October 12, 2024

First Look | Café du Cycliste’s first cycling shoes look like hiking boots

Café du Cycliste has a reputation for making trendy cycling kit, often using Breton stripes that make you look as if you’ve cycled through the set of a Wes Anderson film.

The brand has now released its first road cycling shoes and gravel cycling shoes.

Café du Cycliste’s press release stresses these are indeed cycling shoes, despite how they look, and the gravel shoes we’ve been sent certainly look more like hiking boots than your typical cycling footwear.

These boots are made for pedalling

You can now dress in Café du Cycliste “from head to toe”. Stan Portus / Our Media

These gravel shoes are said to be the missing piece in the brand’s style puzzle, now enabling you to dress in Café du Cycliste “from head to toe”.

The shoes look a lot more like retro hiking boots, particularly those made by Norwegian Paraboots, which have come into vogue in recent years.

The Café du Cycliste gravel shoes share a number of things in common with more fashion-conscious boots, beyond their leather uppers.

The contrast laces extend far down the shoes and are threaded through metal D-eyelets before running under metal hooks at the top of the shoes. There is also a rubberised border around the bottom of the upper. This should protect the leather upper from scrapes.

‘High performance’

There is an elastic loop to hold the lace in place. Stan Portus / Our Media

It’s not just about the looks with these shoes, according to Café du Cycliste. The brand, based in Nice, France, says the gravel shoes are “high performance”.

The leather uppers are said to be robust and comfortable, and the metal eyelets will reduce friction – and presumably wear – on the laces.

The tan outsole is made by SUPtraction, which also provides outsoles for Suplest. The rubber blend was designed for mountain terrain, according to Café du Cycliste. There is ‘Fishgrid technology’ on the heel to minimise slipping.

The rubber sole is said to be grippy. Stan Portus / Our Media

There is a 3K carbon shank beneath the outsole for rigidity to aid power transfer, and Solestar insoles are said to help with stability.

As can be expected from a gravel shoe, these shoes are compatible with two-bolt cleats.

The shoes weigh a claimed 370g in a size 43. They retail for €300.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Bionica Shoes | Tory Burch Canada | Born Shoes Canada | OOfos Shoes | Kate Spade Canada | Bates Boots | Double-H Boots | Wolverine Canada | Belleville Boots | Tony Lama Boots | LOWA Boots | Vivobarefoot Shoes | Roper Boots | Maguire Shoes | Xero Shoes Canada | Adams Shoes | Vionic Shoes | Royer Boots | Lane Boots | Coach Outlet | Hoka Shoes Canada | Samsonite Canada | Resistol Hat | Rieker Canada | Hunter Boots Canada | Nocona Boots | 511 Boots | Brahma Boots | On Cloud Schuhe | Ever Boots | Cole Haan Sneakers | Hanwag Boots | Seychelles Shoes | Mephisto Shoes | oofos shoes | born shoes | on cloud shoes | keen shoes |