I recently finished an update covering the best cycling shoes. Bringing you those recommendations meant long stretches of time where I would be wearing a new pair of shoes every single ride. I tested shoes on short rides and long rides, I climbed, and I did TT style efforts and there were many nuances to the different options. That testing never ends though and one pair of shoes that's been in the process for the last few months is the Nimbl Feat Ultimate.
Price: $529 / €479
Sizes: EU 36-48 (half sizes available 39.5-46.5)
Weight: 203g per shoe (Actual, size 44)
Colours: White, Black
More Information: Nimbl.cc
If you are like me, Nimbl isn't the best known brand name. Although the brand lists a number of big names in the athlete section it wasn't until the end of last year that many consumers saw the name. A lot of eyes were suddenly on a small brand that hand makes shoes in Italy when Nimbl made the announcement that "in 2023 Nimbl will partner with Jumbo-Visma Cycling Teams, providing footwear to the men’s and women’s World Tour teams as well as the development team." It marked a big step forward for the brand, but it also announced the products to those of us who hadn’t heard the name before. Given that I'm always curious to try something new and different I definitely took notice.
Now that I've spent some time with the Nimbl Feat Ultimate, I'm ready to talk about them. Among other testing, I chose this pair of shoes when I set out to set an FKT riding 370 km / 230 miles between Prague and Vienna. After a 20 hour ride, I'm happy to say my list of all time favourite shoes has a new entry. Keep reading to see if you might like something from Nimbl as much as I do.
Design and aesthetics
The design of the Nimbl Feat Ultimate is, in some ways, so simple that it belies what's lurking beneath. The entire upper is only three pieces and one of those is the closure system. Leaving that closure system alone for a moment, that leaves just two panels to cover the whole upper section. Those two panels are available in either white or black, and the material is a synthetic microfiber but you'd never know it wasn't leather. It doesn't feel like anything synthetic, rather it feels like the kind of rich leather you'd get in a fine pair of dress loafers. It also seems to hold up and break in like those same pair of fine loafers might.
Also similar to fine loafers, there is not much material to the structure. The specs list the lining as simply "mesh" and most of the upper has no padding to speak of. There's only a tiny bit of padding around the edge of the ankle opening as well as the expected padding at the rear of the ankle. Even that ankle padding though is noticeably minimal compared to many brands, and you won't find any special detailing to keep your heel from lifting.
Instead it's the design of the upper that manages to keep your foot stable without padding or special tricks. To accomplish that, Nimbl starts with a single panel at the rear of the inside ball of the ankle. That same panel wraps all the way across the toe and only dives back to the carbon lower after the inside ball of your big toe.
Part of the wrapping design is a section that wraps up and over the top of your foot. In some ways similar to Shimano shoes, there's no separate tongue, just a burrito style closure that hugs in from the sides. It's here that the second panel of the upper makes an appearance. This second panel is much smaller than the other serving to complete the wrap but also not quite completing the system.
The piece that completes the system is the retention strap, and it's unlike anything else on the market. Instead of microfiber with foam and mesh, the closure strap is a piece of carbon fibre cloth that has no resin and a microfiber backing. It anchors across the carbon base in a wide swath covering the whole of the inside centre section of your foot. Capping it off is a BOA Li2 dial attached to cables that snake back and forth through the other two pieces enveloping the top of your foot. There is no lower BOA dial but a single point of adjustment is fast when you need to make changes and the multiple layers of the upper mean there is never a hotspot.
The other partner in making everything work is, of course, the carbon sole. Once again, it's seemingly simple. While many brands have been experimenting with a variety of complex shapes, the Nimbl carbon base is quite similar to Bont. Instead of a plate, it wraps up and over the edges of the foot and at the rear it comes almost half way up the shoe. There are a few holes for ventilation, mounting holes for cleats, and some detailing to add stiffness in the centre of the foot but that's it. The finish is quite a bit rougher than most shoes as well.
Of course, the simplicity isn't an accident. Fewer details and less material makes for a lighter shoe, and at 203 grams for a size 44, this is the lightest shoe I've ever worn. That beats even the Giro Empire SLX which I measured at 212 grams per shoe in the same size. Unlike that shoe though, the Nimbl claims to have an aerodynamic advantage.
One of the athletes that Nimbl has worked with is Dan Bigham who set a new hour record in August of 2022. While getting ready for that effort, Dan worked with Nimbl to create a more aerodynamic shoe. The Feat Ultimate wasn't exactly the shoe that Bigham used for the hour record, but Nimbl has definitely taken lessons and applied them forwards.
It's also worth noting that the extensive use of carbon on the exterior impacts the aesthetics. As mentioned, you can choose white or black but the differences are less dramatic than some brands. The interior is always black, as is the base, the carbon power strap, and the prominent toe pad. Only the two panels made from microfibre will change colour so if you like a dramatically white shoe, the Feat Ultimate probably won't be on your radar.
Performance
There are times when I love a product right away, but this wasn't one of those times. It took a long time to get the Nimbl shoes across the world and through customs. When they finally landed in my hands, they weren't the right size. My foot is 275mm long and my experience is that I want whatever size is as close to but larger than that number. That would put me into a 44.5 according to the Nimbl chart but that didn't work for me. In the end, I needed a 44 and even that felt large when I first tried them on.
The single BOA dial, and the wrapping design of the upper, means there's a lot of room in the toe box. If you tighten down the BOA, it won't pull the front part of the shoe tighter. There is also a crease that happens at the corner where the two pieces of microfibre come together. On top of it all, the insole is incredibly basic and takes up very little volume. I ended up swapping to a Bont insole just to take up some space and given the price of the Nimbl shoes, that's not a positive note in this review.
That said, there were things I was immediately drawn to about the Feat Ultimate shoes. It's hard to put a finger on exactly why but they seemed to radiate quality from the very first time I opened the box. I knew they were handmade and that first time I opened the box, I would have also sworn they were real leather. There isn't anything particularly special about the presentation but there's a smell reminiscent of a cobblers store front. Every single stitch is perfect, there are no loose fibres anywhere, and the carbon is exquisite. The logo in the rear of the shoe reminds me of a fine leather saddle and as soon as you pick them up, you can feel how light these shoes are.
When I finally got a chance to ride with the Nimbl Feat Ultimate, everything came together. The weird crease in the front still kind of bugs me but there's tons of room in the toe box. My foot never feels pinched and there's never the familiar feel of pressure I get on the outside of my foot with lots of shoes. The mounting for the cleats is rather far forward, without adjustment, but once I pulled my cleats all the way back, everything felt perfect. So perfect in fact that the only pair of shoes that comes close is the Giro Empire SLX.
Just like those shoes, the Nimbl Feat Ultimate practically calls out for you to stand and dance on the pedals. The low weight and nimble feeling, no pun intended, is a joy when standing to climb. The shoes just feel easy to move and like an extension of your foot rather than a separate piece of equipment. I also find them a willing partner in solid state TT style efforts for similar reasons.
The Nimbl shoes have a trick that the Giro shoes don't though. That is, no matter how long I ride in them, my feet don't hurt. The truth is that every pair of shoes I've ever worn, even the ones I love, have some drawbacks. The Specialized Ares is incredibly comfortable but I hate the way they look. The Q36.5 unique shoes are beautiful and I love the insoles but if I ride long enough they can sometimes put pressure on the front of my foot. Even the Giro Empire SLX, which I find almost perfect, will eventually cause pain in the outside of my foot near the pinkie toe. There are things I can complain about with the Feat Ultimate but I spent 20 hours riding from Prague to Vienna and my feet never hurt. There's no greater compliment I can give.
I also want to mention that the Nimbl Feat Ultimate have held up better than other shoes. Instead of the smooth and polished unidirectional carbon that is typical of cycling shoes, Nimbl uses a weave that's slightly textured even in the final product. It seems incredibly hard to scratch it, and even where I've managed to do so, it's not a bright white but rather a semi-transparent scuff. The upper is just as blemish free. The toe pad isn't big but it's easy to walk with and seems to have done a reasonable job protecting from toe rub on my tyre. When I got caught in a rainstorm, the shoes were quick to dry and there were no noticeable after effects.
Verdict
With pricing at $529 / €479 these are some of the most expensive shoes I've ever tested. I also swapped in expensive insoles, though that's not a requirement, bringing the price up even more. For that money you only get a single BOA dial, the already mentioned lacklustre insole, and fixed cleat mounting that's pretty far forward for modern standards. Despite all that, these are the best cycling shoes I've ever had the pleasure of wearing.
I can get pretty close with other, cheaper, options, but nothing matches the Nimbl Feat Ultimate. If you want cycling shoes that are aero optimised, lighter than anything else on the market, and will stay pain free no matter how long your ride is, the Nimbl Feat Ultimate are the only pair of shoes I can recommend. It's nice that they are beautiful and the most wear resistant shoes I can think of. If you can afford the buy in, Nimble has made an amazing shoe.
