Northwave Magma X Plus shoe review

Italian shoe specialist Northwave has a long history of producing winter-specific boots, from the lightweight Celsius Arctic through to the Himalaya, designed to withstand extreme conditions.

The Magma, however, promises warmth without the weight in a shoe aimed at gravel riders and cross-country mountain bikers.

On the whole, it succeeds – but the utility of a winter boot that isn’t particularly waterproof will be limited.

Northwave Magma X Plus specs and details

The Northwave Magma X Plus is aimed at being a two-season (autumn/winter) boot without the bulk usually associated with winter shoes.

That said, it’s not aimed at being a fully waterproof option – instead, it’s designed for cold and dry conditions.

The main body and outsole of the Magma X (aside from the Neoprene cuff) bear much resemblance to Northwave’s Corsair 2, a summer shoe aimed at trail and adventure riding.

The outsole is the Damp Evo model, which combines a stiff composite cleat plate with a rugged moulded tread and raised, reinforced heel cup, to make walking a little easier.

On the underside, the block-pattern tread is designed to give decent traction on sloppy, muddy slopes.

The cleat fixtures have a generous amount of space around them, intended to help keep the cleats clear for when you're done trudging through mud and remounting your bike.

The upper combines a meshed toe box with a water-resistant base liner, microfibre midfoot panels and a reinforced heel cup.

The inside is padded with 200g PrimaLoft thermal material and the base of the shoe has a covered foil lining to reflect heat back towards your feet.

This is doubled with Northwave Artic footbeds, which also have a foil layer sandwiched between the fleecy top and padded base, for further insulation.

At 1,058g a pair (size EU45), the Magmas are light for winter boots, which in my experience usually come in at around 1,200g+ in a comparable size.

Northwave Magma X Plus performance

The outsole feels stiff enough when pedalling, but I found it had enough flex for bike-hiking duties too. It’s a well-balanced sole that suits long-day rides over natural trails and gravel riding.

The volume is generous, especially around the midfoot, which I’d expect from a gravel shoe coming from the adventure/trail side of things, rather than XC or racing – where you’d more likely encounter a wraparound-style fit.

The extra volume could feel baggy with standard socks, but in colder temperatures being able to fit a larger winter/waterproof sock (such as Giro’s Xnetic H2O) was most welcome.

The closure combination of Northwave’s SLW3 dial and a large ankle wrapover Velcro strap works well enough.

The SLW3 dial is a little more involved than the simplicity of a Boa dial; tensioning is a simple clockwork turn, but releasing involves lifting the inboard lever.

With 32 clicks per full rotation, it’s possible to tune the fit well, though the small lever is quite difficult to pull on – especially when wearing winter gloves.

To fully release the tension, you must pull and hold the lever while applying upward pressure to pull the wire through.

Essentially, it’s a two-handed operation.

The wrapover Velcro strap is generous in its length, which resulted in a bit of overhang past the hooked base. This meant on particularly muddy rides the strap collected a lot of muck.

The neoprene cuff/gaiter is close-fitting but has more than enough stretch and features pull-on loops front and rear to make getting the shoes on and off a breeze.

Like all cuffs of this type, it works better with waterproof trousers or winter trail pants underneath, rather than winter tights.

Overall, on the bike, I’ve been impressed by the Magmas, albeit in the right conditions.

On cold, dry days, these have been my go-to shoes for gravel riding and even for my 60-mile round-trip commute aboard my electric bike.

The combination of generous volume that works with winter socks and the substantial toe, with a bonded protector and large bumper, keeps out windchill.

That the Magma boots can do this while allowing a bit of breathability in the forefoot impressed me.

On wetter days, however, the Magmas got left on the shelf in favour of more waterproof options, because they wet through too easily.

That said, when I combined the Magmas with waterproof socks, they proved okay for lighter rain showers (much of the water protection coming from the socks).

The £179.99 / €199 / $219.99 price tag is keener than most, but it’s still quite an outlay for winter boots that aren't quite suitable for full-winter conditions.

A rival such as Fizik’s Terra Artica comes in at £249.99 and Sidi’s Frost Gore 2 is £269 – both significantly more than Northwave’s offering. Shimano’s popular and highly regarded MW7 shoe comes close at £190. The Magmas, while expensive, aren’t as costly as their main rivals.

It still makes the Magma X Plus a winter luxury, rather than a winter essential, though.

Northwave Magma X Plus bottom line

The Magma X Plus is a great shoe for cold conditions – it brings plenty of warmth and the chunky sole makes bike-hiking and walking less of a chore than with stiffer, more race-derived, designs.

I liked the comfortable fit (although fit is always subjective, of course) and the ease in getting them on and off reflects a well thought-out design.

The downside, however, is they're not waterproof. While Northwave doesn’t claim they are, this will limit their appeal for riders who want complete winter protection.