It’s been nearly 20 years since I had my first pair of Northwave cycling shoes. Back then, they were a simple pair of velcro strapped uppers with a thermoplastic outsole, maybe the Evolution from around 2000. When I was offered the new Extreme Pro and Ghost Pro as part of our Project OneBike, I jumped at the chance. The Ghost Pro review will come later in the season once I have a chance to get some cyclocross and fall gravel in, but I’ve put over 1,000 miles in on the Extreme Pro and am extremely impressed.
The Extreme Pro is Northwave’s range-topping road shoe, used by the Astana Pro Cycling Team and other WorldTour teams and pro riders. It’s taken Astana to 28 wins as of publishing this article, and I’m sure many more will be added this season. As you’d expect with any pro level shoe, the Extreme Pro is a mix of a super stiff sole, comfortable upper with a balance of support and ventilation, a locked-in closure system, and light weight.
What It’s Made Of
Let’s start from the bottom up. The Powershape Carbon 15 sole is the brand’s stiffest sole yet. Made from 100% unidirectional carbon, it is designed to transfer power directly to the pedals. Not that different of a claim as you’ll get from other manufacturers about their soles, but the design does have merit. The Powershape arch wraps up from the sole to provide support to the midfoot. The sole is drilled for a standard three-hole road cleat and there is an available Speedplay specific adaptor to keep stack heights as low as possible when using a four bolt cleat. Three vents and front and rear bumpers round out the outside. Inside, the Pro Regular insoles add a touch of comfort while still remaining stiff and efficient.
There is a lot going on in the upper as well. Northwave started with a new microfibre material and created a new version of their upper design called XFrame2. Instead of a traditional upper/tongue design, the XFrame2 wraps the upper from the arch area over the top of the foot to the outside to provide a custom fit for your foot. The SLW2 dials placed on the outside of the foot, snake their Dyneema cords through fabric loops on upper to provide a secure closure without unnecessary pressure. At the heel, the sculpted heel cup and cat’s tongue like material help to keep the heel in place.
On The Road
Right from the beginning, my feet felt at home in the Extreme Pro. The soft microfibre XFrame2 uppers molded to my feet, and other than a bunion that causes issues with just about all shoes I try, there were no nagging areas. As for the bunion, it was nothing that a medieval torture device couldn’t handle to add the contour my foot needed. With my feet settling into their new slippers, I could definitely feel the arch support from the Powershape sole. This is very welcoming as I find many cycling shoes have a tendency to be on the flatter side and I have to use insoles to create the support I prefer. This is something I’m very much looking forward to when the Ghost Pro’s arrive for cyclocross season when I’ll be spending time off the bike running during cyclocross.
Tightening them up for the first ride, the SLW2 dials were easy to use. Tightening is as simple as spinning the dial to take up the slack of the Dyneema cord. The lower dial handles the fore and midfoot adjustment while the upper dial takes care of the top portion of the fold over upper. Combined with the upper, I was always able to get a locked in feel without feeling too tight. Even when over-tightened, they never felt painful or constricting. Tweaking the tension with each dial helped to create a custom fit. The lack of plastic guides helps prevent any hot spots and adds to the great fit. Loosening on a micro level happens by pushing down on the silver lever on dial’s base. Each push releases the cord by one click and allows you to customize the fit, only rivaled by laces. At the end of the ride, the dials are released by pulling the lever up to release the rachet and pulling the upper. I found that I can use one hand to pull both levers and use the other to pull the upper, making removing the shoes pretty quick and easy.
When compared to the SLW2’s biggest rival, the BOA IP1, there are pluses and minuses. On the plus side, the SLW2 has a lower profile and is just as easy to use for tightening. For releasing, the IP1’s dual-direction can be easier to adjust on the fly (larger target to grab while pedaling versus finding the small lever), and the pull to release feature is a little quicker when you need to get your shoes off quickly. In the grand scheme of things though, these are minor nitpicks, and the SLW2 dials have been trouble free and easy to use.
The Extreme Pro’s have been with me well over 1,000 miles, and have seen anything from a chilly gravel event to a local crit, a steamy century, and even a few indoor centuries on Zwift. My feet were never an area I was concerned with as far as ventilation goes. The forefoot vents and perforations on the microfiber, along with the vents in the sole, provide plenty of air flow. A shoe like the Time OSMOS would provide more ventilation, but lacks the support of the Extreme Pro and wouldn’t be able to handle the cold temperatures in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Powershape sole legit or marketing fluff?
I mentioned before about the support that the Powershape Carbon 15 sole provides. I wanted to see the difference between the Extreme Pro and another flatter soled shoe I have in for review. Using the same pedals, I rode the same 12 mile course, which includes a few punchy climbs, long straights and plenty of Strava segments to go hard on.
I did three separate rides, one with the flat soled shoe and stock insoles, one with the flat soled shoe and custom insoles, and one with the Extreme Pros with stock insoles. The support of the Extreme Pro was definitely noticeable over the flat soled shoe in either set up. The support keeps my knees tracking straight by not allowing my foot to collapse inward, similar to a supportive running shoe. Adding the custom insoles to the flat soled shoe helped, but there is only so much an insole can do.
There was never a question of flex with the Extreme Pro. Being a 15 on Northwave’s current scale, they are the stiffest available from the brand (until the next evolution arrives). Pedaling felt efficient, with no energy loss. Whether I was riding on smooth tarmac or rough gravel, the Pro Regular insoles had just enough cushioning that I never felt like they were uncomfortable.
Overall Thoughts
When it comes to weight, they are competitive for an all-around race shoe. Yes, there are flyweights out there like Giro’s Prolight Techlace, but is that the kind of shoe you want to wear all year long? I doubt it. At 572g for the pair in size 45, the Extreme Pro is on par with other shoes in the category like the Shimano RC9 and Specialized S-Works 7 of equal sizes. It’s also on par in pricing too. At $399.99 they are an expensive pair of shoes, but you are getting a WorldTour level shoe that checks off all of the boxes. Sizing is available from 36-48, with half sizes running from 39.5-45.5. Available in white or black, it is a more subtle shoe than many others on the market, keeping a nice classy look.
Even after Project OneBike is over, the Northwave Extreme Pro will have a solid place in my rotation of gear I personally use on my rides. Keep an eye out for the Ghost Pro review this fall once we have a chance to get some gravel and cyclocross races in on them.
http://www.northwave.com
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Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
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Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
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