Pearl Izumi X-ALP Elevate shoes

It was a sad day. After years of perfect service, my Vans Warner riding shoes finally delaminated. Both soles just pulled right apart. No amount of shoe goo was able to save them, they have done their last spin, last ride, last trip.

Godspeed Warner.

With a hole in my shelf it was time to look for a new pair of shoes. I have several pairs of shoes already, but they are all more flat shoe styled and I think i should try something different out.
So I ended up with a pair of the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Elevate shoes.

The X-Alp Elevates look a little on the race side compared to my other shoes with the BOA and single strap. The sole has an aggressive tread pattern with lots of adjustment for your cleats and is made from Vibram® rubber. The X-ALP Elevate has a ¾ shank made from Nylon/Carbon composite material. I found it very stiff, but still walkable.. More on fit coming up.

The BOA is said to be adjustable in 1mm increments. I can’t say that I noticed anything different from other BOA equipped footwear and it worked as expected.

The fit of the X-ALP was said to be a new last for 2018, with a sizing that is closer to industry average, with a net result of being slightly larger than past models. I still found them to be narrower than my other shoes. I would suggest trying on a couple different sizes to get the right one for you. I reached for my normal size and soon found out that I needed to go up a ½ size to get a super comfortable fit.

I’ve got a close to 1000 km on them so far and they have held up perfectly. The Quality of them are second to none, time will tell now they last long term, but I’m thinking that they will be around for quite a while.

Website: https://www.pearlizumi.com/

Price: $180 USD

Related:
Specialized 2FO, Specializied Expert XC, Giro Chamber II