New Cycling Shoes

So I’m almost cycling in ordinary clothes now.

The exception is my footwear:

Yes, these are industrial-grade safety shoes. Because, after all, cycling is dangerous, isn’t it? ;-)

Actually, the reason I’m wearing this is that they’re my work shoes - I visit all sorts of factories, where you really do have to wear shoes with steel toe-caps (hence the rather clown-esque bulbous toe. Lovely). They also have the added advantage of having a stainless steel mid-sole. That makes for a stiff sole to the shoes, which is ideal for cycling. It also means that I can tread on nails with impunity.

So there you have it - both stylish and practical.

What will they think of next?

Filed under: Bike Culture, Bike to Work, Photographs, Road Safety, Silly Stuff, Where I Shop

6 Responses to “ New Cycling Shoes ”

  1. momgaub on March 4, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    Are they also waterproof?

  2. Brad Hefta-Gaub on March 4, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    Recessed SPD compatible cleats?

  3. Karl On Sea on March 4, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Momgaub - waterproof, oil-proof, gasoline & solvent resistant, and non-slip. And you can park a car on the toe without feeling a thing.

    Brad - No. I recently left a comment on Velorution about this. They came up with a brand that does include cleat drillings, but they’re still a bit bowling-alley for work, and the cleats wouldn’t be recessed.

    There’s a guy locally I know who makes lovely brogues, and I was wondering about taking him an old pair of SPD cleated bike shoes to see if he could take the sole from them and build a new shoe on top . . . . It’s the sort of thing that I think there might be a market for, but then again, that might be a market of one - me!

  4. Carl Gumeson on March 4, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Check here for shoe fun!

    http://www.dromarti.com/index.php

    I know that I cannot afford them, but they sure are pretty.

  5. jdmitch on March 4, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Huh, can’t say that I ever would have considered it, but those styles of safety shoes are pretty much bulletproof (though steel toes can get very cold in the winter). If you’re into clips, they might be hard (though power-grips would probably work).

    Oh, and yeah, those dromarti’s are crazy nice. Though I wish the SPD-compatible Sportiva had a more casual / walkable grip than the off-road / aggressive/ spiky nubs (I find similar nubbies hard to walk on pavement, etc). Something between the Storica and Sportiva would be a sweet commuter shoe.

  6. Bill Anders on March 5, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Get some Crank Bros Quattro pedals and screw the cleats into the bottom of those shoes. The cleats are easy to walk in.

    Those Dromartis are sexy!!!!