Summertime is a good time to update your cycling shoes, and there are plenty of new options available. Fizik are celebrating the success of their long-standing Movistar Team partnership with some limited edition knit or Powerstrap road shoes. Northwave is doing a limited run of their Extreme Pro road shoes in Astana colors. BH have brought the lightweight Sock tech from their road shoes to a new XC shoe to get dirt out. And Gaerne have given their Italian-made Chronos & Kobras a simple performance refresh.
Limited Edition Fizik Infinito R1 Knit Movistar road shoes
Celebrating 118 individual Grand Tour wins by Movistar team riders, Fizik are producing a limited run of 118 pairs of shoes in a Movistar Team replica blue. While some pro team replicas can be garish, these multi-tone blue Infinito R1 Knit shoes are nice looking, and understated. Fizik says Movistar Team blue goes well with pink, yellow, or red jerseys so I guess feel free to try to win your own stage.
The Infinito R1 Knit has the uniquely vented knit upper for hot summer riding, an ultra-stiff full UD carbon vented sole, and two Boa IP-1 dial closures. The 380€ limited edition shoes weigh 255g a piece, and are available in half sizes from 37-47 & a 48.
Fizik Vento Powerstrap R1 Movistar carbon road shoes
Looking for something a little simpler & lighter from Fizik? The Vento Powerstrap R1 is also available in a low-key Movistar Team edition, with white & light blue perforated microtex uppers and dark blue crossing velcro straps. The 250€ Vento Powerstrap R1 gets the same light & stiff vented carbon sole, but at a lighter 232g per shoe.
BH EVO MTB Ultralight carbon mountain bike shoes
Spanish bikemaker BH Bikes drops some new accessories into our inbox every once in a while, and the latest addition are their new EVO Ultralight mountain bike shoes. Available in a standard version and a SOCK version that fits tightly against your skin to keep dirt & trail debris out.
Both shoes share a similar lightweight, breathable synthetic upper available in black or hi-vis yellow, a stiff carbon sole with dual-density molded rubber tread & toe spike threads, toe & heel reinforcement, two Atop dial closures, and a 39-46 whole size range. The 170€ BH EVO MTB Ultralight has a claimed weight of 300g per shoe, and the 200€ BH EVO MTB UltralightSock is a bit heavier at 325g per shoe.
Gaerne updates road & cross-country with G.Chrono & G.Kobra shoes
Gaerne has again overhauled their second-tier road & mountain bike shoes with a simplified upper design and optimized high-performance sole options. Both road G.Chrono and mountain bike G.Kobra shoes get the same perforated synthetic upper and new lower-profile vented heel cup design, still secured with two Boa IP-1 dials.
The road shoes are available in three versions: the Carbon G.Chrono for three-bolt cleats & Carbon G.Chrono Speedplay both with an ultra-high stiffness full carbon sole for 310€ (12 stiffness rating; 291g per shoe), or the more affordable Composite Carbon G.Chrono for 260€ with a mixed nylon & injection molded carbon sole (8 stiffness rating; 290g per shoe).
The XC mountain bike G.Kobra gets a lugged Michelin outsole and a small toe bumper, and also two sole options. Chose the 290€ Carbon G.Kobra for the lightest & stiffest race setup (10 stiffness rating; 339g per shoe), or the more affordable and walkable 250€ G.Kobra with a nylon/carbon composite sole (8 stiffness rating; 342g per shoe).
Northwave Extreme Pro limited Astana edition road shoes
Northwave has also done their own pro team replica limited edition with their Extreme Pro road shoe as ridden by Astana Pro Team in the upcoming Tour de France. Combining the white, pale blue & black of the team, the highest performing road shoe from Northwave gets a perforated synthetic upper, their newest XFrame dial closure system with its Dyneema wire, and an ultra-stiff full carbon sole.