Recently, I grabbed some of these shoes and so I thought I'd review them here.
To start with they are available in WHITE/Red or WHITE/Blue.
As much as blue is most people's fave colour the red variant is a alternative slant indicating speed
The reason I actually went for the white/red shades was that there is less white on them compared to the white/blue - easier to clean.
So yuo get them, open the box and you get; the shoes
, various stickers a bit of multi-lingual blub and lots of padding out polystyrene.No silica gel mind
The last item you get 'thrown in' for over a 145 big ones is spare pair of insoles.
The insoles are standard black with a presure pad: to absorb the pressure and the other type: perforated hole version for hot weather though if you scan NW's site you see these aren't orange like I got but black too so god knows what happened there plus the material is different.
The design of the shoes is pretty good and NW have put quite a lot of effort into this shoe. Where they've took the foot shape moulds I'm not sure but its a whole lot different to the Vertigo's.
Which is a semi-rigid carbon/glass fibre effort and well recommended for those that DONT want a fully carbon-soled shoe.
The fastening is took care of by three straps; 2 velcro and 1 similar and originating on Sidi shoes.
That be a serated strap and a lever that when pulled increases incrementally' tightening the strap, fastened on the other side by an extremely ingenius method: pull the bar down and you can also adjust a serated edge so a really tight fit can be had; though tight is tight but it'd be possible to totally cut the blood supply off from the foot, such is the adjustment on these shoes that is possible.
On the Vertigo's I got a 42, which in NW sizes works out as a 8.5 English.
At 1st I thought that was a tad too big but it turns out my previous shoes (Sidi Tecno' 41's -way way old '95 issue- bless 'em) had been small, effectively SO they turned out correct.
Now the Aerlites are of a different shape again, whereas the Vertigo's are sort of circular and high in the front toe box, the Aerlites are of a 'pointed' and not as high like design add in a strange metal mesh like 'airgrill' below which sits a vent coloured in the colour you've selected, behind the cleat area on the carbon sole sits an out vent
Also you get a muted airgrill on the side too with NW imprinted in it.
PUTTING THEM ON: How easy is putting a cycling shoe on; you loosen the straps throw your danglies into them - no worries. Well these have a fabric on the inside of the heel that sits just above the achiles and aids insertion of the foot compared to taking them off. So its slightly harder to remove the shoe from your foot - why this is in place i dont know but i suppose it, in a small way keeps your foot - especially, the heel area of you foot in place!
Also at the back of the shoe is a recognised design from NW that is a Y section plastic section that fit the heel area well and truly in place - with no lolling to either side at the back of shoe, a great design point.
Vertigos share this.
Going forward;
The muti-adjustable strap, can't fault, described above.
Then the 2 Velcro straps, I feel these are a touch narrow OR the tongue a bit thin - they can cut in to you if quite tight so you have to have the straps balanced (all 3) as the Vertigo's have quite a thick 'Tongue' thats the section that sits directly below the straps on the top of the shoe. So the straps on the Vertigo's don't cut in yet are of a diffetn material shape and design though similiar.
'LATERAL CANTING SYSTEM' - all NW shoes offer a system so called as they allow you to move the cleat sideways (laterally) prior to clamping it down, so in effect, you can have you foot closer or further away from the crank: great design.
The Carbon Sole:
NW do a few variants of soles on their shoes, 5 I think; 'plastic', carbon/glass fibre composite (Vertigo's), and 2 other Carbon Soles which differ in layers of Carbon.
The Aerlites have the maximum 5! YES - FIVE LAYERS, thats 1-1-1-1-1 layers (if you didn't get it the 1st time) of carbon layed down for added stiffness and maximum energy expenditure.
And boy do those 5 layers metre out some justice !
Prior to getting these shoes I'd never rode carbon in any way ie a bike/frame or otherwise but if this is what carbon can do for a/the resultant ride characteristics then a whole bike should be incredible; is the only thing I can say.
We can all put the 'power down' for that endorphin buzz on a training/ride but I now hold the line that a carbon sole harness's that power built up in you legs to maximum effect !
Various insoles are available and also NW offer a custom srevice wherby you can have you foot type/shape tested and select from three different sizes of insole: more important than you realise.
SHAPE of SOLE: The shape all the shoes compare to the Aerlite is slightly different. When you have the Vertigo on you toes 'feel' like they point UP yet on the Aerlites the foot points invariably down - this 'feel' may make you dislike them esp. if coming from the Vertigo.
To sum up: these shoes are very versatile on the fit be they for a wide or narrow foot (the front strap takes care of the narrow footed!)
As much as they cost, deals may present themselves now as its end of year for manfacturers.
The look of the Aerlites may be BIG/LOUD but getting noticed is part of the deal on a bike for me for safety's sake and maybe you'll need to be noticed as you may just go a bit quicker with this sole, especially !
