Massive image gallery, video from Treviso factory visit
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Yep, this looks like the front door to Northwave HQ(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is what a complete upper looks like after it's sewn together but before it's formed and bonded.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lasts, molds, and other bits in various stages of construction.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
We spotted this prototype buckle sitting on a workbench in the prototype shop.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This prototype sole plate and heel cup are perhaps precursors of a new shoe yet to be announced.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
After the edges of the upper are ground flat, the sole plate is then attached with adhesive.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Once molds are cut, production is done en masse overseas. But before then, the original shapes have to be made by hand in Treviso.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The tools of a craftsman.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This sole plate mold was carved by hand - not by some machine in Asia.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Prototype bits and pieces such as sole plates and buckles are carved by hand at this station.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave's consumer production may be done overseas but for sponsored athletes and experimental models, it's still very much done by hand.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave designers are constantly playing with various prototypes, such as this ultralight road shoe that may - or may not - see the light of day.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Prior to molding, all of these upper pieces have to be stitched together.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave's in-house printing facilities allow designers to experiment with various graphics.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
One of the pattern pieces that goes into a Northwave shoe, straight from the cutting machine and prior to printing.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The factory floor is littered with rolls of material.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is what the shoe looks like immediately after the toe box machine is done with it. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Upper materials are first heated to increase their pliability.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Various bits and pieces are scattered throughout the prototype shop.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
New shoes to come, rejected experiments, or something else? We'll have to wait and see.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave shoes have certainly been worn to their fair share of wins.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Countless spools of thread sit within arm's reach in the custom shop.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A machine to test zippers? Indeed.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
How will a shoe stand up to repeated toe flex over time? Stick it in here to find out.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave uses ratchets on both snowboard and cycling shoes - and all of them have to be tested.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This apparatus tests ratchets.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
New shoes are tested with various pedal system to verify compatibility.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave tests shoes in an environmental chamber to mimic heat and cold.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Carbon sole plates are stiff for pedaling but apparently still tolerant of extreme flex.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even dials are extensively tested for durability.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This jig is used to test durability of Northwave's snowboard boots.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sketches are eventually transferred to computers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A design sketch sits on a table in the workshop.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The paint is worn off of this machine from years of use.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This isn't necessarily the best tool to produce shoes in mass quantities but Northwave still uses machines like this for experimental, prototype, and custom jobs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A Northwave craftsman sews upper materials together the old fashioned way.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The bottom of a shoe prior to bonding on the sole plate. There's a bit of prep work still to do but not much.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This machine stretches and bonds the material around the rear of the shoe.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear pad holds the shoe and last in place while the rest of the machinery up front stretches the upper material around the midsole and bonds it in place.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave's new chamois doesn't use the molded and bonded construction currently favored by the industry. Instead, the foam is machined into the final shape to supposedly improve breathability.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave offers a wide range of clothing - much of which isn't imported into the US.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Even after the transfers are printed, they still need to be compare to a reference board to make sure they're the correct color.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The screen printer sits in a separate, climate-controlled room. Graphics printed here are later transferred on to otherwise complete garments.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
After initial samples are made, Northwave designers then make modifications and then send annotated images back for the next round.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is an example of a spec sheet for one of Northwave's upcoming jerseys, calling out exactly which materials are to be used for each specific panel.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A giant chest of fabric samples inside Northwave's design area. There are two of these in the office.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Clothing designs begin as a sketch and are then transferred into a computer drawing.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The giant inspiration wall inside the Northwave clothing design studio, including everything from sketches, fabric swatches, color samples, and bits of clothing.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Clothing designs typically start out as a concept sketch.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave's clothing designers draw inspiration from a wide range of sources.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
While consumer shoes are no longer produced in Treviso, Northwave still maintains a warehouse in the original building to supply the European market.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave recently celebrated twenty years in the snowboard industry.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Unbeknownst to many cyclists, Northwave is also heavily involved in the snowboard business, including boots, bindings, and boards themselves.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Like many footwear manufacturers, Northwave has moved the bulk of production overseas. A single line is kept in Treviso, however, for prototype work and for producing custom shoes for sponsored riders.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
One hallway of Northwave's headquarters in Treviso, Italy is decorated with old magazine ads. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
No comment.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave uses a computer-controlled leather cutting machine to create pattern pieces.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The numerous machine segments are needed to produce the smooth curves of the toe box.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fit is checked after the upper is formed.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Many of the machines look more like creations from J.R. Geiger.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This machine looks old - and it is. But then again, the science of making shoes hasn't changed much.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
No bike company lobby would be complete without a front desk surrounded by championship jerseys and trophies.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This single rack catalogs the foot shapes of the entire Radioshack-Nissan-Trek team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Northwave's Treviso factory has countless sets of modified lasts for custom shoes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Modified lasts for Chris Horner and Andy Schleck (Radioshack-Nissan-Trek) have various bits of material added or removed to fine tune the fit.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Lasts like these are what identifies each shoe manufacturer from another. The sizes may vary but the general shape is usually carried forth throughout an entire line.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Molds for snowboard binding highbacks rest in front of a grinding wheel. A vacuum system keeps the air clear.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Old imagery is scattered throughout Northwave. Though this image is several years old, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesja is still winning World Cups.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The edges of the upper material are ground flat in preparation for bonding to the outsole.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
These desk accessories were littered throughout the Northwave offices.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Computer renderings help flesh out possible color combinations.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
New shoe designs start out with a sketch.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This prototype jersey was in the process of being refined for a better fit.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's no secret that Northwave no longer manufactures consumer shoes at its headquarters in Treviso, Italy but that doesn't mean they don't make a number of select shoes in the original factory. We paid a visit to the heralded Italian footwear company on our way to this year's Giro d'Italia.
These days, the Treviso facility is mostly a collection of sales, marketing, design, and administrative offices plus a giant warehouse of production shoes for distribution to the European market. However, Northwave still maintains a single assembly line plus a full prototype and workshop to handle prototype work, experimental projects, and special shoes for sponsored athletes.
There are multiple racks of custom modified lasts on the production floor with seemingly every member of the Radioshack-Nissan team getting that extra special treatment to keep their feet happy day after day. Each set of lasts is marked with the rider's name and nominal size, all festooned with an assortment of tacked-on bits, filed-off edges, hand-shaped putty filler, and other modifications.
In case you've ever wondered, Andy Schleck wears a size 45 ½ and prefers an aggressive taper at the toes but more space at the base of his little toes. Chris Horner, on the other hand, wears a size 42 and likes a little extra breathing room around the ball and opposite side.
This single rack catalogs the foot shapes of the entire Radioshack-Nissan team
What about Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol)? He's a size 44 and like Horner, likes a roomier fit up front. Fabian Cancellara shares Schleck's numerical size but his shoes are narrower from the middle up – and so on, and so on.
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Custom options aren't just limited to fit. Since Northwave's on-site technicians aren't constrained by production specs, they can also mix and match different uppers and lowers – say, if someone wants an off-road outsole with a triathlon-specific upper or a pair of walkable podium shoes.
Supporting this work is a small group of craftspeople who still build shoes the old way, using scissors and a sewing machine, grinding wheels, glue, and a small army of old machines that look like they were dreamt up by H.R. Geiger.
That being said, there's an interesting juxtaposition of old and new throughout the building.
Current shoes are built with carbon composites and synthetic microfiber materials, covered with bright neon graphics while the paint on the machines used to form them is worn down to the metal from years of hands-on work. Custom uppers are constructed by one person in a small room, armed with a pair of scissors and a whirring sewing machine while the pattern pieces themselves are created with a computer-controlled leather cutting table.
There's a room filled with modern equipment for testing everything from shoe flex to zipper durability but save for a few small areas, there's seemingly no air conditioning. Carbon fiber plates are molded overseas by giant machines but the original shapes are cut by hand in Treviso out of foam and wood with blades and jeweler's files.
But hey, that's enough chit-chat. At this point, let's just have the images do the rest of the talking.
