Nimbl Ultimate Air: A no compromise shoe that comes at a price

Nimbl has become a thing of desire over the last five years since their shoes were spotted on various WorldTour riders such as Wout Van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard. All Nimbl shoes are handcrafted in Italy and designed for flat-out high performance. The Ultimate represents the top of the range offering from the brand with the stiffest and lightest materials, while the Air denotes the use of laces to drop the weight even more.

Nimbl Ultimate Air: Construction

New in is an updated monocoque carbon sole, first introduced in 2024, which is less than 2mm thin, meaning a very low stack height for improved power transfer and small aero gain. This new sole is only available in three-bolt cleating rather than the three or four-bolt offering previously, it also loses the ventilation holes drilled in.

The underside also features a replaceable heel tread and a toe tread. This new sole has been designed to be both stiffer and lighter than the previous iteration. It also extends quite high up the heel to provide a more secure fit, while it also extends up slightly across the whole foot.

Using laces means adjustment can be made across the six eyelet pairs, with the laces having a slightly tacky touch designed to allow tightness to be tailored across the length of the shoe. The top 6 eyelets on each shoe are reinforced to avoid damage to the upper over time. This upper is a microfibre with many perforations for improved ventilation.

On the tongue of the shoe is a lace holder to prevent the laces from flapping in the wind. In fact one of the main reasons for laces is that it makes the shoe more aerodynamic both with and without an overshoe. The other benefit is the weight, with a size 45 pair coming in at 358g. Sizes are available from 39-47 plus half sizes, while white is the only colour option at present.

Nimbl Ultimate Air: How they performed

Unpacking the Nimbl Ultimate Air itself is a bit of an experience, with a smart and rugged cardboard box. In there, you’re met with a black and white backdrop of Strada Bianchi, a nod to the brand’s Italian heritage and the fact they make all their shoes handmade in Italy. After that, you pick up the shoes and should frankly be quite shocked by just how light they are.

Without any cleat hardware, these shoes are a svelte 358g for a pair. For reference, the DMT KR SL lace ups are 500g for a pair of 45s and 484g for the Specialized S-Works 7 Lace ups. I also appreciate that in the box are a spare pair of laces, given the tendency for white laces to discolour very quickly and easily when ridden in anything other than dry sunny conditions.

Setting up the cleats, the latest series of Nimbl shoes have a new sole, which ditches the ability to choose between three or four bolt cleat patterns. I run Speedplay pedals, so a four-bolt option would have been appreciated, but nonetheless the three-bolt still works well.

There does appear to be a very small level of asymmetry to the cleat holes from left to right shoes, and with no grid for the cleat mounting it can be tricky to tailor cleat fit from shoe to shoe. However, I was able to match it to my current fit without much difficulty.

Putting on the shoes, the opening for the foot appears to be quite large by lace up cycling shoe standards. It makes getting the shoes on far easier and only requires two eyelets of laces to be undone rather than three or four I sometimes encounter. With six eyelets each side, there is a huge degree of tailoring for retention, and the slightly tacky laces help the laces stay in place well.

This, combined with a stiff sole and secure heel cup, results in an incredibly stiff overall platform, rivalling even the Shimano S-Phyre RC903 PWR. However, the insole is an area that is lacking, being mostly flat with a small scoop at the rear for the heel. I chose to switch them out with a pair that offered more arch support for me, and this made a huge difference to the overall feel and performance. To be fair though, for most shoes, a dedicated or tailored insole is often needed to maximise fit and performance from person to person.

With this setup refined, using the shoes out on the road is quite something. The combination of low weight and very high stiffness gives a perception as close to being bolted into the pedals with just your feet. It sounds like hyperbole, but it really does feel like every watt of effort is being transferred through to the pedals.

This is also helped by the carbon sole extending up the shoes slightly, like a carbon bathtub. It’s not as pronounced or extreme as Bont, where I find the sole comes up too high and can lead to pressure zones. But this extension does help keep the foot more planted in place. Meanwhile, the light weight feels like it’s easier to spin your feet around. Certainly compared to some shoes that are almost double the weight, this is genuinely noticeable.

For high power sprints, longer threshold or FTP level efforts, or low cadence high torque, these shoes feel superb and like an out and out race shoe. There are no aero details, but laces do generally test faster in a wind tunnel, hence why several World Tour pros are making the switch from Boa dials to Laces.

There is one slight compromise with these shoes though, and that is when you really clamp the laces down for that no compromise stiffness, there is a degree of comfort that is lost. Being laces, there is no option to adjust the retention while on the move, so it takes a while to work out what level of tightness you should set the laces to maximise power and comfort.

Another issue with laces, white ones mainly, is that they are dirt magnets. Fortunately the shoes themselves are easy to wipe clean of any dirt, with the lack of dials meaning those don’t require any maintenance. Another slight dent to the comfort is the relatively low level of breathability.

With an upper covered in vent holes, this is a touch surprising, but the underside features no ventilation and is often where breathability in a shoe is felt most in my experience. It’s only really noticeable during very hot weather, or doing longer or tougher indoor sessions where ventilation is limited.

A couple of bonus points for the shoe are the inclusion of a toe guard, which actually does a good job against potential toe tub on the front wheel and also putting your foot down when waiting at lights. Add to that a replaceable heel tread rather than opting for a more lightweight but non-replaceable option, and it boosts the longevity of the shoe. Especially appreciated given the price.

Nimbl Ultimate Air: Value

This is where the Nimbls start to suffer a touch. Compared to the likes of the Boa dial equipped Nimbl Ultimate Glide at £465, or Specialized Ares 2 at £479, these actually present reasonable value. They are also the same price as the Sidi Shot 2S but personally I far prefer the Nimbls for both comfort and performance.

However, there are other stiff lace up shoe options out there for significantly less money. Specialized have the S Works Torch Lace at £300, while the latest DMT Pogi lace ups are £369.99. I personally still use the S Works 7 Lace, and admittedly it is not as stiff a platform, or as lightweight, but it is supremely comfortable.

Where the Nimbl Ultimate Air slot in, is if you want a top-of-the-range, absolutely featherweight pair of high performance road shoes that have the stiffness to transfer every bit of power to forward momentum. The Shimano S-Phyre RC903 PWR also does a super job on the power transfer front, but is not as lightweight by quite some way. These are an absolute Halo shoe that may not offer the best value, but offer some of the best overall performance.

Conclusion

The Nimbl Ultimate Air are an absolutely performance focussed race shoe. Incredibly lightweight, supreme stiffness, and likely aero performance gains to boot. They offer an exceptionally stiff platform that allows for maximum power transfer and great foot support.

Laces are love hate, and I sit on the love side of things thanks to the sleek design and tailored adjustment. However, lack of on the fly adjustment, tendency to get warm in hot weather, and not the most refined cleat fitting holes do take them down a notch. The price is also high, but for those looking for peak performance, that may well be a price worth paying when compared to what else is out there.