NIMBL Road Cycling Shoes Exceed Ultimate Glide

How do Nimbl shoes size?

Nimbl sizes by length. Trace your foot with the heel against a wall, measure heel to longest toe in cm and compare it with the inner-sole length in Nimbl’s table in the size guide. Nimbl’s own examples: a 27.3 cm foot is a 44 (27.5 cm insole) and a 25.8 cm foot is a 41.5 — so don’t pick a size whose insole is shorter than your foot. Size for your longer foot; if your feet differ by more than 5 mm, Nimbl asks you to contact them. road.cc’s tester ended up half a size above his usual size in other brands, so trust the measurement, not your usual number.

Ultimate Exceed or Ultimate Glide?

Same price (€559 RRP at Nimbl) and the same base: a handmade monocoque carbon sole with under 2 mm of stack and two BOA Li2 dials. The difference is the upper. The Glide has a tongueless microfiber upper whose sides wrap over each other, which Nimbl says improves the connection between foot and shoe; Cycling Weekly contrasts it with the classic tongue of the Ultimate, the line the Exceed continues. Nimbl quotes 190 g for the Glide and 192 g for the Exceed Pro Edition (size 43); it gives no figure for the standard Exceed. Choose the Glide for a seamless wrap, the Exceed if you like a traditional tongue.

What does the Pro Edition add?

Nimbl’s Pro Editions are the race-configured versions, at the same €559 RRP as the standard shoes, with bold logos and lighter materials. Exceed Pro: 192 g in size 43, BOA Li2 with cotton lace guides and a redesigned ventilation layout; Nimbl says it’s a favourite of its pro riders. Glide Pro: 172 g against the Glide’s 190 g, with a 1.2 mm tongueless microfiber upper backed by memory foam. At Nimbl both come with a three-bolt or a Speedplay-specific chassis.

Are Nimbl shoes good for wide feet? Is there a wide version?

There is one width. Nimbl says all its shoes are built on a wider-than-average last and publishes the toe-box width for every size (9.55 cm at EU 43) in the size guide. Reviewers feel it differently: road.cc found a wide, roomy toe box on the Glide, while Cycling Weekly, testing the earlier Ultimate, felt a standard racing width with no give, because the carbon sole wraps up around the foot. Nimbl shoes can’t be heat-moulded, so compare your foot width with the table before ordering.

How do I clean Nimbl shoes, and will they stretch?

Nimbl’s uppers are a premium microfiber that, Nimbl says, does not stretch when wet — so choose the size that fits now rather than one you expect to break in. Clean them with warm water and dish soap and let them air dry. Don’t heat-mould them: Nimbl shoes aren’t heat-mouldable and doing it voids the warranty. Heel pieces and BOA dials are replaceable.