Rule 8: It’s Gotta Be The Shoes
What Gianni humbly omitted from his last article is that once he finishes ranting about sock color (actually, the lack of need for any color other than than white), he recovers quickly and we wrap up the Keepers executive board meeting with him tearing our legs off on the ride home from the bar with his magnificent stroke. Because after all, he is Rule #72.
But I digress. All the chit-chat Gianni’s article generated, and the timing of it with a new shoe purchase on my end, has me ruminating on Rule #8. Matching saddle, handlebar tape, and tires is, for the Velominatus at least, quite the no-brainer as it were. The only really poignant question I recall ever being raised is whether Vittoria Open Pave’s have an exemption because they are awesome and scream hardman tire (I think they are acceptable).
But what of shoes? They are the one piece of kit that most often throws a rider’s coordination out of sync. Of course this has traditionally been fine as shoes are such a personal matter that expecting one to match one’s shoes with the rest of one’s kit is hopeful at best. That being said, I wonder if shoes are less kit and more equipment. They transfer power directly from rider to bike and thus they are mechanical, they are engineered by smart people using fancy computers, and they render the machine virtually unrideable without them. In fact, I’ve often wondered why retailers list them under “clothing” and why online review forums don’t put them under “drivetrain” instead of “clothing and accessories”.
So if you don’t accept my premise, at least humor me here. If shoes are equipment and not kit, why would anyone buy a pair that didn’t match the rest of their bike? Surely, with the abundance of shoe choices on the market these days I would think one could make every effort to find a pair that fits, has the features and performance characteristics sought, falls within price range, and matches the rest of the bike.
I happened upon this concept casually deliberately this week. You see, I’ve been sporting considerable carbone over Fi’zi:k’s new shoe line ever since they were introduced (you might say I have a thing for shoes). So when a new pair of R3’s fell into my lap for number 1 I was forced to shift the Yellow Princesses over to number 3. The yellow decals and accents on the Serotta look awesome with the YP’s and the new R3’s are oh so sublime with the BMC. Splendid, indeed.
So I’ll put it to you, the Velominati. Does Rule #8 need amending? Are shoes equipment and not clothing? Do we, perhaps, need a new rule pertaining to shoe/bike matching (I think not but a suggestion might be in order). These are the things that keep the Keepers up at night.
@Chipomarc
In which case the CAAD10 would want to only be used in ITT’s…
@Godsight
@Chipomarc
See Rule #23. And Rule #3.
Rule #2. Nipple lube
@scaler911
I loves me my Sidi’s too. It’s hard to get thrilled about another shoe – even shoes as hot as the Fizik shoes – when you’re so happy with the ones you’ve got. At the Time Equipe’s! Be still, my beating heart!
@sgt
+1
@frank
Frank! I think I agree with you!
I think shoe colour is, and should remain, totally independent of bike or kit colour, in the same way that sneakers are. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that the louder the shoe and the bigger the clash the better. It shows you have some personal identity, and aren’t just a sheep or a slave to conformity. Right on.
@Marko
@Marko
You smooth talking debbil. I am so not Rule #72, I officially suck. But on to cycling shoes, yes I agree they are equipment, matching them to bikes, crazy talk. But if that was a rewritten Rule I’d be compliant as I have one grey bike and one pair of tatty gray and black shoes.
Call me a metrosexual, Oli, if you must but Marko, the white Fizik shoes are the best, I have wanted them also, well done on the new shoes to go with the bitchin BMC bike and Zipp wheels. You must completely psyche out any other riders whose path you cross. ‘core. respect.
I want new shoes and I want white, even though I’m not Cat 1. Can’t a person pretend? I had those White Ladies but they went to a new worthy owner. If I wasn’t such a fanatic about shoe fit I’d try to buy the white Fiziks on-line but I’d have to buy four different sizes and send three back. Next time I’m in civilization I should hunt them down. And who called them golf shoes? I don’t see any damn spikes on them or that goofy tongue flappy bit. grrrrrr.
@CanuckChuck
Just FYI, it’s “shiny” not “shinny“…
Dammit, DerHoggz cut my lunch!
@Gianni
Metrosexual!
@sgt
Interesting, I had a 10 year affair with Carnacs until I couldn’t even find them anymore. I thought they had gone out of business. It will be interesting to hear if they rule. You better wear white socks with those, nothing else would remotely work.
Clothing or Equipment?
From page 6 of the Special Supplement – Summer Clothing, Winning No58. May 1988
I hated when the toe clips tarnished the ‘leather’!
Just as with socks shoes have to be White, shoes are kit not equipment.
@Oli @Gianni
Hint of orange in shoes? Beautiful! Had to dig around my Northwave’s from the 90’s
Shoe history had one common element…
80’s
-gifted old black leathers similar to shown
– white Duegi’s, Was cool to ride with out socks
90’s
– Lake’s, Black-Blue
– Northwave’s, orange/Blue, blue/orange
00’s
– Gaerne’s, white
the one common element with all the shoes, nearly 30 years – White socks!
Now having a couple of pairs of black socks, they’re slowly getting out a bit more with the Gaerne’s.
Black shoes are for field sports (football, rugby), when wearing white shoes will make you look like a prima donna. White shoes are for cycling. They can have other colours on them but they should be predominantly white. It is borderline acceptable to wear pale blue, but usually only if they are Sidis (see below). My jury is out on yellow shoes, they look better with some strips (predominantly black) than others. Shoes with a significant amount of metallic finish should be avoided unless you have won something major.
Some notable – and permissible exceptions – Tony Charteau wearing the red Sidis whilst in the green and white CA strip back in the 2006 Tour. (Although he may have gotten the idea from Thor, who was wearing red Sidis with a Norwegian flag on the tongue that same year). Stuart O’Grady – and even George Hincapie – in the old Carnac Quartz in yellow, blue and black. They were boat anchors and didn’t have any fancy buckles but they were exceptionally well made and wore beautifully (maybe it was the real kangaroo leather). The Quartz was the last decent shoe that Carnac made, that orange and white one is horrible.
I like Spesh footwear, it tends to be bigger in the toe box that Sidis (helpful for those of us with wider feet) and they are considerably better value for money. Although, having said that, I am still commuting on a pair of Sidi Genius 3 from 2000 (just like the ones at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sidi-Genius-3-road-cycling-shoes-well-used-/260785626977), so you can’t fault Sidis for longevity.
@wiscot
love the Diadora’s as well having 4 pairs myself, white, silver, grey/black and very shiny silver. Worn depending on mood on any particular day.
Hadn’t really thought about them as equipment before but interesting points Marko. Still pondering that one…..are they functional or a fashion statement?
Agreeing with some others here – don’t match everything too closely. A random colour with the shoes does show some individuality.
Of the three Sacred Connections, les pied, les mains, et là derrière, the foot must of course be encased in something not less in value to the sum of the other two… this simple formula will ensure adequately high standards are met across the three Sacred Connections. For me, it’s Sidi, white in Summer if you please. Socks white with optional celeste stripe. Black is acceptable in winter or with the black overshoes one must suffer to wear here in sub zero temperatures.
@ihcnaib
This post is worthy of a V-kit badge next to your name. Spot on.
@Nate
A couple things. Bikes 1 and 3 are close to being dialed but the pedal platforms are different so they’ll never be identical. Bike 2 has eggbeaters and are vastly different so I don’t even try. The Mavics though fit really similarly (go figure) but I haven’t ridden the R3’s enough yet to know fit. I’m flexible though and adjust to slight differences well with my feet. Moving insoles from one to the next is key. Saddles are a different story, you’ll notice all three bikes have the Antares.
Thanks for the props on the BMC all, it is a cool bike and one of which I’m not worthy.
I like this discussion. As I suspected, shoe choice is personal and a place, perhaps the only place, where we can break with color coordination by not considering it. Conversely, if we so choose, we can match stuff up but maintaining an air of casual deliberateness, as always, is key.
But man those Ergo 2’s are fugly. Shoes shouldn’t look like you’re going cycling in space. In my opinion Sidi has gone too far in the direction of tech looking shoes. I like the R3’s for their understated and traditional look. Plus the idea that they were made from baby kangaroos makes me giggle.
To further my shoe fetish, I must check out the Bont line. Those look hot.
Yup, I’ve got a pair of those Silver Slipper Ergo 2s. Love wearing them when on my silver Italian steel bike, which has an alloy Campag gruppo. LOTS of shiny bits.
(though I must say I don’t find these shoes as comfortable as my white/silver Genius 6.6s. I was hoping they’d break in a bit, but I think the shiny patent leather and super lite, stiff soles just aren’t good for feet. I think I need to buy a foot massaging machine. Between soccer and carbon cycling shoes, my feet are generally sore all the time. Has me feeling like an old man already.)
@Marko
I was checking out some Bont shoes and after trying them on I was reminded of Steve Martin’s Cruel Shoes:
“Cruel Shoes”
Steve Martin
From the Steve Martin book Cruel Shoes
1979
Anna knew she had to have some new shoes today, and Carlo had helped her try on every pair in the store. Carlo spoke wearily, “Well, that’s every pair of shoes in the place.”
“Oh, you must have one more pair…”
“No, not one more pair… Well, we have the cruel shoes, but no one would want…”
Anna interrupted, “Oh yes, let me see the cruel shoes!”
Carlo looked incredulous. “No, Anna, you don’t understand, you see, the cruel shoes are…”
“Get them!”
Carlo disappeared into the back room for a moment, then returned with an ordinary shoe box. He opened the lid and removed a hideous pair of black and white pumps. But these were not an ordinary pair of black and white pumps; both were left feet, one had a right angled turn with separate compartments that pointed the toes in impossible directions. The other shoe was six inches long and was curved inward like a rocking chair with a vise and razor blades to hold the foot in place.
Carlo spoke hesitantly, “… Now you see why… they’re not fit for humans…”
“Put them on me.”
“But…”
“Put them on me!”
Carlo knew all arguments were useless. He knelt down before her and forced the feet into the shoes.
The screams were incredible.
Anna crawled over to the mirror and held her bloody feet up where she could see.
“I like them.”
She paid Carlo and crawled out of the store into the street.
Later that day, Carlo was overheard saying to a new customer, “Well, that’s every shoe in the place. Unless, of course, you’d like to try the cruel shoes.”
@hardtop
Na. They’re equipment not kit. Try riding on a pair of Powercranks with tennis shoes. They’re attaching you to the bike, transferring power. Kit makes you look pretty.
@Nof Landrien
An impulse buy, no doubt. We’ll give ’em a spin and see how they run.
The chin needs to be tilted up slightly for full effect.
@Cyclops
Unless the Cruel Shoes were heat moldable I’m not sure that I see the similarity.
I have two pairs of cycling shoes. Bont A1s and Yellow Princesses.
If I was forced at gunpoint to lay a shit in a pair of shoes it would be Sorry Princess.
@scaler911
Maybe it’s not quite so black and white/one or the other. Shoes are mostly equipment and some kit. Kit is mostly kit but some equipment. Kit provides a mechanism for cooling/warming the engine, chamois is most definitely equipment, kit provides aero advantage over say, a t-shirt, but mostly, kit projects a sense of style from the rider.
I think I will be quiet now before I embarrass myself any more.
@Marko
I guess all this begs the question – How many of us are willing to sacrifice a certain level of comfort or even endure discomfort for the sake of style points? I do all the time.
@Marko
I agree. But I was pointing out that shoes are not “just kit”. If we didn’t have clip less pedals, or cages for that matter, then shoes would be mostly kit (IMHO). As it stands now, they are mostly equipment.
@mcsqueak
HA!
Discomfort from effort or elements is fine. Discomfort from bike setup or attire is my signal that something needs adjusting. For me, function always trumps fashion. After the start of a ride and the blessed road trance kicks in, I hope I’m having a good enough ride that all else falls away except the Stroke and the Road.
@itburns
+1. Sorry Cyclops, but there are so many shoe choices out there that I’m not willing to deal with foot discomfort for the sake of how the shoes look.
There could be the best looking pair of white shoes available, but if they give me hot spots or squeeze my foot in the wrong place, I’ll go with the boring all black ones, thanks.
(I do actually really want some white shoes for my next pair… I don’t think I’m fast enough or can climb well enough to do the Yellow Princessesesesss proper justice.)
After a worthy dissertation on sock hues and Rule #28’s validity, the Keepers move on to a significant debate over work shoes. And although enlightening, the previous article had already done enough to extend my distress over the disclosure that my 2012 Team Kit comes with the required socks ONLY available in Cardinal. And although they appear Rule #27 compliant, they will skirt the edge of being Rule #28 compliant only because of some logos.
Now I have been given the additional burden of contemplating just how much they are going to clash with my favorite Pepe le pew’s. I am so conflicted ……. Can somebody change the subject?
@Nof Landrien
Ha! I didn’t realize what boat anchors they were, not unlike ski bots in stiffness and weight, until I bought Specialized S-Works shoes. But, wearing my first pair was a revelation too, perfect snug fit and wickedly stiff. I was in love.
@Oli
Thank you
@Marko
Beauty
@ itburns @mcsqueak
I was thinking more like not wearing booties when it’s cold because they cover up the kicks. Or a particular set of bibs that will remain nameless whose straps dig into the shoulders and yet they still aren’t “Goldielocks”.
@Oli
Lets dig deeper, I’m sure we disagree! We also agreed on the valvestem nut thingie Rule; this situation needs to be remedied immediately!
@Marko
Done and done.
@frank
No it doesn’t!
@scaler911
I have to assume that refrigerator is stocked to the hilt with IPA.
Except with good beer.
@Oli
YES IT DOES!
@itburns
Agreed completely – form follows function. But, when considering form, there is nothing wrong with making it purdy. If, for example, I were buying new Sidi Ergo 2’s, I’d get the color that best suited my fancy.
@Marko
Italian Baby Kangaroos are called Kangabambinos.
@frank
I never meant to imply form didn’t matter – once function is not compromised, form should be the most awe inspiring version that money allows. I do have a Mandible bidon cage, after all. We are cyclists, not barbarians.
Time for some Lake Kangabambinos.
I have black and white shoes, with red trims which goes with my black and white bike with red trims, but who cares anyway about my set up, I’m only saying it as an excuse to share with you my glorious day
Today was my birthday, an event which I normally ignore, but today I think I might just have had the most awesomest one ever
Today, I did my first ever Horse Category climb
I did 1200m straight climbing, betwixt 3-10% (never saw 11% on my Rule #74 thingy) up into the mountains of Andalucia in Southern Spain
Big deal I hear you mutter under your breath (admittedly nothing compared to Haleakala), but I’m fucking blowing my trumpetto about this, coz I’m fucking pleased with myself
What’s more, I feel as if I have just discovered a whole new existence, having dismantled my rear derailleur, and wiped all the shit gathered in it from 7 months of thrashing Irish Bogtarmac – today I ascended in complete silence, probably rather slowly, but what struck me was not just the extra 3 teeth on my biggest sprocket I suddenly had by virtue of this overdue maintenance, but the extraordinary peace I felt
I have a job that entails my listening to good and sadly also rather indifferent folk, for 9 hours a day – my head was fucked – I needed this trip
I was suffering appropriately I reckon, when suddenly, half way up, everything changed. This wierd sense of almost floating began – I was climbing at 20% more speed for the gradient than I normally can, with no pain – surreal, and rather emotional, for one who only got my first road bike 9 months ago – I wanted it never to stop (just as well, as I still had another 600 metres to climb)
Was it the heat (descending from a pretty chilly top, into the warm air of the coast was such a beautiful thing) – was it the sound of silence I now have achieved – was it the new adherence to Rule #33?
All I know is my bibshorts are permanently deformed due to the prolonged climbone I had, and the equally proportioned descentbone I had for the entire 14 mile full chat descend (apart from a couple of photo stops…) of what felt like a hundred corners (90 degree bends, no hairpins, it was like a perfect fresh powder day)
Apologies for the self indulgence, but for me, today, and emotional day, with my first HC conquest, was a very very special day – I returned to my hotel to find a bottle of champagne in ice courtesy of the DOB prompt on the hotel puta….seemed rather appropriate!!
Thanks to @all for getting me to this day, I now feel like a real Velominatus
@frank
Baby kangaroos are called joeys. They get carried around my mummy kangaroos in a pouch. Despite the way they look ‘roos are fucking mean and nasty. But their hides make for excellent shoe leather. They aren’t very nice to eat but good fun to shoot (because they fuck up farms).
A trip to the attic proves this colored shoe thing is one for the ages. The leather sole Sidi’s, sized 36, I mowed lawns all summer for and wore the shit out of before I was 13. Duegi had the first white shoes that I recall. Rebecca Twigg wore them. She taught me about carbone before Vitus built frames with it.
@Dr C
Nipple Lube.
Outstanding old son!
@itburns
Indeed. That’s why Rule #5 comes before all the others.
@Dr C
It sounds as though you might have been touched by La Volupte. Well done, and happy birthday!
@jimmy
Nice! The original white-soled Times! Well done. I had some old Deugis as my first pair of shoes, too. They didn’t have holes for Look cleats, so I drilled them. Then I sewed a leather patch over the laces because I wanted my shoes to look like the modern shoes at the time, with no laces. Then I added a toeclip strap to each to make them look like LeMond.
Fuck, I wish I still had those. Maybe I do. I’ll dig around when I next visit the parents.
@frank
I had the black Duegi’s in 86 and they died of the same fate in 87. Holes drilled for Look pedals gone awry. Those shoes were the best. And they were black.
@Dr C
Well done! That looks like the road up to Ronda from Marbella / San Pedro. Haven’t ridden in Spain yet; definitely high on the list.
@scaler911
Is Mr Fixie racing a guy on a fucking skateboard in that pic? Tell me no, please tell me no. No wonder Frank was dishing out the evil eye . . .
@Dr C
I’ve just got back in from a rather chilly ride in the dark and my feet are so cold that I can’t decide whether to eat my soup or dip my toes in. Last night I punctured in the middle of a an interval session on the rollers. Yes, a fucking puncture on the rollers, WTF! So all I can really say is “@Dr C you complete and utter fucking bastard with you pictures of sunny uplands and tales of mountainous derring do!”
No, seriously, what a stunningly awesome way to spend your birthday! I bet that champagne went down well.
I had a similar experience climbing in Spain in the summer, I don’t think I got much faster but the pain fell away and I glided to the summit.