Louis Garneau offer a new shoe, called Carbon Pro Team, with a sleeker profile and flashier finish to their sponsored professionals and performance minded riders for 2012.
The new Carbon Pro Team is built on Louis Garneau’s X-Lite outsole, which sports multiple vents and is the lightest and thinnest of their line.
The upper, however, is slimmer and sleaker than previous models from the Canadian manufacturer; gone are some of the extraneous additional features (toe covers, multiple strap adjustment points), but they will not be missed by racers and other performance minded riders."We wanted less bulk and a very aerodynamic shoe," Heidi Myers, Louis Garneau's communications coordinator told BikeRadar. "Instead [of the inside adjustment on the the main buckle] the buckle is a micro-ratchet and the position of the ratchet can be adjusted. We wanted the side of the shoe opposite the ratchet to be one complete piece so as to evenly distribute pressure from arch to instep and provide more comfort."
The Carbon Pro Team utilizes a unique heel feature, which LG have dubbed HRS-300 technology. The design uses internal nylon retention system to secure the foot in place, optimize the shoe’s overall fit, and limit power loss through slippage. The front of the shoe features a main buckle closure with two additional Velcro straps, which LG say are placed for comfort, to provide pressure point relief, and a secure fit. Paired with the HRS-300 design, LG say the Carbon Pro Team increases power transfer—a tenant of the design, along with lightweight—due to its solid fit. LG claims 258g per shoe in a size 41.
As with many shoes in their line, LG have equipped the shoes with two pairs of insoles an un-perforated version for cool weather and a warm weather insole equipped with Ice-Fil moisture control technology. The fibers in the Ice-Fil material react with perspiration, which they say converts to a refrigerant to keep your feet cool and dry.
EuropCar’s Thomas Voeckler, David Veilleux, and other professional athletes will ride in the Carbon Pro Team shoe for the 2012 season.
The US$329.99/£278 Carbon Pro Team shoe will be available in Red and Black in January. The shoe will be available in sizes 38 through 48 with half sizes available from size 41 to 45.5.
Thomas Voeckler with his new Carbon Pro Team shoes
