Northwave Sonic 2 SRS

The Northwave Sonic 2 SRS is a good mid-level choice for road riding that allows you to fit either three-bolt or two-bolt cleats.

What Northwave calls its NRG Air Carbon Reinforced soles are reasonably stiff, made from 'a new blend of nylon reinforced with fibreglass and enriched with carbon'. You can detect a little flex during flat-out sprinting and out-of-the-saddle climbing but not while you're seated.

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The sole features five gauze-covered vents that are positioned under the toes, in the mid foot and at the heel, and you can definitely feel the cooling effect on your feet as you ride.

The Sonic 2 shoes take standard three-bolt cleats (Look, Time, SPD-SL etc) but the soles are moulded to take two-bolt cleats (SPD etc) too. Understandably, the two-bolt cleat plates aren't included because most people want to use three-bolt cleats, but you can fit them if you like. Obviously, the cleat won't be recessed like it is on a mountain bike shoe, but the heel and toe grips will provide some purchase when you walk. You wouldn't want to walk far, but if you prefer SPD pedals for any reason, this would make a good shoe choice.

The upper is made from a light microfibre material with large mesh inserts thermowelded in all areas of the foot. These mesh panels let loads of cool air in and humid air out. Combined with those sole vents I mentioned, the construction of the upper means it's very unlikely that your feet will overheat in these.

You get a three-strap closure here. The lower two are Velcro and the upper strap uses Northwave's SRS design. SRS stands for Slim Ratchet System and that pretty much sums it up. You flick an aluminium lever to ratchet the strap in, you push a button to let it out. It's simple to use and micro adjustments while you're riding could hardly be easier.

The broad section of that top strap is Velcro backed so you can shorten it if you have narrow feet, or let it out if your feet are particularly broad. Along with the flexibility of the uppers, this means the Sonic 2s are suitable for quite a range of different foot shapes.

The middle strap is positioned over the central line of your foot, Northwave claiming that this reduces the pressure on the side area. Maybe it does. I certainly didn't feel any particular pressure anywhere so the positioning isn't doing any harm.

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An internal heel cup helps keep everything firm back there. There's no clever fabric inside to hold your foot in place but I didn't experience any heel lift at all. I think that's as much to do with the fit as anything. If you get a good fit, everything tends to stay where it should.

All in all, these shoes put in a solid performance. They're comfortable and highly breathable, the one shortfall being that the soles aren't quite as stiff as those you can get if you pay the extra for carbon fibre, but that's only really an issue when you're stomping hard out of the saddle. They're well made too and look more high-end than they actually are.

Verdict

Good road shoes that offer plenty of comfort and excellent breathability