VeloKicks

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Tinea Pedis
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by Tinea Pedis

G'day all. Not sure if this should go in here or the Intro section, but what the hell. Here it is.

Wanted to share a project that - when I started it - I truly had no idea where it would go. Started as an Instagram account because (surprise surprise) I like shoes and I like cycling. That was nearly two years ago. December of last year it had around 25,000 followers and I had the rough idea of getting the odd shoe painted and was going to sell it via the page. That was until I had a few bottles of red with a very good mate - told him about it - and he said "...sounds complicated. Why don't we design and make shoes?".

Now, 10 months and more work that I ever imagined later, we have launched VeloKicks. The aim is to offer a range of shoes that are not run of the mill. Yep, one of them is white. As plain as can be. But the idea behind our Blanco is that it's a blank canvas. A surface perfect to go nuts creating on. Or, very soon, laying up a range of decals we have been creating. That way when the decals get a little old, peel off. Clean down the shoe. Reapply and they're looking dapper again. Some of my mates just want crisp white kicks, that's ok too.

The seasonal releases will be limited runs of unique designs. Not all as loud as the first one. And certainly one open to input from any and all (including WW members). If there's a design you would love to see on the shoes, hit me up. If someone comes up with a great design (or lays it down on a Blanco) we're also offering a commission on sales if we then use it as a future seasonal design.

Basically the flexibility of where we can take the brand is pretty limitless. It's just good old me and a mate having some fun and looking to jazz up the kicks we get around in. Which a small and amazingly talented group of creatives have already been doing, I hasten to add.

The shoes themselves wear a lot better than I admittedly thought they would. The laceup is much better on longer rides than my Sub6 and the Season 1 feels like an older version of SWorks. Only with a little more volume (at my request). Both importantly accommodate a cycling orthotic. And I have plans to do Adam Hansen-esque shoes too. But one thing at a time.


Anyways, thoughts, likes, dislikes, trolling, anything. Fire away. Won't be to everyone's liking, which is cool. If running the VeloKicks Insta has taught me anything it's that there are a lot of sweet kicks out there. Enjoy.


Image

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And more pics on the gram. Give us a follow as the best way to stay up to date.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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micky
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by micky

Been a follower from long but didnt know there was you behind it.
Goodluck with the new project! :thumbup:

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Stolichnaya
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by Stolichnaya

The IG feed is amazing. Inspired me to brush my own old set of Empires (came out pretty bad, I'll leave it to you professionals from now on.) Further success to you and Velokicks!

Broady
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Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:02 pm

by Broady

Yeah, I too follow on Instagram, good to see the project going strong. As a massive fan of sneakers and bikes I've always fancied having a go at something like this myself.

Had my custom painted to match my favourite Nikes - https://i.imgur.com/WMZ6cqF.jpg

jever98
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by jever98

Great project, all the best of luck with it. Unfortunately, with big ass feet (50) and mid-foot cleat to keep my saddle low, I'm definitely not the target group. If you can accommodate weird requests like this in the future, let me know and I'll order :)
----
No longer in the industry

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silvalis
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by silvalis

cool
any plans to have shops stock for sizing tests?
Chasse patate

ddsg
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:30 pm

by ddsg

Awesome looking shoes. Will definitely consider them once I work my way through my current shoes.

jorryt
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by jorryt

Very nice!

peted76
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by peted76

Also been following on IG.. good on ya for giving this a blast.

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Tinea Pedis
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by Tinea Pedis

silvalis wrote:cool
any plans to have shops stock for sizing tests?

That depends on shops. At this time we are truly too small to be able to consider that. All my size testing dummies are finding sizes are consistent with S-Works, so that's what we are running with.


jever, not sure about a 50 in the normal shoes :shock: but maybe once we start with carbon fibre. Each additional size will cost us around $2,000 AUD each. So it'll be a slow process of increasing our size ranges. Frustrating. But all part of the process I guess.


Also, cheers to all who have been following the account. Your reactions are probably the same as mine to some of the incredible art crew are producing on shoes. These are still the most mind blowing

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVZB0XeDatf ... =velokicks

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

I am sure you have consulted with many business professionals but I'll ad my 2 cents: the exterior designs will certainly be an important differentiator in the market that will attract customers. Ultimately though, it will be the quality of the shoe (in some cases relative to price) that will determine your long term success. Unlike many fashion items, cycling shoes are first and foremost a critical piece of sporting equipment and no amount of aesthetic originality and attractiveness will overcome an under-performing product. You raised some comparisons to Specialized and indeed their shoes are useful benchmark. The standard of the materials they use, the quality of construction, and the resulting performance need to be viewed as the the standard that will keep you in the game.

Good luck. With the right moves there is no reason you cannot build a great brand and a great company.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

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Tinea Pedis
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by Tinea Pedis

Many thanks for the feedback. You've been on here a long time and seen a lot come and go, so appreciate the thoughts.

Mr.Gib wrote:Ultimately though, it will be the quality of the shoe (in some cases relative to price) that will determine your long term success. Unlike many fashion items, cycling shoes are first and foremost a critical piece of sporting equipment and no amount of aesthetic originality and attractiveness will overcome an under-performing product.

I'm 14 years now as a qualified Podiatrist, I didn't need business types to give me the skinny when it comes to this (but have had consultants help with our set up all the same). I wouldn't have cared how good they looked if the fit and performance was rubbish. Which they certainly are not. I'd like to try and not be biased, my first rides with them were just me praying "please don't be shit!" (in the expectation they could very well be). Performed well above expectations. Which were honestly not very high. You could argue this is still a form of bias, but it's the best I've got :lol:

Thankfully I've also got some honest testing crew around me and they too have also been positively surprised at how well the shoes perform. And I instructed them to be brutally honest. This is not to say there hasn't been changes made (there has) as components have not been up to scratch. The aim is to have shoes that perform really well, look sweet and are at a price point that most can afford. They're not going to be the first ever pair of shoes someone buys who has just started cycling, rather an add on to an existing collection.

I'm also not planning on giving up my day job. Which I think is important. As that removes the pressure for this to be a huge financial success. So long as we are having some fun (and I keep expanding my shoe collection :-D ) then that is all that matters.

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silvalis
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by silvalis

Tinea Pedis wrote:
silvalis wrote:cool
any plans to have shops stock for sizing tests?

That depends on shops. At this time we are truly too small to be able to consider that. All my size testing dummies are finding sizes are consistent with S-Works, so that's what we are running with.


Well, you said "orthotics" so I was hoping you'd throw some at (eg) cobra9 for size testing. Probably won't work for me though, as the only ones I've found that do work so far are wide lakes.
Chasse patate

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Tinea Pedis
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by Tinea Pedis

Well I'm a Podiatrist - and my boss, who rides, has his PhD in Podiatry. So not sure I need to be throwing free kicks at Cobra9 for their thumbs up just yet. Happy to work with them of course. But in terms of budget to be giving away shoes, there is none.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

This is pretty awesome. Admittedly I do not follow your Instagram (actually I don't follow any cycling related stuff on Instagram), I took a look and was impressed. Hope this works out into a massive success!

(also, because this is WW - any verified mass numbers for common sizes? ;) )
Exp001 || Other projects in the works.

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