Easton carbon bars, 5.10 shoes, XT cranks and Chris King headsets are all components that I’ve grown to love over the years.

They’re good value, reliable and you barely notice them, which in my book is about as good a criteria as any when it comes to riding gear.  It’s early days with Northwave’s Lizard Pro SBS shoes but first impressions would suggest they have every chance of joining the aforementioned hot list.

The first thing that struck me with these shoes was just how comfortable they are, and I don’t just mean riding shoe levels of comfort, the Northwave’s are possibly one of the most comfortable shoes I’ve had the pleasure of putting my feet in. They fit like a tailor made glove. Before you rush out and depart with a ton of hard-earned however, do bare in mind that this pair are a size 45 (UK 11) whereas I’m typically a 9.5-10. We’re putting this down to Northwave being an Italian company, which tend to come up a bit short on the sizing front.

Once out on the trails and getting the power down, comfort remained high, while the stiff soles and sturdy uppers offered plenty of support without crushing my feet once things had warmed up. We were out on one of the few dry days of the summer but having ploughed through the only ankle deep puddle in the North Downs they seemed to offer a fair degree of water resistance.

In terms of fastenings, the two Velcro straps and super handy SBS closure system were a real bonus when it came to whipping them off in the presence of a house-proud landlord.

It says a lot that we’ve got down to the fifth paragraph before mentioning the fact that these shoes look good. As someone that dabbles with downhill and 4X, looks and image are important when it comes to ‘looking the part’ at my local bike park and with the Northwave’s aggressive, sturdy appearance they certainly cut the mustard.

As far as first impressions go, the Northwave Lizard Pro SBS have certainly come out on top, and for £99.99 you’d expect them to.

More at www.i-ride.co.uk and www.northwave.com