White cycling shoes has ruined the "look" of cycling.
03-25-16, 05:15 AM
#76
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For sport shoes, I think white is fine, if not preferable. Black sport shoes make me think of some dorky kid who wears uniform oxfords all the time, whose parents won't buy him sneakers. At least Mr. Muttonchops above wasn't wearing black socks as well.
03-25-16, 07:37 AM
#77
Full Member
"Namath stood out from other AFL and NFL players by wearing low-cut white shoes rather than traditional black high-tops"
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
03-25-16, 07:53 AM
#78
Senior Member
"Namath stood out from other AFL and NFL players by wearing low-cut white shoes rather than traditional black high-tops"
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
Let's not forget Billy "white shoes" Johnson. I read somewhere a pro ball player said he wore black shoes because it made him look slower than he actually was.
For the 1989 triathlon season I had some white with a red stripe lake cycling shoes. Very cool looking and comfortable.
Last edited by texaspandj; 03-25-16 at 08:00 AM.
03-25-16, 08:11 AM
#79
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A Cat 1 cyclist told me once, "To be pro, you gotta look pro."
But the white shoe thing has turned me off to the new look of cycling. I kinda got used to the non-black shorts(but please dont wear white shorts). And the helmets, well they arent to bad, except for those honeycomb turban monstrosities. I guess if you want to look like an alien bug the current fashion is for you.
I mean this guy looks classy.
But the white shoe thing has turned me off to the new look of cycling. I kinda got used to the non-black shorts(but please dont wear white shorts). And the helmets, well they arent to bad, except for those honeycomb turban monstrosities. I guess if you want to look like an alien bug the current fashion is for you.
I mean this guy looks classy.
If you want to be cool, ride in those toe clips. When you crash you can feel old school. Seriously....if you can find cleats that you can nail into a old set of shoes, you can strap in, and when you crash try to get off the bike. Then think about riding cobbles in Flanders or Paris-Roubaix in those things in the rain.
Detto Pietro bike shoes were da bomb. If you google Detto Pietro you can fine some cool photos of what that whole system looked like. It's not clipless.
Dettos also came in white.
03-25-16, 08:14 AM
#80
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I wear black shoes because they were cheap when I was looking for shoes and fit me. My only problem with them is that I have this ingrained belief that there is something inherrently wrong with wearing white socks with them because I wouldn't wear white socks with my black work shoes and slacks. But white is the color of socks that I buy most frequently because they're the ones I find on clearance. As a result I wear them, but I feel wrong when I put them on. Once they're on and I'm on the bike, I don't look down at my shoes so I don't think about it again, but there's that twinge every time I get dressed with them.
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03-25-16, 08:30 AM
#81
Blast from the Past
I'm fine with white shoes, wear black as well and have a pair of blue 320's. What I don't get is when and why we decided to start wearing dress socks riding? Never got the memo on that one.
03-25-16, 08:36 AM
#82
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Oh, I don't wear dress socks riding, but, because I have a much longer life history with the only black shoes I wore being dress shoes than riding road bikes with specific shoes, it's been ingrained into me not to wear white socks with black (or brown) shoes. Just one of my weird quirks I guess.
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03-25-16, 08:41 AM
#83
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Old school...
Last edited by roadwarrior; 03-25-16 at 08:48 AM.
03-25-16, 08:44 AM
#84
Descends like a rock
I have been known to get off work change clothes and go for a ride, still wearing my black dress socks. I do it pretty often actually. Not as a matter of style, but because they work. I cant tell the difference once I'm on my bike. Socks are socks...
03-25-16, 08:46 AM
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And unlike today's clipless world where you turn your foot and you come off the bike, using these you are not coming off anything.
It's funny, but for those of use that raced in the toe clip world, we never have a problem falling when using clipless.
03-26-16, 12:02 AM
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I like blue these days. Last fall got me a pair of these.
Got some bolt-on slotted cleats from Yellow Jersey, to use with toeclips for vintage rides. I had to glue on leftover Speedplay shims to match them to the contour of the carbon sole. The cleats are even blue.
California L'eroica, I'm ready!
Got some bolt-on slotted cleats from Yellow Jersey, to use with toeclips for vintage rides. I had to glue on leftover Speedplay shims to match them to the contour of the carbon sole. The cleats are even blue.
California L'eroica, I'm ready!
03-26-16, 03:04 AM
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I love my white shoes. Super stylish.
Also, practically speaking, you want to be as visible as possible when on the trail or road. An all black outfit could be bad for your health.
Also, practically speaking, you want to be as visible as possible when on the trail or road. An all black outfit could be bad for your health.
03-26-16, 07:28 AM
#90
Senior Member
So wearing black shoes takes the guffaws out of the spectators throats when they see u riding past in your groin showing spandex bibs with your white cranium protector that looks like it came out of a 60s scifi movie with it's holes and little wings while sporting sunglasses designed by the same and a shirt that is tight enough so they can see if you have an "innie" or an "outie" and colored the most garish of colors while haveing some yellow colored yellow rubber band just above your Madonaish fingerless gloves and sporting the smooothest of freshly shaven legs? So black shoes will make all this look cool??? Sorry but that ship sailed a long time ago when you applied your lubrication to your fanny.
03-26-16, 07:50 AM
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Forget the color of the shoe for a moment. Sometimes it's the awkward mis-matching that stands out more.
Example: Contador's white / light yellow team socks with black shoes. This combo single-handededly lost him a legion of fans the past couple of seasons. Then again, it might've been his dietary intake that turned folks off. Either way, I think his footwear choices let him down. Even the pro's need our fashion advice sometimes. It's a two-way road.
Example: Contador's white / light yellow team socks with black shoes. This combo single-handededly lost him a legion of fans the past couple of seasons. Then again, it might've been his dietary intake that turned folks off. Either way, I think his footwear choices let him down. Even the pro's need our fashion advice sometimes. It's a two-way road.
03-26-16, 07:55 AM
#92
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Yeah...Roger de Vlaeminck....he was a beast in the classics. Four Paris-Roubaix wins. I had the pleasure of meeting him when I lived in Belgium.
If you want to be cool, ride in those toe clips. When you crash you can feel old school. Seriously....if you can find cleats that you can nail into a old set of shoes, you can strap in, and when you crash try to get off the bike. Then think about riding cobbles in Flanders or Paris-Roubaix in those things in the rain.
Detto Pietro bike shoes were da bomb. If you google Detto Pietro you can fine some cool photos of what that whole system looked like. It's not clipless.
Dettos also came in white.
03-26-16, 12:57 PM
#94
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03-26-16, 04:56 PM
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@bigdo13 - Care to post up a pic of Albero where his team socks can be seen more clearly in the sunlight? Either these are in the shade or the team has darker and lighter socks. I stand by my earlier comment that his black shoes look awful with his (lighter) team socks. They're as bad as sandals and socks.
03-26-16, 05:32 PM
#96
Farmer tan
Hmm, a fine 2011 vintage thread.
I don't like white shoes either, but they fit so well and black was out of stock.
Put some black toe covers on and they look like orca.
I don't like white shoes either, but they fit so well and black was out of stock.
Put some black toe covers on and they look like orca.
03-26-16, 07:08 PM
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Back in the day I used Cinelli "block" cleats. They were a molded plastic block that was contoured to fit between the side plates and over the axle of Campy pedals. They were about an inch thick. Once on the bike that was it, you weren't getting loose from the pedals. At the start of races I had to reach down and jam my foot into the clips. Really tricky on rolling start track races without a holder!
By the way, here's the first white cycling shoe my memory dregs up.
Wooden soles and all.
10-07-16, 08:56 PM
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Joe
Joe wore white shoes as a college player in the 1965 Orange Bowl.
"Namath stood out from other AFL and NFL players by wearing low-cut white shoes rather than traditional black high-tops"
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
i don't think it hurt this professionals career....
10-07-16, 09:05 PM
#99
Erik the Inveigler
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I have a pair of white DMT shoes and I love them. Also, don't be so quick to knock white shorts--they are noticeably cooler when riding in really high temps. I had a pair of white, Castelli shorts that were just fantasiic--comfortable (with extra paneling on the front to help with the "exposure" problem), and had a lot of compression. Unfortunately, I can't find them for sale anywhere or I'd buy another pair.
Wear what you want.
Wear what you want.