Di2, but they do work.
Wow, first time wearing shimano shoes and really impressed with the confort, quality and how i perform with them. You will feel the power benefit from the first minute. You won't go wrong with them.
I have an older pair of Shimano S-Phyre shoes with 18,000 plus miles on them. I think they are the first-gen S-Phyre shoes, so my following comparison is with these. They are super comfortable, but my left one is ugly due to serious scuffs from a bike crash I had a couple years ago. I chose the RC703 for a replacement since it adopted much of the design from the S-Phyre model. After 600 miles of use, I can say the 703's foot comfort is almost the same as my old S-Phyre. I personally can't tell any difference in the stiffness between the two models. The 703 toe-box is similar, but the S-Phyre's might be a little better form-fitting on my feet.
Shimano seems to have saved costs on the interior of the shoe and its footbed. The 703 doesn't tout the Silvadure treatment, but I used a nanosilver spray on the inside of the shoes and footbed for an antibacterial and odor guard. So far, the bright white outer surface seems to clean up nicely with a mixture of Simple Green cleaner in a spray bottle. Hopefully, the heel pads will wear longer than those of my S-Phyres. Although they have two BOA closures, they are not the LI2 BOAs that can both tighten and loosen without pulling up on the dial. That's a small sacrifice to put up with in order to save a lot of money. I do recommend these shoes for anyone wanting the feel of an S-Phyre for much less cost, especially when on sale.
