Northwave Revolution 3

The Northwave Revolution 3 shoes are an excellent choice for anyone who values comfort and ease of use just as much as performance. While they're neither the stiffest nor the lightest things you can get, they're perfectly fine in both areas – and not nearly as expensive as those that truly beat them. Basically, they're ideal for all but the most intense or competitive riders.

If you're looking for new shoes check out our best road cycling shoes buyer's guide, while our best cheap cycling shoes buyer's guide rounds up our top budget choices.

Lighter shoes will spin up more freely, and stiffer ones waste a fraction less power as flex, but neither thing is particularly conducive to overall comfort. The small amount of extra mass and flex here helps damp out the road buzz (and even the occasional spank across the sole) that can get tiring in racier shoes, and unless you're looking for every competitive advantage possible, that's a big real-world benefit.

They're not exactly heavy per se, but you can quite easily find lighter. The Shimano RC7s, for instance, are the same price (well, a quid more) but 62g lighter at 584g, while the Giro Cadet Road shoes are 569g and £160.

That said, the Crono CR2 Road Shoes are also a similar price (they're now £175) and heavier than these 646g Northwaves at 676g. The Revolution 3s are in the right ballpark for weight, then, just nothing exceptional.

It's much the same story for the Morph Carbon 12 AAS sole, which Northwave says has a full-carbon insert in the pedal area 'with a stiffness index of 12.0'. I've ridden stiffer soles, but what tiny flex there is here is more detectable as a slight, comfortable softness under hard efforts than anything else. There's no sense of inefficiency to trouble anybody but a racer. Perhaps that's what 12.0 on the stiffness index means... it might as well say 'a lateral hardness of yellow' for all it really conveys, because there are as many stiffness indexes as manufacturers.

I particularly like the twin SLW3 dials, which make getting these on, adjusting them and getting them off again very easy. You twist the dial to (rapidly) tighten, push the button to release by a single click, or pull it up to release them completely. It's worth noting that the dials on the Shimano and Crono opposition I mentioned don't offer incremental loosening at all.

The long tongue sits comfortably and lets the sides pull smoothly inwards – it's very easy to get the right tension immediately, without all the foot-waggling and readjusting I have to do in some shoes.

I also found the heel very secure, even with them set slightly loose, while the whole shoe stayed comfortable – no unwanted pressure points – when cranked down tight.

The cleats were easy to adjust across the full range I needed with room to spare (useful as I seem to like stopping every five minutes to tweak them just the wrong amount, over and over, for hours), despite the holes being fixed rather than on a sliding insert. They're compatible with Speedplay adaptors, too.

The venting seems pretty effective, both in the sole and across the upper; although it was autumn during the test, the temperatures were relatively high (often 15-17°C) and it was humid, too. Despite my winterish socks, my feet never got hot or sweaty in these.

Value

These are cheaper than the majority of road shoes we test. Of the 25 pairs on the first page of reviews (at the time of writing), for instance, only eight were cheaper than these – and two of those were mountain bike style, while another pair were Chelsea boots. £250-£350 is pretty common, and at £188.99 these are firmly mid-market. They're also exactly £1 cheaper than the Shimano RC7s mentioned above, by sheer coincidence...

If you do want to spend more, something like the £299.99 Giant Surge Pro shoes that Stu rated very highly will get you a considerable weight drop (they're 131g lighter at 515g) and impressively efficient stiffness, but you'll notice it on rough roads.

Overall

These are really good shoes – well designed, well made and comfortable. They're secure but easy to get in and out of, and adjustment is a breeze. They even look great – and if you don't like white, there are grey or black options instead.

Verdict

Comfortable, secure shoes that are very easy to adjust – these work very well for a great deal of typical riding