Northwave Silverado Road

Price Paid:  $80.00 at Sierra Trading Post

Favorite Ride:
TNR

Bike Setup:
Giant TCR2 Composite. Ultegra 10, Easton wheels, bars and stem. Look pedals.

Summary:
I already had a pair of Northwave shoes so sizing was not a problem for me. They fit great from the word go and have lasted well cosidering the battering I give them.

Strengths:
Well made, even though they are white and silver they look OK after a few years of use. Three velcro straps are great but I often fall foul of over tightening them but its easy to fix on the fly. I find them stiff and light.

Weaknesses:
The carbon insert you get with the shoe is not carbon, mine was GRP painted to look like Carbon. Still a stiff shoe though.

Similar Products Used:
Northwave Sprint, Gaerne, Diadora and Shimano Shoes.

Price Paid:  $59.00 at Sierra Trading Post

Favorite Ride:
Lenexa

Summary:
My initial mistake was buying the shoes online for a song. Perhaps the discomfort was fallout from not trying them on first (duh!), but the shoe technically fit me. Not too short, wide, etc. The plastic sole with "carbon" inserts resulted in the foot being too far from pedal for my liking, close to 1 inch! Rather gimmicky and cheap looking to boot. I also found the toe box restricting, very narrow, made my feet numb after a few miles (and I have narrow feet to begin with). If you're gram counter, these weighed in at a little over 400g, with their sensitivity factor just as clunky. Overall not a bad shoe -but made to be flashy with not much thought given to biomechanics or comfort. However, equal to many of the lower-end offerings from Pearl Izumi, Nike, etc. Lesson learned: ALWAYS support my local bike shop! The money I "saved" buying online caused me quite a few unhappy rides in shoes I could have avoided. Not worth it! I'd recommend 2005's Specialized shoes, now my current choice for long-distance comfort.

Strengths:
Look like high-performance shoes

Weaknesses:
ARE NOT high performance in any sense of the word. Ouch.