Technical, Colourful and Affordable Northwave Shoes

By John Hardwick | 27th May 2021 |

– Sponsored Content –

The future is looking bright for Northwave in Australia. This Italian brand has long been known for producing bright and colourful cycling shoes, both for European road teams and elite XC racers, but their range is more diverse than you might imagine.

For 2021 BikeSportz has extra inventory in the $150 to $250 retail price bracket, as well as added stock to bolster their line-up in the $200 to $300 range.

Northwave has a strong heritage in traditional race markets but their line-up also extends to triathlon and flat pedal specific models, as well as mountain bike shoes that merge neatly into the burgeoning gravel market—there are over 40 models within the range with plenty of colour options.

Examples include the $160 Northwave Tribe. Despite its casual styling it features plenty of technology, as the sole was co-developed with Michelin to provide enhanced grip on flat pedals—a feature it shares with their other flat pedal specific models, as well as some of the clipless trail/enduro shoes.

The bright and colourful theme shines through with their Tribute 2 Carbon triathlon shoes. Rather than coming in a single colour, the right and left shoes alternate, making a unique statement with black/blue/pink on the right and white/blue/pink on the left. Beyond the styling, the Tribute 2 Carbon also has a full carbon insert, TPU anatomical arch support and two big velcro straps for quick transitions.

Northwave Tribute 2 Carbon Shoe — The bright and colourful Tribute 2 Carbon triathlon shoes make a unique statement with black/blue/pink on the right and white/blue/pink on the left.

The stand-out new road model for 2021 is the $329 Mistral Plus. Recognising growing popularity of indoor cycling systems such as Zwift, they’ve developed a super-ventilated cycling shoe that’s equally at home in the Aussie summer. The carbon reinforced sole features large integrated ventilation channels while the uppers are mesh with hexagonal reinforcement. This along with a twin SLW2 dial closure makes for a very sharp looking summer road shoe.