Specialized has been nailing it over the past year with its shoes, turning out some of the grippiest flats we’ve ever tried… and that includes FiveTen. Why is the 2FO Roost Canvas so good? It’s all down to the damped and grippy rubber and Specialized seems to have refound the elixir, which is helping it make some of the best mountain bike shoes going.

SlipNot ST rubber is superbly damped, and grippy with it

Let’s talk about the Specialized sole then, it’s made from the brand’s own SlipNot ST rubber and arranged in hexagonal lugs. These are tenacious in terms of grip, pedal pins seem to sink into the compound like tyres into firm mud, and the upshot is you’re pretty unlikely to slip a pedal. I’m going to push the boat out here too and say the sole is actually grippier than underneath the Freerider Pro, which is really saying something given Stealth rubber has dominated flat shoes for two decades now.

Grip isn’t all about the sole compound though, or the lug shape, part of it comes down to the flexibility of the midsole. The Roost Canvas is more flexible than a Freerider Pro, which might explain some of that increased grip, while the EVA foam midsole manages to be both great at impact absorption and sits you low to the pedal.

The 2FO Roost Canvas is a wide shoe, making it ideal for riders with flat feet

I’ve struggled in the past with flat pedal shoes that are just too narrow, but the Roost Canvas is wide enough for the flattest of feet, with a really big toe box and wide body. It’s held in place with a basic lace up retention, which is obviously tried and tested.

There’s a regular version of the Roost with synthetic upper, but this canvas offering is designed for warm weather. Last summer put it to the test, I can’t say my feet were ever cool over the heatwave but with thinner material and less padding inside they are noticeably less sweaty than the Freerider Pro. I also found the Canvas Roost worked well in wet weather too, it’s decently waterproof – Specialized has almost certainly weaved in synthetic materials to the cotton canvas to achieve this performance, although the website lists a “canvas and textile” upper.

Remember how your mum would always tell you to undo your laces properly when taking your school shoes off? Well, she was right

Two things annoy me about the Roost Canvas, the first is that the laces aren’t very good and tend to twist themselves into a helix or untie themselves unless you pull the knot really tight. And the heel cup deformed and became pretty tatty within just a few rides – not bothering to undo the laces and treading the backs down as you take them off is a bad idea.