Pearl Izumi's new Pro Leader III road shoes are chock full of features but it's what's hidden inside that's most intriguing - James Huang / Immediate Media
Dual Boa cable reel closures are backed with specifically shaped padding on the tongue to relieve pressure on the top of the foot - James Huang / Immediate Media
The T-shaped heel counter is meant to keep your foot stable without adding too much weight or bulk. The pared-down shape also improves ventilation, too, as the mesh can extend nearly all the way back - James Huang / Immediate Media
The design of the outsole isn't just for show. It's cleverly hiding the innovative way that the shoe is built - James Huang / Immediate Media
Because '11' is so last year. Cleat slots are extra long for heaps of fore-aft adjustability - James Huang / Immediate Media
Whereas uppers are usually glued on top of the carbon plate with a secondary layer of material added in before the insole is installed, the Pearl Izumi Pro Leader III wraps the edges of the upper around the bottom. This places the rider's foot directly on top of the carbon layer and decreases the stack height - James Huang / Immediate Media
The co-molded perimeter of the Pearl Izumi Pro Leader III outsole neatly finishes the edges of the upper that's wrapped around the bottom of the carbon plate - James Huang / Immediate Media
The main benefit of the innovative construction methods used on the Pearl Izumi Pro Leader III shoe is a fantastically low stack height - James Huang / Immediate Media
The two-layer upper material is printed together in its final shape so there's little waste - James Huang / Immediate Media
A schematic look at how the Pearl Izumi Pro Leader III shoes are built - Pearl Izumi
With few exceptions, road cycling shoes are all built the same way. The uppers are assembled, shaped and glued on to stiff outer plates, a semi-rigid ‘lasting board’ is bonded into the inside to cover up the rough edges, and it’s all capped with a soft insole. Pearl Izumi is doing things differently with its new Pro Leader III shoes, however, with some impressive claimed performance benefits as a result.
Instead of going the conventional route, Pearl Izumi is wrapping the lower edges of the upper down around the bottom of the carbon fiber plate, creating more of a unified structure somewhat in the spirit of Bont’s more radical monocoque layout. Whereas the lasting board is normally used to cover up those edges inside the shoe, Pearl Izumi conceals everything with a co-molded layer of material around the outer perimeter of the carbon plate for an impressively tidy-looking finished product that reveals little at first about how the shoe is actually built.
The co-molded perimeter of the pearl izumi pro leader iii outsole neatly finishes the edges of the upper that's wrapped around the bottom of the carbon plate: the co-molded perimeter of the pearl izumi pro leader iii outsole neatly finishes the edges of the upper that's wrapped around the bottom of the carbon plate
Instead of bonding a complete upper to the top of the outer plate, the edges are wrapped around the bottom and then covered with molded polyurethane
Such a construction method doesn’t do much in terms of weight savings – Pearl Izumi says a single size 43 shoe comes in at 235g, which is already inline with top road footwear. However, the company says that stack height comes down a significant 1.5mm, plus there’s supposedly a more direct transfer of power from foot to pedal since there’s one less layer of material in compress.
The upper itself incorporates some neat technology, too, with a full mesh body and a reinforcing thermoplastic polyurethane ‘web’ that’s fused directly on top. Two Boa reels are used per shoe for a tunable fit, while the tongue is bolstered with thick padding only under the cables to reduce pressure on top of the rider’s foot.
Dual boa cable reel closures are backed with specifically shaped padding on the tongue to relieve pressure on the top of the foot: dual boa cable reel closures are backed with specifically shaped padding on the tongue to relieve pressure on the top of the foot
Dual Boa cable reels promise an even, snug, and comfortable fit
Out back, there’s a T-shaped external heel counter to add stability, which decreases weight and bulk as compared to a full-sized heel cup and also allows the mesh to extend nearly all the way around the rear of the foot for better ventilation in hot weather.
Meanwhile, vents underneath the toe box bring in more cooling air, and the cleat slots are extra-long for lots of position adjustability.
The t-shaped heel counter is meant to keep your foot stable without adding too much weight or bulk. the pared-down shape also improves ventilation, too, as the mesh can extend nearly all the way back: the t-shaped heel counter is meant to keep your foot stable without adding too much weight or bulk. the pared-down shape also improves ventilation, too, as the mesh can extend nearly all the way back
Mesh material extends nearly all the way around the back of the foot for what should be excellent ventilation
Retail price is $320, and available sizes will range from 38-49. International pricing is still being finalized, and shoes are scheduled to arrive in stores in December.
James Huang is BikeRadar's former technical editor. After leaving BikeRadar in 2016, he worked at CyclingTips and Escape Collective. He now runs the Substack cycling publication N-1 Bikes.
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