Gear

Northwave Vertigo SBS Road Cycling Shoe

July 1, 2008

My first mountain bike shoe was a Northwave. I loved those shoes enough that when I got my first road bike a few years ago I just threw some SPD's on the roadie and charged. All of my roadie friends said that I needed to check out Sidi Genius wide but at well north of $200 I just couldn't stomach the abuse that my wallet was in for despite how good they fit. So I held off and kept on logging miles in my mountain shoes. In fact, I even road the Lotoja race (206 miles from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming) in those shoes aside from an additional 1500 miles or so in them. After a fellow rider who we had picked up on a training ride saw me during Lotoja and said "hey, you're the guy with the Kona road bike and the mountain bike shoes" (as I passed him on a climb, thank you very much) I knew it was time to join the roadie club with some proper shoes. So I went back to Northwave and for just over $100 I picked up the Vertigo SBS Road shoe and have been quite happy since. Quick Review of the Northwave Vertigo SBS Road Cycling Shoe I've only put about 150 miles on these shoes but so far they are really quite comfortable. I had to size up 1/2 a size from my normal size 45 to give me the width in the forefoot and length. Likely the Euro sizing influence. Aside from a custom footbed from our friends at Surefoot, the other thing I had to do to make them comfortable for riding was to put the cleat all the way back on the shoe. Otherwise it felt like each time I pedaled I was out on my toes. Perhaps this was unique to me but I was surprised that I needed to push them so far back on the shoe. One of the features I wanted to have was a ratchet buckle on the top strap. From years of making killer snowboard boots and bindings, these guys have it dialed with their Step By Step buckle. It's easy and intuitive to adjust and open, unlike what I experienced trying on the Sidi that required a degree in mechanical engineering to figure it out. I've adjusted them while riding with the one touch per ratchet notch feature and they're a breeze. Speaking of breeze, the mesh surrounding the toes does a fine job of ventilating but even on cool evening rides I didn't feel like they were as breezy as a screen door on the Wyoming plains. They were key on this past Saturday's ride over Wolf Creek Pass. Lastly, Northwave gave this high-performance shoe a fiberglass-filled nylon sole enriched with carbon stiffness and better pedal feel. Since I can only compare it to my mountain shoes, I'm giving it a thumbs up but other riders I've talked to have also raved about this shoe. Features of the Northwave Vertigo SBS Road Bike Shoe Patented Step By Step buckle is money! Airflow system Ultra Y Heel pocket gives solid heel lock Carbon reinforced sole provides extra support and pedal feel Northwave quality and guarantee Buy Now: Why wait? Pick up the Northwave Vertigo SBS Road Cycling Shoe from Backcountry.com and you'll be attacking like Contador all summer long.

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