Behind the Design

“This shoe is for professional riders,” Jon states, matter-of-factly. “And since they are designed to meet the demands of the pros, we spent a lot of time talking to riders on the teams that we work with, aiming to solve some of their problems.”

Feedback from those riders came in many forms but one comment that was echoed by almost all was that the lightest and stiffest shoes are never the most comfortable. “We heard from rider after rider that ultralight shoes are just not comfortable enough for back-to-back days and weeks of riding,” says Jon. “That’s why we focussed on comfort.”

POWERWEAVE UPPER

Created in partnership with a leading fabric technologist, our revolutionary Powerweave fabric raises the bar in performance cycling footwear. Commenting on the its advantages over more traditional microfibre and standard knits, Jon said: “Powerweave is perfect for cycling shoes because it is super strong and less stretchy, locking the foot in place. It also combines breathability and weather protection really well with a construction that allows excess heat to escape and a durable water repellent treatment that protects from rain and road spray.”

Better still, all of these features are packed into a single layer of fabric, which eliminates the need for an outer and a liner and ultimately creates a lighter, more comfortable shoe.

Though they’re designed for the fastest races in the world, the Pro Team Shoes have been tested at some of the longest too, so you can be sure of consistent comfort. Anton wore the shoes at the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris ultra-endurance event and several qualifiers beforehand.

“Shoes are one of those things that you don’t want to notice,” he says. “Looking back at Paris-Brest-Paris, I have no recollection of the shoes and, to my mind, that means they worked well. I had no discomfort, there were no hot spots and given that you ride around the clock through significant fluctuations in temperature, I think this reflects well on the woven upper.

One of the qualifying events I did was the Bryan Chapman Memorial, an iconic 600km in Wales. Predictably, it was one of the wettest rides I’ve ever done but the shoes didn’t let me down.”