Northwave have a reputation for knocking out fine fitting women’s shoes – former cross-country world and Olympic champ Paola Pezzo wouldn’t race in anything else – and the new Silk is no exception.
Built on a female-specific narrow last, the Silk uses a Zytel DuPont nylon midsole that Northwave promote as being ‘enriched’ with carbon powder. Quite how the black fibre dust actually benefits is hard to quantify, as it doesn’t feel much different to a full nylon midsole.
The outsole is standard Northwave style and benefits from real rubber, so it grips better in the wet conditions than the plastic outsoles of some other brands. The cleat pocket can be deep, interfering with Crank Bros cleats.
Twin rather than triple Velcro closures may suggest a less than accurate fit, but that’s simply not the case as it feels welded on until you undo the straps.