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Reviews
Pearl Izumi Vaper
By John Stevenson
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Pearl Izumi is well known as the maker of some of the best cycling clothes you can slide over your bod and with the drive toward diversification going on across the whole bike industry, it's no surprise to see the Colorado company expanding into footwear.
The Vaper is the top of a three-product line of road shoes and as you'd expect from a company with Pearl's rep, its big on clever design and thoughtful detailing. Features include a carbon fiber sole for rigidity and light weight, a one-piece mesh upper for comfort and breathability and a three-strap Velcro closure. The sole has threads for three-bolt, Look pattern cleats, and two-bolt SPD and SPD-R cleats.
Other welcome details include soft padding round the throat of the shoe (the bit where your foot slides in, for non-addicts to footwear jargon) a clear rubber bumper around the toes for scuff-resistance, and grey rubber pads on the sole that are actually grippy enough that they assist walking. Two colour schemes are available: the gradient blue shown here and a 'flames' finish for the flamboyant.
First impression: mmm, comfy! The upper is soft and conforms closely to the foot as you snug up the Velcro straps. There's plenty of room round the toes – seekers after shoes with spacious toe-boxes should try these. OK, take them off, bolt on cleats, go for a ride.
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Second impression: Stiff. No surprise there; stiffness is the whole point of carbon-fiber in soles. But if you haven't tried a carbon-soled shoe you really owe it to yourself to scrounge the loan of a pair and take them for a spin. I'm always sceptical about how much measurable difference things like this make, but the feeling of a sole this stiff is: you push on the pedals, you go forward. Instantly. Vroom!
Our Vaper samples spent time on three sets of feet: mine, Cyclingnews contributor Karen Forman's and designer Paul Mirtschin's. From a fit point of view, Karen and I got on famously with them, finding them snug, comfortable and secure. Paul found the top of the shoe dug into his slightly higher feet, probably a result of the Vaper's fairly narrow throat. Of course, you'd be silly to buy a pair of almost-$200 shoes without making sure they fit you.
Karen was particularly impressed with the snugness of fit and sole rigidity. Over to Karen: "They especially feel good on my relatively narrow feet, one of which had a little bone broken in it during my latest, err, INCIDENT in heavy traffic while attempting to leap up a gutter to avoid a badly parked taxiÉ
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"My usual shoes, another popular American brand, were just too wide and poorly fitting and when the cleat didn't release, my foot twisted inside the shoe and . . . well, cccrrrrack!
"I don't think there's any risk of this problem with the Vaper. It is a very well fitting shoe, wonderfully shaped (you'd swear it was custom made for me!) and light and strong into the bargain."
Karen also liked the three-strap closure. She's not a fan of laces and liked how the fit "can be personalised according to foot shape or type of event. I had a couple of sprints out of the saddle in them and they felt very secure and strong. It is hard to believe something so light could feel so strong."
Karen's conclusion: they're "fabuloso - and that's not just a girlie comment based on how damn good they look!"
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I have to agree. This is a damn nice, well-engineered pair of shoes. They score on rigidity and comfort and look like durability will be a plus point too. They also look striking without being garish, though I'm not so sure about the flame-effect colourway. I can't imagine fronting at a race wearing those unless I was confident of coming at least first.
Price guide: $189 (USA)
Weight: 616g/pr (size 43)
Sizes: 36-48 in full sizes
Pro: Light, comfortable, extremely stiff
Con: Narrow throat won't suit some feet
More information: Pearl
Izumi 's website
Cyclingnews Rating: 
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