Footwear equipped with Michelin outsoles for advanced ground control, takes into account the specific needs of those who wear them by optimizing the performance in terms of traction, durability and self-cleaning. With Michelin entering the technical outsole market, the process of choosing the best shoe for your sporting activity should change its focus to the sole. A good mountain bike sole has to be able to provide stability and adherence on the pedal, but it also needs a compound and a tread design that ensure traction, durability and self-cleaning. Michelin makes the most of its management in “ground contact”, drawing on the tried and tested expertise coming from tyres. Michelin adapts their latest technologies, identifies the most appropriate technical solution and which tyre can be taken as inspiration for the realization of each sole. Furthermore, the brand partner’s technology for the upper is also taken into account in order to find breakthrough solutions to consumers problems, thus optimizing the performance of the entire footwear. Each sole is different, made in collaboration with footwear partners: customized outsoles to respond to the usage that the brand partner and consumer requires for its shoe.
Michelin brings Multiple and diversified news to this Eurobike: continuing the partnership with NORTHWAVE and SHIMANO, plus a new strategic partner: GAERNE.
GAERNE AND MICHELIN, ON PEDALS WITHOUT COMPROMISE
For the 2018 season, Michelin and Gaerne present a new line of mountain bike footwear dedicated to cross country mountain bike racing. It’s a collection featuring Gaerne’s exclusive MICHELIN sole, created to provide the best performance in terms of traction and self-cleaning and comfort to bikers.
Those who take part in cross country competitions, or even practice at high levels, aim to get the maximum performance and this can only be achieved by wearing footwear with a sole that can offer good traction for the walking section of the race, and a robust structure that guarantees longer durability.
Gaerne technology, coupled with the know-how of Michelin’s designers and technicians, created a new line of shoes equipped with a MICHELIN sole. The end result: the right mix of support and lightness in the Carbon G_Sincro + and the G_Sincro + shoes.
To create this new outsole, Michelin designers were inspired by the performance of the MICHELIN XM 27, a tyre dedicated to industrial and agricultural vehicles for its wide contact surface, good ground penetration in all terrain and robust shoulders for great durability. The design of the new MICHELIN sole recalls the features of this tyre, starting from robust sculptures in the heel, while the sculptures in the forefoot offer support and traction. The wide distance between the different sculptures provide greater self-cleaning, helping to instantly dislodge mud. The tread design is made with outdoor rubber compound, specifically developed for the bike world, which combines performance and abrasion resistance even in extreme conditions.
For the most aggressive riders, there are two slots in the tip, made for inserting the sculptures; it’s screwable and replaceable in different colors. Carbon G_Sincro + model is equipped with MICHELIN EPS LIGHT WEIGHT CARBON FIBER MTB SOLE with a carbon insert, while the G_Sincro + are equipped with MICHELIN EPS CARBON POWER MTB SOLE.
NORTHWAVE AND MICHELIN: CROSS COUNTRY ELITE SHOES
The successful partnership between Northwave and Michelin continues with many mountain bike shoe models from the Italian brand equipped with MICHELIN soles. For spring/summer 2018, Northwave chose to introduce its patented XFrame® technology in mountain biking shoes together with the upper sole developed in collaboration with Michelin. One reason for this is that the MICHELIN outsole has already demonstrated its value on other Northwave cross country models.
Bikers know the right shoes are the first step towards a successful MTB ride. They need footwear that not only performs well while riding, but also provides the necessary grip when they’re off the bike pushing. Based on these considerations Northwave has expanded its cross country footwear collection with the new Ghost XC equipped with patented XFrame® technology and MICHELIN rubber outsole for advanced pedal and ground control. The exclusive sole, already used in a previous Northwave model to meet the same requirements, draws inspiration from the MICHELIN Wild Race’R mountain bike tyre: a tread with high grip on any type of ground and shoulder design formulated to ensure progressive lateral adherence.
The Ghost XC equipped with MICHELIN Hyperlight XC sole and developed in close collaboration with Northwave, features rubber sculptures laminated in rigid unidirectional carbon fiber, made with the innovative dual layer compound technology. This type of double layer construction allows for increased durability, stability and adherence.
NORTHWAVE XFRAME® TECHNOLOGY
The upper of the new Ghost XC is made with XFrame® technology to eliminate pressure points, while guaranteeing an exact fit, thanks also to the help of exclusive solutions and materials. The Northwave SLW2 closure system which allows micrometric step-by-step opening with a single trigger – is complemented by the innovative cable pattern along the upper. A complex system of angles, geometrically drawn through specific flexible fabric passers to create a particular frame on the upper, guarantees a more adherent and uniform fit. No detail was left to chance: Northwave chose Dyneema for cable construction for SLW2 instead of the traditional steel because Dyneema is extremely durable, but has a softer consistency. This means better adaptation to the anatomy of the foot and consequently an even better and more precise fit with no pressure points.
OTHER NORTHWAVE SHOES EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN OUTSOLES FOR SS18
Northwave shoes for spring/summer 2018 include the new Ghost XC, the Extreme XC line, the Outcross line which contains a GORE-TEX membrane, the Enduro line models, and the Spider line for all-mountain bikers.
INFO: JV International
