10 Reasons Why We Love Nimbl Shoes
There's a lot to love about Nimbl footwear - ten things at least.
January 7, 2025
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GEAR DIVE
Two Years in the Dirt: Adam's Nimbl Urano Review
PHOTOS AND WORDS
Adam Eggebrecht
There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes with riding a world-class road shoe and then having to switch to something considerably less inspiring the moment the tarmac ends. For a couple of years, that was my reality. On the road, I was riding Nimbl — handmade in Italy, featherlight, impeccably finished, the best shoe I’d ever worn on a bike. Off it, I was making do with something that, by comparison, felt like a significant step down. Then Nimbl announced the Urano, and the waiting began.
I’ll be honest: when Nimbl said the first batch would only be available direct, with no dealer allocation, my first instinct wasn’t patience. I pre-ordered a pair at retail — probably not the savviest move from a business standpoint, but it got me a pair early, and I have not looked back since.
We’ve stocked Nimbl at Regroup for a while now, and the demand for a $600 cycling shoe has consistently surprised people who haven’t experienced them. Once you understand what you’re getting — handmade on the Adriatic coast of Italy, a monocoque carbon sole under 2mm thick, Boa Li2 dials, and a fit precision that most shoes simply can’t match — the price starts to make a different kind of sense. The Urano brings all of that to the gravel world, with a few meaningful adaptations that make it genuinely suited to life off the road.
The biggest difference from Nimbl’s road shoes is the microfiber upper, which is both more abrasion-resistant and considerably easier to clean than what you’ll find on the road models — important when you’re regularly introducing your shoes to desert dust, mud, or whatever else the trail decides to throw at them. There’s also a functional ventilation system that the road shoes don’t share, which matters a great deal if you’re riding in Arizona in, say, June. Strategically placed TPU lugs give you enough traction to dismount, walk a short section, and remount without embarrassing yourself, though Nimbl is clear-eyed about what the Urano is: a performance shoe for fast gravel riding, not a hiking boot.
I’m a size 45 in both road and gravel, which Nimbl intended — they designed the Urano to match the fit of their road shoes exactly. The one nuance worth flagging: there’s slightly less volume in the Urano than in the road models. I don’t have a particularly high-volume foot, so it hasn’t been an issue, but if you run wide or need a roomier fit, it’s worth knowing before you order.
Two years in, my pair has held up remarkably well. I’ll admit that white gravel shoes raise a reasonable question — one I get asked regularly in the shop — which is whether they stay looking good once you actually ride them in the real world. The answer, in my experience, is yes. A blast of compressed air after a dusty ride and a wipe-down with a damp cloth when things get more serious is all they’ve needed. They’ve aged well. I’ve been pleasantly surprised, and so have the customers who’ve taken the leap.
We now stock both colorways — white and all-black (the model color in the photos is long gone) — at Regroup. On the road models, black doesn’t move much for us. On the Urano, it’s a different story: people seem to feel more comfortable committing to a gravel shoe in a darker finish, which makes sense. Both are in stock at $599, and both are, I’ll say it plainly, the best gravel shoe I’ve ever ridden. I won’t be going back to anything else.
If you have questions about sizing or fit, come in and talk to us — or drop us a line online. We’re happy to help you find your pair.
FEATURED
NIMBL URANO
Road shoes for the rough - the Nimbl Urano gravel bike shoe leads with primo pavé vibes, but hits the terrain with a swift, scrambling spirit that takes it as far off the road as you care to ride.
