Gravel shoes

Which kicks perform best on the trails?

- Warren Rossiter

Northwave Rebel 3

£188.99 Weight: 373.9g (each, size 45) Sizes: 36-48 (some half sizes available)

Northwave pitch the Rebel 3 as both a cross-country mountain biking and a gravel racing shoe. The upper has minimal seams, plus padding around the heel cup and lining of the tongue. Inside, you get an anatomically shaped insole plus a grippy panel at the heel to help with foot retention.

The full-carbon outsole carries a 12 out of 12 stiffness rating on Northwave's arbitrary scale. It's well-protected with a rubberised, treaded outer (with prominent toe studs) and a replaceable heel bumper. The shape is narrower than its rivals here, with the toebox tapering quite a lot towards the front.

The Good Stiff sole; great ventilation; good grip; great insole

The Bad Slender shape; may be too stiff for some

Northwave use their own SLW3 dial to close the shoe, which tensions with a clockwise turn and releases via a small trigger. It's easy to use, but not as intuitive as a Boa dial. On-the-fly adjustments can be tricky because you have to push the trigger downwards to release tension while reaching down from the saddle.

In testing, the carbon outsole proved very stiff, feeling efficient and stable when sprinting or climbing out of the saddle. Although the Rebel 3 was fine to walk or jog in, I found that my heel would lift out of the shoe a little on anything approaching running. That's more down to the sole’s stiffness than the shaping of the upper though.

This is a fine shoe for gravel racers, with a road-race-stiff sole and a slim shape. It’s reasonably lightweight and is comfortable too, with a great insole and lots of venting. However, it's much more race-orientated than the average gravel shoe, so won't be the right choice for more recreational off-road riders.