Northwave Cycling Shoes
An ode to my trusty Northwave cycling shoes...
I bought these Northwave cycling shoes in the spring of 2014. On the very first ride I crashed hard and crushed the mechanical buckle of the right shoe into smithereens. Northwave sent a replacement at no cost to me. That was the only problem (can you really call it a problem though?) that I ever had with those shoes. Fast forward four years and tens of thousands of kilometers later and they still have a little life left in them.
I raced and won my first Fondo in these shoes, I explored the spider infested jungle trails of Japan with these shoes on my feet, and they have carried me all over the coastal chaparral land that surrounds my home in north county San Diego.
The buckles have just in the last few weeks started to jam. After my last ride I thought I was going to have to cut them off of my feet. Thankfully though I was able get the buckle working again. Also the sewing on one seam has finally given out. Never in my life have I had a pair of shoes that I use so much last as long as these have. The fact that I got them for less than $100 on Amazon makes it even more amazing.
Yesterday, I saw that Backcountry.com had a pair of Northwave shoes on sale with only one pair left in my size in stock. I took it as a sign and went ahead and bought them. They should arrive early next week so I will have one more outdoor ride and an indoor training session left with my trusty companions. I cannot bear to toss them in the trash though. So, I will give them a good scrub and hang them up in my pain cave as a reminder of where they have been.
Random musings...
The wildflowers are still in full bloom with many of the hills painted in neon yellow - but the grass has mostly turned brown. The rivers are still running strong though and teeming with schools of fish. In other words the weather is spectacular for riding.
I got a new truck about 10 days ago - a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z-71 to be exact. Now that we have passed 500 miles I want to take the gravel bike out with the Burley Bee trailer and take my son on some long gravel rides. There are some fun looking roads in the mountains nearby. Getting to them was a problem before, not anymore...
As I mentioned in my last post I upgraded my bike from a 2x8 drivetrain to 1x11 setup. I have since put enough mileage on the setup to post my initial thoughts. Stay tuned...