New shoes - Oh, suits you sir!

[Horacio]

I was hoping for something a little more aestheticly pleasing. I for one am hard on my cycling shoes...sweat, rain, sports drink, natural break splash...all wipe right off of my S-Works shoes. But these Rapha shoes look like they would absorb everything! So I guess the answer is get black, but black shoes in the summer in Central Ca is one hot proposition!

Maybe I'd be more moved if they were dimpled.

[bones]

Think about it. WTF is leather, any kind of leather? That's right. It's animal hide! The skin of an animal. Disgusting!

[MajorMantra]

Yeah, $450 is definitely over the line for bike shoes for me - mostly from an unproven bike shoe manufacturer.

Not really unproven, since these are just fancy Giros with a Rapha markup.

[rustychain]

Think about it. WTF is leather, any kind of leather? That's right. It's animal hide! The skin of an animal. Disgusting!

Says the guy named "BONES"

[VTBike]

Think about it. WTF is leather, any kind of leather? That's right. It's animal hide! The skin of an animal. Disgusting!

There has been no more single proven durable material for shoes and clothing over the eons that human's (and animals) have been on this earth.. Except for things now like kevlar, and crap like that.. but that doesn't count!

Yak hide? I'm in. Those Rapha shoes? I'm out.

[mattiTWOROADS]

forget Rapha... this is a smart move on Giro's part! They've just licensed the Rapha name and design - Rapha has no part in the manufacturing of the shoe.

Giro has been trying to get into the shoe market, but it in no way looked possible to compete with the likes of the other big boys at the high end like sidi, spec, etc. And on the other part of the high end market (the niche market) you have independent companies like Lake, D2, Bont, etc. - and none of their market is going to buy into a big corporation selling niche shoes like those. This seems like the only way Giro was going to be able to tap into a high ticket shoe market.

I wonder who contacted who as it seems a bit out of place (well... not really, actually...) that a company like Rapha would go with such a large company to manufacture their shoes for them. I'd have thought they would've gone with someone like a dromarti first. I guess it says a lot about the veil Rapha puts up as being a small company yet manufactures in massive overseas facilities and works with the likes of Giro. I wonder if part of the licensing will include helmets too in the near future...

[eric]

I thought Giro was already in the high end shoe market? They're not in D2's etc. market because they're not custom. Or as the same stratospheric price level.

In any case, even ignoring the baggage associated with the Rapha name there's no way I'd pay more for shoes that are both heavier and uglier than the Giros.

[mattiTWOROADS]

yeah... they are... but I question how well they are actually doing where they are positioned.

My point is that Giro is using Rapha more than Rapha is using Giro... Seems like a great way for a large corporation to attack a niche market (i.e. - D2, bont, lake, etc.). And in the end, Rapha gets their shoes AND I'm sure a nice little check for licensing their name and design.

Again, it would be interesting to know the specifics of the deal and who approached who.

[lancejohnson]

I had Yak for dinner the other week. It's good. I would imagine that with all the yak that people in Boulder are eating (at Sherpas, a popular local Restaurant) you could probably make a couple pairs of shoes from the hides. It doesn't look like it's going to set the world on fire, but it's an interesting move. The styling is well less than inspiring to me, but different strokes for different folks. I ride in D2 shoes, which aren't the sexiest thing ever, but the work pretty well for my feet...

[xnavalav8r]

This version should satisfy the fashion conscious...

http://road.cc/content/image/54830-jame ... stallation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[eric]

Arrrgh! My eyes!

[HammerTime2]

xnavalav8r, those shoes make a "fashion" statement, but the graphics serve no functional purpose. No, what they should have is shoes with maps of Pyrénéan cols. That way, if you get lost, you can look down at your shoes and figure out how to get to the next café.

[Wingnut]

Arrrgh! My eyes!

Lol...yes mine are burning too!

Seriously, what good are the yak leather uppers when the toe & heel on the carbon soles are eventually worn away from walking & constant stopping at lights?

[wath]

The inner sides of the shoes look so plain and ugly to me, definitely not "fashionable."

[Leviathan]

Arrrgh! My eyes!

Lol...yes mine are burning too!

Seriously, what good are the yak leather uppers when the toe & heel on the carbon soles are eventually worn away from walking & constant stopping at lights?

Rapha clientele dont walk or stop at lights, they "gently glide, serene and clean"