I had an older model that had small ratchets to pull the shoe tight but not over tight. On every ride I misadjusted one or more ratchets along the way. You give me the same ability. The upper is very supple and comfortable. They felt comfortable the first ride I took them on and I felt they put more power into the pedals. Maybe because the fit was so good, but that's just my perception and not documented by a power meter. I've seen several posts stating that the padding on the back of the shoe wears out too quickly. Haven't seen it on my other pairs of shoes that I've worn with padding for two years, but nothing major. Anyway, I smeared them with shoe slime and put them back on. When it's worn out, I just put more on. I'm not sure how much these replacements cost, but I don't understand how the person posting the posts I've seen replaces several a year. They were worth the price as I tried to get by with cheaper shoes, even branded ones, but none of them are like this one.