Remember when we went to the Jumbo-Visma Service CourseIn that realm of top cycling, among champions, tests, and mechanical departments... We witnessed a truly cutting-edge and top-secret event: the delivery of the shoes Nimbl.
The Dutch team and the Italian company have opened their doors to us for this experience that gives us a concrete example of those marginal gains we talk so much about.
An incredible agreement
A bit like the choice of new groups, It was the yellow-black battleship that contacted NimblIn private tests, after having secretly purchased several pairs of shoes from various brands, the Dutch had seen that the Italian ones met their performance standards. From there it was the agreement germinated, between Jumbo Visma and Nimbl.
«In fact – he says Francis Sergius of Nimbl – the Jumbos they expressed their desire to run in our shoes, but since we are an artisanal company, this could have “scared” us at first. Between the continental, WorldTour and women's team, there are 60 riders here, we would have had difficulty in being able to respond to their needs. And I'm talking about production.
«When we met, I had my shoes with me and Their technicians told me they were familiar with them. They had already tried them in some way and were satisfied. There was only one small improvement to be made regarding the cleat placement system, but only because they had taken a model produced up until May.
«At that time we didn't have a specific machine and it made them Luigino (Greens, ed.) by hand. But in terms of weight, stiffness and aerodynamics, they were satisfied with our models.».
Challenge accepted
Think about it, a small company based in the Marche region which operates in the sphere of very high quality, but also of small numbers, which he finds himself faced with a collaboration with the team that just won the ranking UCI and the Tour. Furthermore, Nimbl's history is very recent: two and a half years old. It is based on the extensive experience of Luigino Verducci and Francesco Sergio himself in the world of footwear and materials. Until now, collaborations with professionals had been with individual riders, not teams.
"At that point, we looked at each other. And we said, 'We have the opportunity to collaborate with the greatest team around. Let's go for it!' And we accepted the challenge."
This collaboration therefore begins and in the months between the two seasons, while waiting for the end of the contract with the previous brand, Nimbl creates a camouflage model for the guys at Jumbo-Visma. Because here, everything has to be tested and re-tested down to the last millimeter. These are the requests of the performance materials sector, which wanted riders to try the shoes, also to save time.
The work begins
Buying time to fine-tune them. The feedback from the kids is in fact very useful. Those camouflage shoes were standard models and areserved as a starting point for customization, the flagship of Nimbl and one of the peculiarities that Jumbo-Visma was looking for.
«Once the deal was made, we received the sizes from the team – continues Sergio – and we sent the shoes to each athlete. As you can see, they take turns coming here and telling us what's working well, what needs to change, and the details that need to be refined.
«Since the production is ours, It's easy for us to work on the upper, but also on the carbon layup. It's not just about adjusting the shape, but also the stiffness. Some people prefer a stiffer shoe at the front and a less stiff one at the back, while others prefer the opposite. To make one shoe, it takes about 7 days, while small changes take an average of 3-4 hours per rider. For some we had to redo the sole from scratch.
«We have developed an App with which we note measurements and requests for interventionFor example, if there is a rider who has a protruding bone, we try to increase the external part where the pressure point is. Or again, There was a rider who was a size 47 in length, but a 44 in width. In this case, we remade the new sole directly."
The cast
And while Sergio was explaining this project to us, Verducci cast the athletes. Sitting on a chair, which was in turn placed on a table, the craftsman from the Marche region created a plaster cast that mirrored the exact shape of the foot. up to the ankle.
Once the cast was made, Verducci used a whisk to open the sculpture and remove the foot. During the making process the cast is taken into consideration, obviously, but also the rider's feedback.
Details and projects
For now Nimbl has made available the Ultimate model (with Boa), Air Ultimate (with laces) and Exceed.
«Why laces? You won't believe it, but the shoes are more aerodynamic. And not by a small amount, according to some track tests, advantages of up to 4 watts have emerged."
As we were saying, Nimbl is now totally involved in this project. After the agreement there was a major corporate reorganization, thanks to which it is expected to double production, further improve the cleat tightening system and launch new models. In fact, a full carbon model is coming soon, a special edition for the Tour and also a gravel one.
Valuable feedback
The great thing is that the riders were pleasantly surprised by this new way of working, this meticulous customization. One of them was Cousin Roglic, who bombarded the Nimbl technicians with questions for over half an hour (Opening photo). Working closely together raises the bar on both sides.
An example of some questions? It's said that carbon doesn't help much with cooling the foot, and seeing so much carbon, the riders themselves posed the question to Sergio and his colleagues.
«It's a question that many people have asked us – said Sergio – We responded that none of those who used them in the 40°C heat of the Tour de France had complained. The plastic sole was much warmer than it had been some time ago. If you remember, there were riders like Cipollini who used a drill to puncture their soles. In any case, it is an aspect that we have taken into consideration and that we will not neglect."
