Northwave Freeride Shoes

4.09/5

(11 Reviews)

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Northwave Freedom Cordura? & Suede Leather Interlocking Gilly style looped lace system

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Reviews 1 - 11 (11 Reviews Total)

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Submitted by Janusz a Cross Country Rider from Gdansk, Poland

Date Reviewed: October 27, 2010

Strengths:    Comfortable, good fit, medial ankle protection. Cleats recessed, great for walking. Looks "not-too-sporty", good for everyday usage, commuting, sightseeing.

Weaknesses:    Sole made of polyurethane covered with rubber. The PU layer decays over time even without usage, thus not supporting the rubber outsole, which then breaks when you walk. Cleats get exposed, subject to wear while walking. But the plastic holding the cleats remains OK.

Bottom Line:

Most probably the problem affects all Northwave shoes with soles made of PU encapsulated in rubber. I think when you get recently manufactured shoes, that may be OK. Buying them as "New old stock" will not be a good idea.

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $40.00

Similar Products Used:   Other Northwaves - all with PU/rubber suffer the same problem. Nike ACG

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Submitted by seburkhardt a Weekend Warrior from ithaca

Date Reviewed: May 20, 2009

Strengths:    What strengths?

Weaknesses:    EVerything

Bottom Line:

Northwave stuff falls apart instantly. Read over all the other reviews. Then, their warranty support is pi$$-poor...buyer beware. I wish i had done my research here beforehand.

I've tried contacting these people, no return email, no return phone calls.

I wouldn't wish this kind of shoddy, unreliable construction on anyone. You might as well cut the soles out of your old shoes and rivet them to the bottom of some vans old schools -- they 'd last longer than a NorthWave product, and i bet you can get someone at Vans to at least return your emails.

I won't even get into my experience with their gloves...trust me that is was bad, and i would have done better with pine cones taped to my fingers.

I would suggest that no one every buy products from this company again.

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Favorite Trail:   shindagin

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $35.00

Purchased At:   local shop

Similar Products Used:   Diadora, Pearl Izumi, Louis Garneau

Bike Setup:   huffy.

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Submitted by Darrin a Cross Country Rider from Wappingers Falls,NY

Date Reviewed: September 11, 2002

Strengths:    Comfortable, stylish, walking ease, clipping in and out ease.

Weaknesses:    Terrible when they get wet. The price is high, Try contacting Northwave for customer service.

Bottom Line:

These shoes where great until I fell into a Creek. Since then the left show has shrunk and hurts my foot. I feel like a moutain bike shoe should be able to handle water. I am planning to contact nortwave, but they don't make their phone number readily avaiable! They probably won't do anything for me anyway, since the shoes are two years old.

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Favorite Trail:   Stewart MTA

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $100.00

Similar Products Used:   Nike's AGC

Bike Setup:   Trek 6000

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Submitted by Ove a Cross Country Rider from Norway

Date Reviewed: November 14, 2001

Strengths:    Almost everything

Weaknesses:    Laces

Bottom Line:

Very nice shoes. It is not a race shoe, so if you are looking for very stiff shoes, look somvhere else. I have another pair of stiff "racing" shoes. I use them at work, and on holyday riding.

I have used them on longer bike trips, the best thing about them is that they are soft enough for walking. You really dont need more than one pair of shoes on your bike hollyday. It is not noisy to walk in them, Northwawe must have discover where they should put the cleats. I think they are the best "allround" shoes i have tried,

they smell bad after 14 days of biking in 30 celcius.....
Five chillis from me!!

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   many shimano models, exus,

Bike Setup:   Storck frame, magura raceline, manitou sx Ti, bontrager crankset, shimano xt

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Submitted by rhog a Cross Country Rider from Los Angeles, CA

Date Reviewed: September 7, 2001

Strengths:    Great fit, inexpensive, great to walk in, actually look pretty decent

Weaknesses:    laces get caught in chainring, cleats recessed too far for Shimano DH style pedals

Bottom Line:

These shoes are great. They flex enough for walking yet are stiff enough to pedal efficiently although not as stiff as my Nike Cairns. They're an awesome yet stylish bike and hike shoe.

The only two drawbacks are the laces sometimes get caught in my chainring (the little velcro cover for the laces could be larger) and the cleats are recessed to far to easily engage with my Shimano DH style pedals to allow the shoes to float freely. I think the soles will eventually wear down so this won't be an issue.

They definitely beat the pants off of my old Nike Cairns for comfort.

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Favorite Trail:   Mulholland to the Hub

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   Sierra Trading Post

Similar Products Used:   Nike Cairns, Alpinstar, Answer sneakers, barefoot

Bike Setup:   Schwinn Homegrown totally stock

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Submitted by Sean a Weekend Warrior from Sydney

Date Reviewed: July 9, 2001

Strengths:    Durable, comfortable, deep recesses for cleats, just the right amount of flex/stiffness, grippy, easy to clip in and out

Weaknesses:    Pricey

Bottom Line:

Very nice pair of shoes. I use them for riding on tar and when there is a fair amount of walking. They are not race shoes, so have are very comfortable when walking and riding. The best features for me is the durability, since they are a quality construction, the comfort, the way only Italians know how, reasonably appropriate casual style and most importantly, the cleats do not grind on the pavement when you walk. Most shoes do not recess the cleats adequately so they make very annoying noises when you walk on concrete in particular. Doesn't do much for the cleat either. They have other nice features such as the snug lacing and tab to keep the laces out of the chain, although the tab does get in the way of lacing them up. Would be nice to have some reflective patches for safety.

One other thing that I take for granted is the ease of clipping in and out.

They are a little expensive, but they are the best shoes I know of for casual riding.

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Purchased At:   You Can! Tokyo

Similar Products Used:   Cannondale (old models), Shimano sandals,

Bike Setup:   Kona '98 Explosif, Shimano 747 pedals

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Submitted by Nic Bray a Cross Country Rider from Herts, UK

Date Reviewed: December 9, 2000

Strengths:    Comfort, both on and off the bike. Easy to walk in.

Weaknesses:    mud and rain (use waterproof socks)! Dry quickly though

Bottom Line:

These are great shoes for the summer!
Strongly recommend them for anyone who is a fair weather tourer as they double up nicely as a "walk around town" shoes as they're rigid where they need to be and flexible in the rest of places.
The only things they don't like is heavy rain, although they drain easily and dry quickly after a soaking. And mud! Ugh! the really gloopy stuff is an absolute nightmare for these. So stick to relatively dry runs and you'll not regret buying a pair.
They look pretty cool too!

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Favorite Trail:   Dartmoor, Morocco

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $90.00

Purchased At:   Edinburgh Bikes, Scotland

Similar Products Used:   Axo mission, Northwave Freeride Extreme, Nike Pedali

Bike Setup:   DNA frame (Ti), Manitou forks, Onza Ho pedals,

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Submitted by Nikolas Ojala a Weekend Warrior from Tampere, Finland

Date Reviewed: November 23, 2000

Strengths:    +Comfortable
+Walkable
+Works well with Speedplay Frogs
+Warm
+Looks better than most other shoes
+Obviously durable

Weaknesses:    -Looks like sportswear, which it is

Bottom Line:

I really like these shoes. With Speedplay Frog cleats there is no clacking sound at all, when I walk.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $100.00

Purchased At:   Free Heels, Tampere

Similar Products Used:   None. These are my first bicycling shoes.

Bike Setup:   Hardtail with suspension seatpost, 175mm Shimano cranks, Speedplay Frog pedals, Ritchey handlebar, Club Roost stem, Nokian tires

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Submitted by nadezhda a Racer from seattle, wa

Date Reviewed: November 17, 2000

Strengths:    Very comfortable.

Weaknesses:    The laces.

Bottom Line:

These shoes are great! They are so comfortable, I have spent hours in them, both on the bike and hiking around. They are a definite must if you plan on getting off of your bike and walking around. I think they might be more comfortable then my tennis shoes! My only concern is the laces. I use these shoes off road and a big fear is gettingt he laces caught in the chain ring. I tuck them in to avoid this, but they do come out occasionally.

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Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $100.00

Purchased At:   Gregg's Greenlake

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Submitted by Chase a Cross Country Rider from Seattle, WA

Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000

Strengths:    Extreme Comfort! Strong construction.

Weaknesses:    Could be vented better

Bottom Line:

One of the best shoes I have tried for bikes... comfortable enough for wearing around as well... just be carefull about your clip brackets...

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Shimano shoes...

Bike Setup:   Klein with Time clips

Overall Rating:

Submitted by Jeff a cross-country rider from Brooklyn, NY

Date Reviewed: November 9, 1998

Bottom Line:

Thought it would be a good idea to get a pair of shoes to avoid carrying street shoes, or have extra shoes scattered around town at the usual haunts: work, girlfriend’s place, etc.The Northwave Freerides are the best I'd tried. VERY comfortable, not unlike light hiking shoes (Asolo, Teknica, etc.). I have wide feet, so the fit is snug without crushing the old metatarsals. Even though the sole seems flexy when twisting it by hand, it actually has a solid platform. I have Time ATACs and clipping in is actually easier than my offroad shoes (!) because of the deep channel that the cleats are set into. This also means that the cleats DO NOT grind into pavement or make noise when walking!Clipping OUT is different. It requires a bit more twist & push to disconnect, so right now I would NOT use them off-road. (Maybe I need more practice?)Materials and construction are first-rate. The lacing system is SMOOTH and quick! There's even a small velco flap that covers the knotted laces at the top. The colors, black and grey with small yellow graphics, are nicely understated. A BIG difference from circus colored racing shoes.Get 'em!
Five smouldering Chilis . .

Reviews 1 - 11 (11 Reviews Total)

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Northwave Freeride Shoes

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