Northwave announced a few shoes from the 2016 Spring-Summer collection including the Northwave Enduro Mid, a shoe designed specifically for the demands of enduro racing. Pro rider Cedric Gracia worked with Northwave to design and test the Enduro Mid shoes and judging by the video below, he’s pretty stoked with how the shoes came out.
“No one had ever created an actual Enduro shoe, one specifically designed for this discipline. Now it exists, thanks to Northwave, and it is good to feel I have given my contribution.”
To be fair, these aren’t the first enduro-specific shoes–Mavic offers the Crossmax enduro shoe while Shimano also offers a couple enduro models of their own. Still, there’s no doubt these shoes were designed for the abuse enduro riders tend to dish out, with a reinforced toe box and a Fort Knox-like enclosure system that I’m pretty sure won’t open unless the rider really, really wants it open.
The soles on the Enduro Mid shoes utilize Michelin rubber, and the company talks about the different compounds utilized on the sole like it’s a race tire. (Softer, grippier rubber on the inside of the sole, more rugged, impact-resistant rubber on the outside.) The tips of the soles even have a super aggressive looking tread (similar to some trail running shoes I’ve seen), which should come in handy for steep hike-a-bike sections.
No word on retail pricing or availability yet. Hopefully we’ll know more once Interbike rolls around.
