NORTHWAVE ENDURO MID 2 CLIPLESS SHOE REVIEW

PROTECTIVE HIKE-A-BIKER CLIPLESS SNEAKS

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Adam Lievesley

Northwave is an Italian footwear brand that has been designing and manufacturing shoes for Snow and Cycling since 1991. Based in the foothills of the Alps, Northwave is a brand that aims to produce the best footwear for mountain-based sports, which includes a wide range of mountain bike footwear. I’ve been testing their Enduro Mid 2 shoes for a few months, and while they’ve not been my favorites, they’ve got potential for certain camps of rider.

ABOUT THE NORTHWAVE ENDURO MID 2

The Enduro Mid 2 is the second generation of Northwave’s Enduro mid shoe, designed with aggressive mountain biking in mind whilst making provisions for comfortable walking to boost versatility for hike-a-bike days. To boost protection, Northwave gave the Enduro Mid 2 and asymmetric mid-top design, giving generous inner ankle protection without restricting ankle movement excessively for long pedally days.

On the sole, Northwave partnered with Michelin to produce a rubber compound that was designed to work as well on the pedals as when walking. On the heel and toe areas there are generous rubber studs designed to aid traction when walking in loose conditions. The X-Fire sole features a heavily curved shape to produce a natural walking feel. Surrounding the cleat box is a lower profile rubber sole with a crosshatch design, which is claimed to offer fast-clipping to ease entry to clipless pedals. Under the heel is the X-crossbow system, offering some lightweight cushioning to the heel area of the foot to improve walking comfort and protect the heel in a dab.

The outer of the Enduro Mid 2 is made with a Thermowelded construction, which is internally reinforced to offer foot protection in key areas and has a TPU toe box to keep your digits safe. Certain areas are perforated to offer some ventilation for the foot, though they didn’t prove to be particularly effective. The heel area has rubber print to offer abrasion resistance and slightly increase the rigidity.

Fastening the Enduro Mid 2 shoe is a combination of a BOA-style SLW3 dial and an upper power strap. This dial features the ability to release pressure in small increments to dial in the fit effectively. With the SLW3 system running through fabric tape loops, pressure is claimed to be distributed effectively across the foot to improve comfort.

Northwave offers the Enduro Mid 2 shoes in sizes EU38 – EU48, in a choice of Black / Blue and Black / Multicolor (tested), and they retail for $197.99/€179.99.

THE DIRT

I had a couple of headaches with the Northwave Enduro Mid shoes to begin with, but once they were resolved they proved to be a solid set of shoes that I could imagine particular riders – those finding themselves spending a lot of time walking or hike-a-biking – enjoying.

A clipless platform pedal with traction pins locks in reasonably well to the pronounced arch of the sole if you fail to clip in, which I was thankful for on the first ride when I discovered the inability to clip in with a rearward cleat position. Because of the curvature of the X-Fire sole, the cleat begins to sit at an angle when you push it all the way back in the cleat plate, and so the rear of a large platform clipless pedal like my beloved Hope Union GC’s will foul on the shoe towards the heel. This issue didn’t present itself when the shoe was clean during setup, but as soon as some dirt was added into the equation, I began to have issues. Sliding the cleat forward 10mm resolved this, though it meant I was unable to capitalize on the most favorable rearward cleat positioning and was left feeling somewhat “on my toes” compared to my favorite Ride Concepts Tallac BOA shoes.

Once set up with a cleat position that was compatible with my go-to pedals, the Northwave Enduro Mid 2 shoes went about their business with limited fuss. Their fit is slightly on the narrow side, so riders may consider sizing up to prevent issues. For me, I opted to go for my typical EU45, and they turned out to be just roomy enough to be comfortable.

The SLW3 dial system combined with the Velcro strap let me get them cinched down tight without any pressure hot spots, in part thanks to the generously padded tongue. This padded tongue combines with limited ventilation to produce a shoe that runs on the slightly warm side. I was thankful for this in the early months of the year when the weather was unfavorable, but I could imagine them being a little uncomfortable in the hotter months.

Protection is a strong suit of the Enduro Mid 2, with a solid toe box; well-padded inner ankle and generally protective construction. This comes at a price though, with the resulting 550g weight per shoe (EU45) being notably bulky. For more gravity-oriented riders this is unlikely to cause too much complaint, though the slightly more forward cleat position I had to run didn’t lead them to being this gravity rider’s dream.

The sole stiffness is reasonably high without being overly stiff and uncomfortable, yet walking comfort is high. This makes these Northwave shoes particularly well suited to riders who spend a lot of time walking to get up the hill, with the generous tread helping to find purchase on loose terrain.

So far, the Northwave Enduro Mid 2 shoes are holding up well, though I decided to conclude testing after around eight rides and so can’t comment on their true long-term durability. They’ve held up better than the Northwave Overland shoes I tried previously, which suffered from delamination of the cleat box twice – that was a shame, because I much preferred those shoes, but never got to fully get to the bottom of their performance. You’d hope for good durability from the Enduro Mid 2 shoes though given their overall bulky and protective nature and near-$200 price tag.

The Wolf’s Last Word

For riders looking for a protective and walk-friendly shoe, the Northwave Enduro Mid 2 shoes may be worth considering. However, for me, they don’t quite hit the mark, and I can’t recommend them for Enduro riders looking for ultimate performance.

Price: $197.99/€179.99
Website: Northwave.com

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