New Salewa Approach Shoes for the Road

My well-worn Vibram FiveFingers finally gave out after a couple of days riding around Queenstown, NZ. A blowout along the lacing on the right shoe rendered them unable to lace up.

Fortunately, the bustling South Island town is replete with outdoor sporting goods and cycling shops, so finding a suitable replacement was pretty straightforward.

After shopping around a bit, I settled on a pair of low cut Salewa Firetail 3 Goretex Approach Shoes to wear for my upcoming trek from Bluff at the southern tip of the South Island to Cape Reinga at the northernmost point of the North Island.

Looking at some damp riding days ahead, I opted for a Goretex liner to deal with New Zealand’s wetter climate. Regardless of how much I like FiveFingers, they’re not much good in damp and cold conditions.

The softer sticky Vibram Megagrip sole used in rock shoes are designed for technical hiking on rocky paths and provide excellent pedal engagement on the pins of my RaceFace Atlas flat pedals.

The shoes provide a precise fit and accurate lacing to the toe of the shoe to keep my feet snug and engaged with no slopping around while pedaling.

I’m wearing a single pair of merino wool socks for their comfort, odor control, and drying properties.

Weighing in at 400g, the Firetails are relatively lightweight. They’re responsive on the feet and don’t feel clunky.

Over the past week and couple hundred kilometers or so of riding, the Salewa Firetail shoes are working out great. I’m confident they will perform well in the weeks to come as I make my way up through the mountains, valleys, and long the beached of New Zealand’s north and south islands. Highly recommend.

See you out there. Cheers, Johnny