I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the new Nrothwave shoes. I’ve been using Airlites for few years, but they are little bit too heavy (compared to Specialized, Bont etc.) and just a little bit too wide. The new Evolution ones are supposed to be lighter and little narrower, however I can’t find any real info on them anywhere. Wonder if anyone wants to share their experience.
For whatever it’s worth, they got 3 spots in top ten at Flanders this year.
I am riding them, but Vittoria Industries North America is one of the companies I rep for, so know that going in.
My previous few road shoes have been Pearl Izumi PRO, Shimano R300 (I think, the ones you put in the little oven and vacuum)
I really like them. I will say that they are noticeably stiffer than anything else I have ever used, which I really like. There is a lot less vibration felt through the shoe as well, which I think could be the wood midsole, but it is hard to say for sure. It hasn’t been hot yet, so I can’t really comment too much on the thermal properties of the wood.
I LOVE the SBS buckle. Being able to release only one click easily is really, really cool, and makes it easy to adjust the shoe on the fly. I have been using it off road for a while now, and couldn’t imagine having a shoe without it now. I use it all the time.
Evolutions are my favorite road shoes so far, really, really nice, and still not a completely outrageous price.
Scott
So I decided to get them.
I’m mostly comparing these to my Northwave Aerlites SBS and Airlites 3’s. I rode those shoes last 4 season getting one to two new pairs each year. They worked OK for me, but I always wished they were little narrower / had less volume and maybe at least a little lighter. Airlite 3’s were always little lighter with the three straps (no buckle).
Now I got the Evolution SBS.
Out of the box I like the way the look and they seem to be well made. Carbon sole has the same shape and profile as previous models. The sole was always very stiff, which is what I like about Northwaves.
Even though they use their SBS buckle they are 20 grams per shoe lighter then my last years Aerlite 3’s that only had three straps. Maybe not a huge saving, but it’s 20 grams less I have to lift 90 times every minute. One shoe with no insole in size 43 weighs 310 grams. Not the lightest, but pretty light. For comparison Specialized S-work shoe is claimed to weigh 250 grams in size 42, which in reality is probably somewhere around 280-290grams.
However the biggest plus of these (for me at least)is the new ‘fit’, or as Northwave calls it their new ‘BioMap’ upper. First of all they ARE narrower. They are a lower volume shoe compared to older models. Especially in the toe area. The whole upper is softer and feels more comfortable. The two velcro straps are soft, but doing great job keeping you foot tight. However the biggest difference for me is their new ‘Omega’ heal cup. This truly is the first shoe holding my heal 100% percent in place. Absolutely no movement there. I’m really happy about that.
I only did two two hour rides so far, but I have to say I really like these and you can get them online for a very reasonable $240.
Hope it helps someone.
Cheers.
NW is our team shoe sponsor, so I decided to grab a pair of these. Love 'em. Came off entry level Shimano RO76’s, these are noticeably nicer and the ratcheting buckle is hugely awesome… nice to have a 1-click at a time release mechanism. Can’t say its a crazy weight reduction because of all my added insoles and such, but I can’t say I find fault with them anywhere. If it’s good enough for Cancellara I suppose I can live with it 