The Velominati would not exist if it weren’t for The Rules. Of the current 79 Rules, only two, Rule #34 and Rule #69 stipulate anything about shoes. Perhaps that is all that is needed. However, I do have a set of personal Rules that I’ve been living by and developing for nearly ten years now. My own personal Rule #1 is No Red Shoes. And as a strict disciple of my own Rules I have no red shoes.
This is partly why I was so relieved that I could title this article The Yellow Princesses and not the Red Princesses. Because if Mavic made the Zxellium in red, I would simply have to break my own rule. These shoes are sublime.
I’ve gone through a few pair of cycle shoes in my relatively short time as a dedicated road cyclist and Velominatus. Nalini 2004’s, Cat-1 Gavias, and an old pair of Frank’s DMT Ultimax’s have all graced my gunboats. I’ve also tried many a pair on in hopes of finding that glass slipper. Sidis heel cup is too narrow, Shimanos toe box is too wide, Pearl Izumis weren’t my cup of tea, and so on and so forth.
That is until I purchased a pair of Mavic Razor mtb shoes for riding my cyclocross bike. The Razors have many miles of gravel under them. They are durable, perform well, are stylish, and easily the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn. I was sold on Mavic shoes since buying them.
So after riding Frank’s retired DMT’s into the road after he made the switch to the much bally-hooed White Ladies this season, it was time for me to go shoe shopping.
At first, the yellow put me off a little bit. I considered if wearing yellow at all would be considered a Rule violation. That, as we all know, only applies to jerseys. Riders regularly wear non-team issue and personalized shoes. The Zxelliums do also come in white but since the White Ladies was taken I had to make a different plan. Then I saw this guy wearing them in this year’s tour.
That did it for me. Being a fan of Chris Horner and seeing how the Zxelliums seemed to at once stand out and tie his kit together riding up the Tourmalet this year made me think I could pull them off too.
Whether or not I can pull them off remains to be seen. But I may not ever want to take them off. Damn if they’re not like bedroom slippers. And light! Oh the lightness. In my hand, not on a scale mind you, they are lighter than the DMTs. And that’s with the cleats on the Mavics and not on the DMTs. The muted sole is also cause for carbone.
At any rate, I’m stoked about the shoes. I thought about filing this article under the Reverence folder but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s no doubt these shoes will be held in reverence one day but I must go put many kilometers on them first.
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I meant Marko, not Markos. sorry about that. Too much Daily Kos.
@Marcus
Better be careful, there mate. Horner is a class act and local boy. And, while the Philminator definitely rocked the EyeShades, he had nuthin on Hampsten. I mean, the guy is PINNER. Those shades covered up his entire face and he STILL rocked that shit.
As for Horner, I have one image to present:
In a word, "Stud".
But he makes riding a bike look miserable, I'll give you that. Head all cocked to the side, like Popeye.
On to the shoes, until my heart went the way of the White Ladies, my eyes were firmly planted on the Principessa è Gialla. I think they have just a totally rad look, but no one pulls them off better than LL Cool J.
@frank
LL Cool's pic is probably the closest approximation to the kit/bike/shoe look to me in the sacred garment on my black/red/white bike. Now don't get me wrong, I look nowhere as badass and am much fatter but the colors are close.
and where's the pic of Horner giving the buck from? i've seen it but don't know the context. was that in a race?
To be a complete pimp you MUST wear Vans slip-on's sockless when not clipped in.
@Cyclops
Paired with your old pink JT racing pants, tight at the ankles, that's a sweet look.
Yep, those Gialline have caught my wanton glance more than once. I picked up a pair of Mavic Pro Road's on sale a few months ago (I'm always trying new shoes, numb toes dammit), and got a pair of Mavic Chasm mtb shoes into the deal. Funny thing, they seem almost identical except for the lugged soles on the Chasms, but the Pro Roads are not nearly as comfy as the Chasms. Staying with the Sidi 6.6's for now (black/white/red), but on the lookout for some White Ladies on sale.
@frank
Think I haven't made myself clear Franky boy. I reckon Horner is one of the few true "Riders To Be Admired" in today's pro ranks.
However:
i)I reckon he squandered a bit of his early career by not making the most of his early Euro-racing years (not really the point of my mention of him, but since you mention him...); and
ii) he definitely cannot be looked to as a cycling style icon.
To wit, this quote from an article I found in 10 seconds of googling:
"Before the final stage of this year's Vuelta a España, Horner made an announcement at the breakfast table to his younger teammates. He told them that what they really should be focusing on for the remainder of the season was finding the Starbucks in every town the team visited and reporting back to him about it immediately.
To quote the NZ Bruthas, "Starbucks, like fuck." Horner is a cool rider, but still a redneck yank Frank and thus cannot be a reliable style maven.
http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=10250
@Marcus
Well played. I stand corrected. Starbucks? LIKE FUCK! Being from Seattle, rife with excellent coffee shops on every corner, I cannot understand a fellow PNW-er liking Starbucks. LIKE FUCK!
@Marcus
Interestingly enough, those DMT's Chris is wearing in the first pic on that link look very similar to Frank's old ultimax' that I just retired. Horner and I must be on the same shoe arc, albeit mine is certainly way behind his.
@Marko
Just stay off Horner's coffee arc and Peter Garrett's political arc and you will be fine. The shoes aren't too bad actually, but like your Freddie Mercury comment, I just wanted to start something (Freddie was a true ROCKSTAR by the way).
On a completely different issue, just read that the World Champs course has over 3,000m of climbing in the last 180kms. A sprinter's race???