I know everyone's into riding in Vans but for me, I've found their flimsy soles and thin toe-boxes to be a pain. Literally. I've had my feet bruised from riding in them before and people here in NY have developed tendinitis in the tops of their feet. The kinds of strain people develop from wearing shoes with inappropriate support in most athletic circumstances.
About 6 months ago, I sprained my ankle. Once it got better, I starting riding in Nike SB mids. SB is Nike's skateboarding line. The shoes have more padding, a stiffer insole and more commonly now, Kevlar toeboxes to reduce wear. I don't want you to think I'm getting paid by Nike to say this. I'm well aware of the issues people have with the company, so just know this; pretty much any shoe directed at skateboarding with a vulcanized / EVA sole / outsole will be stiffer than a gum sole. Multiple brands address those issues. This stiffness is crucial in a riding shoe.
I'm in love with them. My feet have never been sore, they fit in a variety of foot retention systems and I've got ample ankle support. I know not everyone is into the mid basketball shoe look, which is why I'm posting about the SB Veloce [hmmmm where do I know that word from?].
They're Nike's new spin on their older Air Max shoes turned into the SB brand. They have the stiffest sole I've ever felt in a Nike, Kevlar sides, a meshed tongue for breathability and a leather toebox.
I think I found my ideal summer shoe.
They're available at CCS now in four colorways; black and white, gray and neon green, turqoise and black, red white and black.
Pics via Flatspot and CCS.
Comments
i blogged about this shoe. ive been riding sb classics and dunk lows for a while and they hold up nice. i actually am on the fence about the veloce. you should check out the new janoski pro sneaker. vulc sole=BUTTERY.
Posted by: J.mik | May 11, 2009 12:15 PM
shoes match bikes.
Posted by: chris | May 11, 2009 12:20 PM
Hey, we also have the SB line at Tactics, a local shop run out of Eugene Oregon that happens to be a pretty big online retailer. A lot of us who work there ride fixed gears too... check us out!
www.tactics.com
Posted by: Luke | May 11, 2009 12:27 PM
do these fit more like an air max or sb? sb's kill my feet. air max are the only nike that fit me well. but i've found that air max's kinda suck for riding cause with the high arch and high heel support it feels like i'm coming outta my clips.
Posted by: jordang | May 11, 2009 12:29 PM
hey i know on flickr you kept telling me to buy more bike parts and less shoes but this might be the time that i can help haha
http://theshoegame.com/articles/nike-zoom-stefan-janoski-sb-09-releases.html
the Stefan Janoski pro model just dropped and its fucking nice its a low cut shoe but the sole is way way way stiffer than any vans i have ever ridden the shoe all around feels like amazing i also heard the Veloce is just an ok shoe for skate... and had a horrid ware test but let me know how this goes
Posted by: nick pregler | May 11, 2009 12:31 PM
Moon boots.
Posted by: Mayfield | May 11, 2009 12:34 PM
not to be rude, but nike really is an evil company. a good example is their purchase of converse. converse used to be manufactured in the usa and you could purchase them for 20$, but after nike purchased them the price soared to 40$ and they were immediately switched to being manufactured in china. its not just that, but the quality of their shoes changed as well. when made in the usa i noticed that a pair of converse would last me at least a year, and when i purchased a pair after nike bought them they lasted about two months before being far too ridden with holes to rely on. not to mention all the human rights laws nike has violated in their factories. ive always found adidas to be much less evil, and far better at making shoes. as common as it is, i find the samba to most reliable.
Posted by: keenan | May 11, 2009 12:52 PM
i find skate shoes to be too thick and padded which gets annoying in the cages.
Posted by: DAN | May 11, 2009 1:02 PM
These fit more like slimmer-heeled Air Maxes than clunky marshmallow skate shoes. The elongated toe fits nicely in toeclips and the extra padding feels great too.
Keenan, a lot of things are manufactured in China. Things you probably own and use on a daily basis... Just saying. I don't want this to turn into a "slaveshop" "evil corporation" debate!
Posted by: prolly | May 11, 2009 1:15 PM
I've gone to putting in stiffer insoles when I go for long rides. I hate being in the middle of the midwest with access to the "limited" shit vittoria or any of the other cycling companies put out. I need a cycling shoe sans cleat...make one widely available that doesn't look like a fucking hiking boot!
Posted by: TD | May 11, 2009 1:19 PM
Perhaps to diffuse the sweat shop debate, a friend of mine did his Master's thesis on globalization's effects on labor conditions. I saw him wearing Nikes one day and asked him about it, and he said, "Yeah, you're not really going to find an untainted shoe in the United States. They're all either sweat shop made or their component parts are sweat shop made."
Posted by: Robot | May 11, 2009 3:50 PM
I've been riding in Veloce's for the last 3 months after only riding in Vans. These kick arse. Stiff, light, and the soles still nice and thin. Plus the leather upper is alot more forgiving than the canvas Vans. Nice pick.
Posted by: Chris | May 11, 2009 4:22 PM
that shoe is not vulcanized.
if it's a skate shoe, it's going to be vulcanized, or an EVA midsole... EVA (like your nike up top) is stiffer than any vulc.
Posted by: Drawler | May 11, 2009 9:00 PM
the tops of my feet have been bruising up like a mu'fucker lately... i definitely need something more padded to ride in. never worn anything other than vans and chucks...
Posted by: Sihrc | May 12, 2009 10:15 AM
tendonitis? from riding a fixed gear bike and doing tricks? you have to be kidding?
Posted by: mike | May 12, 2009 2:12 PM
I haven't gotten tendinitis, but other people have. People who don't do tricks but work on their bikes all day. Messengers in NYC, like you "used to be".
All that's happened to me is bruising on the bottoms of my feet from thin soles and doing stair gaps / drops.
Posted by: prolly | May 12, 2009 2:15 PM
I have drifted to the Half Cab Pro and the AVE Skate Low Vans, which both offer more padding (but not too much) and a slightly beefier version of the gum sole. There are some Vault and Syndicate Vans (like the Gabe Morford ones) that have harder soles for biking.
I also found that when I switched from MKS (various) pedals to Odyssey Twisted pedals, that my feet didn't hurt on the bottom or get torn up anymore (I thought you were riding these too).
Posted by: ez | May 12, 2009 6:18 PM
i tried some on and they felt uncomfortably snug on the sides. were the like that for you and just loosened up or what? are they pretty comfortable off the bike too?
Posted by: a | June 24, 2009 1:54 AM