cyclotoine

Does anyone know if these actually have a reinforced rigid sole?

I a nerd a$$ road biker and triathlete, but I just want a freaking shoe with a rubber sole that I can fit in toe clips and not look like a nard off the bike and walk in and out of a store. I don't need to walk more than 100meter at a time.

I have tried to buy vintage shoes but they are impossible to find with a rubber sole or are completely deteriorated in some respect (cracked vinyl, disintegrated padding etc...)

I need a stiff shoes! My foot kills when I ride in anything without a shank, due to a fallen arch from standing on my right leg for 10 years as it use to be an inch shorter (now the left has been shortened to match... no kidding I have femoral shortening orthopedic surgery).

No I do not want to use SPDs.. I have SPDs and campy pro-fit and platforms and every kind of pedal for every kind of bike, MTB, cross, road, track, fixed, randonneur, touring city fixed etc etc.., but I just want to use clips and straps on my fixed gear which I ride daily and yes I have vintage leather vittorias which I use on my track bike... well used to anyway.

I have a pair of Pony MX77's and they are great looking, full leather, confortable etc and I have had the cobbler put 3/4 shanks in them 4 times! each shoe... I break one after the other... it's not a solution.

So my options are:

Shell out over $300 for maressi's from europe guessing on the size
get the chromes which are ugly and get bad reviews..
vans super corsa?

I have discovered board lasted climbing approach shoes are great for platforms but they do not fit into toe clips and straps.

please discuss.

bmcginn

the supercorsa has a perforated leather upper. I have a pair of them, and they are not the shoes vans marked as a riding shoe I believe. If they are I haven't ridden in them. The leather is fairly thin and they are just as bendy as my eras and authentics, which is what I usually ride in. I believe they made an era in a fixed edition.

https://nicekicks.com/2008/10/vans-era-fixed-gear-pack/

ToeCutter66

I usually ride in Sperry Slip-ons, with my prescription orthotics. They drastically shorten the life of the shoe, but I can find them on sale for less than $20.

ADSR

I've been having good luck with Asics Onitsuka Tigers. Have you thought about getting a pedal that's more friendly to a soft-soled shoe? An MKS GR-9 set will be a LOT cheaper, given the prices you're talking about.

FrenchFit 

I don't know about Vans supercorsa, but I have been satisfied with another shoe for years, but unfortuneately...they are ... white. I ride wearing Adidas Nastase Tennis shoes. Leather, stiff sole, very light, no heel, about $60. I think they are two types, the ones I buy are the classic white/dark navy. A little hard to find in stores, I end up ordering them from a Zappo kind of online vendor. The design is 20+ years old, and extremely comfortable.

My only complaint, they get can hot. Otherwise, about 1000% better than spd imho assuming you are using a powergrip or trap system, ( I use both)..

ichitz

i just saw this:

says "The Veja Cyclope sneaker has a hard wearing sole of 25 mm which allows for high performance fixed gear cycling, while the front of the sneakers has been strengthened by a leather yoke to increase foot protection."

dun actually know how it is. But it's on preorder now
https://www.paper-scissor-stone.co.uk...yclope-in-Red/

bmcginn

doesn't look very grippy if it gets wet.

I run gr-9s with vans or sperrys. They work well. very comfortable. only complaint is when it gets wet they are some what slippery

ianjk

Just get a hiking shoe/boot IMO.

Might not be super fashionable, but usually stiff as heck, full of tread, and tough as nails.

Plus, if you get waterproof, your feet will be happy.

FixMe

I ride MKS GR-9s and wear Adidas Samba 80s or Classics, Nike Tiempos, or Vans Authentics or Eras. Definitely a good combo, especially coupled with some double straps. Even good when they get a little wet.

The Tiempos have been my best luck with shoes so far because the sole is a little stiffer so you definitely get a lot more out of your pedal. Vans soles are really soft, so you probably want to stay away from them. Maybe even look into the Adidas Samba that's fixed gear specific, and the Nike Tiempo that is fixed gear specific. Nike did a program where they collaborated with riders like Super Ted, Massan, and a few other guys. Both the Adidas and Nike fixed gear specific have a reinforced midsole. ALSO, just remembered that DVS is putting out the Milan CTC in May. It's a collab with Cadence. Reinforced midsole and toe, lace protectors, should be pretty sick.

erichsia

Adidas Samba. Just the regular kind. Stiffer sole (since it's original purpose was for in-door soccer), leather upper for a measure of water repellancy, classic sneaker looks.

ADSR makes a good point about getting a pedal more suited to soft soled shoes. GR-9's can be had for $20.

ichitz

I'm not as good on the history of Nike, but Adidas Samba is intended as an indoor soccer shoe since the 1950s. Though a lot of FG riders seem to like them, they are in no way intended as fixed gear specific.

EDIT: doh! too late

TejanoTrackie 

This is what I use

FixMe

Ichitz, there's actually a program with Nike and Adidas where they make fixed gear specific versions of the indoor soccer shoes. The Adidas Sambas have a cog or something on the tongue, and the Nike program did the collabs with the riders. You can Google "Nike Tiempo Fixed Gear" or anything along those lines and it should pop up, same with the Adidas Samba. I just use the Samba 80, it has a shorter tongue than the classic Samba. And like someone stated, they have a stiffer insole because they are for indoor soccer, but they do ride super nice and you can pick them up for around 55 bucks, and they pedals you can scoop for 20 or 25 at some places. Not a bad setup for $75 ya know?

ichitz

Ha! Did not know that. Learn something new everyday

Palaber

The Vans Supercorsa are not good riding shoes, way too soft soles. Onitsuka Tigers often have very stiff soles. They even make a bike orientated model, tha Keirin 400. But my Ultimate 81 has stiffer soles that my Keirin 400, they are both good for riding tough.

HandsomeRyan

Well, there went my advice.

bionnaki

skateboard grip tape on the pedals.

Catnap 

I have a pair of black Vans Supercorsas and I'm pretty happy with them.

Pros:

- very classy look, vintage cycling appeal
- stiff sole
- great airflow to your foot when riding
- comfortable for all day wearing

Cons:

- leather is thin and shows wear quickly (after 1-3 months of riding)
- good airflow means they're no good for winter or rainy day riding

I would definitely recommend them. However, an Adidas Samba or Vans slip-on is just as good, more durable, and cheaper. The Supercorsa's on the other hand have that great vintage cycling shoe look to them.

also - I have a pair of Duegi Italian touring shoes with wood insoles. they are much stiffer and all-around better than the Supercorsas, but are uncomfortable off the bike and won't work as an every day shoe. They are also pretty rare and hard to find.

JohnDThompson 

This is what I use:

bionnaki

https://www.chromebagsstore.com/shoes.html

We wanted tough shoes we could wear every day – not just on our bikes. Here they are. Like our bags, we make them with the toughest and most industrial materials we could find and build them to last.

* Made of our Weatherproof 1,000 denier Cordura with back-padding
* 100% vulcanized construction
* Low profile design to better fit into a toe cage
* Re-enforced nylon/glass fiber shank to support the midsole
* Board lasted sole to eliminate pedal hot spot
* Skid resistant contact rubber on the sole
* Polyurethane contoured crash pad insole
* Durable rubber heel cup with reflective safety hit
* Lace garage so laces don’t get caught in your chain
* Steel aglets to keep laces from fraying

NinetiesKid

Toms all the way!

GR9s. They've held up well the past 3 or 4 months to daily riding, horrible weather, and grinding up hills.

mrvile

I was always under the impression that Sambas and Tigers were "the" shoes for toeclips because of the sole...stiff, yes, but also they don't stick out and climb up the side of the shoe like, say, Vans or Chuck Taylors do. I always find Vans and Chucks awful for clips because the soles crack pretty early on as they get broken in, right around where the shoes bend as you walk. That crack always interferes with getting in/out of clips.

NateRod

I was using some old Puma indoor soccer shoes and they were working perfectly for me. I recently bought myself these Onitsuka Tigers



I've found it a bit hard to clip on with them occasionally. Maybe it's because they're wider at the front than the pumas and I probably need to loosen up my straps a bit. I will say this... once I'm finally clipped in and pedaling, they feel like a charm. Oh and I'm using MKS GR9's

cyclotoine

As stated in my original post, not gonna cut it, doesn't really work in clips and straps.

yeah I know about GR-9s I'm just really attached to my superbe pros.

Even a shoe with a stiff sole isn't going to cut it, i need a full on shank or reinforcement.

We should all be so lucky to score a pair.

Can't exactly stop at the grocery store and liquor depot with ease can we?


All in all though there is some good advice, shoes I've never heard of and fixed gear specific models I didn't know about. Gonna check some of that out... I think I may do some hacksaw modifications to the cages on my suntour pedals as well so the lip is only about 3mm or so.

badonis

I've tried to ride in my Toms, and it's just painful for me. You really ride in them?