[Words and photography by Jo Burt]
The Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series has been decorated with Epic Series Global MTB collaborative graphics to celebrate the series of mountain bike stage races held around the world, the most famous of which is the Absa Cape Epic, an eight-day stage race of about 700km around the Western Cape of South Africa that’s been running since 2004. You’d hope this tie-in means the Rebel 3s are the perfect shoes for long multiple days of mountain biking but do they have what it takes to challenge the best mountain bike shoes?
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Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series shoes - Technical details
If this Epic Series branding isn’t for you, or you don’t like orange, the Rebel 3 comes in four other colours – Black, Green, Dark Grey and Iridescent Blue. As an aside, does anyone remember the Northwave shoes of the 90s that were bright and alternated the colours for left and right shoes? It would be great to see that statement come back to take its place in today’s climate of gaudy and graphic shoes if anyone’s listening. We don’t necessarily need the Paola Pezzo silver lame short shorts though. But I digress.
The upper of the Rebel 3 is one piece ensuring there are no rub points, the only internal seams being where the heel material stops midfoot, Northwave calls it a BioMap unibody construction upper that has a more anatomical, wraparound design that minimises energy loss to the pedals.
This upper is covered with tiny dashes of perforation that make them warmer than shoes with large mesh panels when the temperature starts to creep up. Still, it does make them easier to clean and the lack of holey inserts or upper architecture does make the Rebel 3 feel a reassuringly rough and tumble sturdy shoe that steps up to its marathon branding. The shoes have gone through the usual rigmarole of off-road action and are still looking good with no scruffs or scars. The tongue is thick and firmly padded which helps to shrug off dial string pressure points and comes with two large vented panels.
The pair of X-Dial SLW3 dials (don’t call them Boas) are a curated egg of a closure system. They click easily to tighten up and if you overdo it all it takes is a little tap on the small lever tab to micro-release a smidge of tension thanks to Northwave’s SBS (Step-By-Step) system, and that works very well. To dump all the tension when you want to take the shoe off you pull up on that same tab and it completely releases the wire, it’s a different undoing system to a lot of shoe dials which can lead to initial fumbling but with a bit of practise you can pull the tab and pull up on the shoe’s tongue at the same time and your foot is free instantly. Unfortunately, the SLW3 dials don’t play too well with mud, especially if it’s gritty, and can clog up and become recalcitrant when it comes to letting you out of the shoe.
The position of the pair of dials means you can custom fit the tightness of the Rebel 3 across two different areas over the bridge of the foot but still sit high so there’s no tension option over the toes where other brands often chuck in a little velcro strap which may or may not be an issue for you when it comes to the sprint.
The collar of the Revel 3 is well padded and the rear of the heel inner is lined with a cat’s tongue fabric to help prevent heel lift. The insole is a standard affair that’s heavily perforated, but there are no ports on the sole to take advantage of this.
The sole is what Northwave call its Carbon XC 12 Sole and it comes with a full-carbon insert in the pedal area and a stiffness index of 12.0. I'm not sure what that number means as there’s no definitive shoe stiffness scale and manufacturers seem to make it up with a nod to Spinal Tap but Northwave’s top-of-the-line road shoe is a 15 on their chart, so the Revel 3 is down a fifth from Pro level stiffness.
I had these on for multi-hour rides and they seemed the perfect stiffness/comfort mix serving no hot spots whilst not feeling bendy, even when submitted to the singlespeed test which can push a shoe to its limits when you’re at peak grunt. That stiffness does mean that they’re not the easiest shoes to walk about in or get off and walk any tricky sections though as there’s no flex built into the toe, an issue not aided by the tread stuck on the sole.
Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series - Performance
Looking at the sole of the shoe it’s one for clipping in at the start of the ride and clipping out at the end, it’s not designed for walking about in much or extended hike-a-bike sections if your brand of XC/gravel/off-road regularly has that sort of thing in it. There are lugs around the cleat, in two pontoons of three slugs, that are mostly there to protect it when off the bike rather than provide much traction as they’re very closely spaced.
There is a pair of studs in the toe which helps a tiny bit for steep climbs or if you’re aiming to use these somewhere muddy, although the tread doesn’t really encourage the latter. The heel has a pair of lugs on it to keep you planted but as well as being minimal all of the tread is very firm and untacky meaning its grip is tenuous at best and very nervous even on a polished cafe floor, none of the tread is replaceable.
The entire mid-section of the sole is textured for a bit of grip during fluffed pedal clip-in moments and the central bit has a thicker island of material for more protection from pedal and rock strikes and scuffs, so that’s handy. To further ensure that walking about in these off-road isn’t a great idea this central part of the shoe and back to the heel is very narrow which does trim weight but allows the underbelly of the shoe to be exposed to danger from below if you’ve made the error of pushing and clambering over unfriendly terrain.
Otherwise the Revel 3 fends off riding knocks and rocks with strongly reinforced and sturdy textured TPU toe bumpers and outer heel sections and they’re a good way of protecting the bits that usually get banged up, the toe section is pretty solid too minimising phalanges from untoward stubbing. Little nubbins of the sole extend up from both the toe and the heel for a little more bumper action.
The Northwave Rebel 3 goes against the Italian shoe stereotype of being narrow tight dainty disco slippers by having a relatively wide toe box while the toe end is a little pointy your pinkies aren’t squished together and there’s still a lot of wiggle room which extends comfort over longer rides because riding fast doesn’t have to hurt your lungs, legs and your feet. I’m a default 41 shoe size and these in a 41 were the perfect size for me, tight enough across the top of the foot if you want to crank down those dials (I’m a serial dial tightener) but with more room up front to not feel like you’re not willfully undertaking some Chinese binding.
The Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series shoe is a good cross-country or gravel shoe if it's long days in the pedals you enjoy balancing efficiency, comfort and day-on-day dependability. They’re stiff enough to feel like your energy isn’t being wasted but not so rigid that your soles are burning after a few hours and the roominess of the toe box contributes to all-day comfort letting your toes wiggle and breathe.
At 656g they’re not the lightest in the shoe box but they’re reassuringly sturdy and the stout one-piece upper doesn’t mind being dragged through the bushes. But if your off-road rides involve a lot of dismounting and scrabbling up planned rocky paths or unplanned scree slopes then you’d best look elsewhere for something with better grip characteristics and the toe studs can help with front first grip traction off the bike isn’t confidence-inspiring.
The twin dials help with keeping things snug, from initial retightening after the first few miles to all the micro tension management you might like to do throughout a longer ride, and as I’m constantly fiddling with my shoe dials/ratchets/straps the ability to flip the SLW3 tab and release a snippet of tension is a definite bonus over other dial systems that require a full pop release and re-tension to adjust.
Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series - Verdict
The £200 ish price bracket of the Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series puts it well into the serious and performance cycling shoe arena and against a lot of competition. The Shimano XC702 is an obvious XC contender with matching all-day speed credentials and twin dials but the grip on the sole is far more off-bike off-road friendly. The Giro Sector is a little more pricey but is another similar twin-dialled clog and from experience is big multi-day comfy and has enough grip for rock scrambles although the tread can scrub away swiftly.
The Lake MX177 is cheaper at retail and does well with great all-day comfort and a chunky tread giving good walkability but they only come with the single BOA dial with a lack of adjustability.
Specialized’s new Recon 3 looks to be the new challenger at this price point with twin Boa dials and a stiff sole tweaked to flex at the toe to ease walking, that sole looks good and chunky, too.
The Northwave Rebel 3 Epic Series is a stiff enough and comfortable shoe if you’re out all day, and then the next, riding off-road over terrain that might be quite aggressive because they’re a well-built and well-protected shoe. Riding is the important word here though as they’re not a shoe for much in the way of off-bike antics as the sole is sparse of tread and grip and while the twin dials micro adjustability is a bonus their vulnerability to dirt is a worry.
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