Elite Triathlon Online

Obsess on the weight of your pedals, but not your shoes. Garneau builds their Carbon X-Lite Shoes with the idea that slinging a superfluous 100-200 grams around the cranks all day is an easily-addressed problem. To that end, they've shaved weight at every conceivable point in the production of these shoes. At first glance, the understatement of the X-Lite design is breached only by the glossy white finish. If they were black and had laces, we'd think they were a throwback to our first real pair of racing shoes.

Turn the Carbon X-Lite shoes over and you'll be quickly reminded that they are indeed modern. Garneau uses a high modulus unidirectional carbon fiber sole for stiffness and they employ their Ergo Air technology. It's a high-tech way to say that the shoes captures an intake charge of fresh, cool air from underneath the toes and force it through the sole and up around your foot. It's quite an effective system so they include two insoles -- a perforated blue one that lets the cool air up into the shoe on hot days, and a red one that is impermeable to retain warmth in colder temps. The upper is perforated on the instep and above the toe, and it has seven larger vents on the outside to let warm air escape. Admittedly, the X-Lite has a more subdued version of Ergo Air than the CSF-150 and Carbon HRS models, but the goal to make the shoe superlight dictated the overall design in more than one way.

The seamless microfiber leather upper is firmer and has better shape retention than you might expect, though it nicely compliments the spare looking three Velcro straps. The materials condense to make a shoe that offers a security lacking in many ultralight shoes. Another nice detail that we really appreciate is the choice of a stretch, one-way lycra in the heel cup. The material feels a bit like sharkskin without all the bleeding and the angry, tooth-laden shark head at the end. In essence, the fabric is stitched in place so that your socks can slide against it one way, but it feels "grabby" the other way. It helps to keep you heel firmly planted in the back of the shoe. Garneau's HRS-100 heel retention system consists of a slingshot style strip of additional material sewn onto the shoe from the instep and around the heel and adds further stability for your foot.