Iâve now been riding the VeloVetta shoes for about a month, Iâd like to leave a review and share my thoughts on this product.
Iâm not sponsored, nor did I receive any pro discount. Iâm a self proclaimed âshoe snobâ and have been riding various high-level shoes since the 90âs. I had early Rocket-7 shoes, prior to that LUST super light weight climbing shoes, and some Lamson custom shoes as well. Since doing triathlon, I mostly used Shimano single strap tri shoes. I always have found I perform best in Shimano shoes, they have worked well for me in both fit and performance. Unfortunately, the Shimano triathlon shoes are clearly not aerodynamic, so as time has gone on Iâve been experimenting with other shoes. Also, my feet have changed through 20 years of running extensively, not for the better. I get lots of hot spots and struggle with most shoes on the bike. The carbon upper structure of a BONT shoe make that brand a non-starter for me, I havenât been able to use their aerodynamic shoe having tried them on knowing that option was an impossibility. As of late, Iâve been wearing the super-light LAKE CX-301 and Specialized EXOS super-soft and light upper shoe in triathlons. The Lakeâs are great, but they just donât tighten down too well. Iâd wear the Sworks EXOS, but have found them impossible to get into, especially since I like to wear shoes really tight. At 70.3 Worldâs 2 years ago, I spent 90 seconds in T1 trying to squeeze my wet feet into the EXOS, I ended up retiring them for triathlon after that event.
Onto VeloVetta, overall Iâve been 9.5/10 impressed. Iâm not sponsored or supported (at this point) in any way. I hesitated a bit to order them, but having been reading the thread for years and watching Edâs progress, I couldnât help myself. Iâm from the Obree/Boardman era of cycling where innovation was always celebrated, and anyone who starts a business from scratch and makes needed improvements to status quo, I have to support that!
My first pair were too big, I think these shoes fit 1/2 to a full size bigger than Shimano. I would be 43.5 in a Shimano tri shoe, Iâm wearing 42.5 in VeloVetta. I first ordered the black ones, when I sized down on my return I go the white ones. I think the white shoes look better, clearly they wonât age as well as the all black, but I figure it was worth it. I followed the return policy on the website and had zero problems, quick turn around all support from Ed and VeloVetta.
Likes:
-FIT- The shoe fits like a Shimano, itâs a very solid foot-locked-in-shoe feel with a firm upper, unlike any shoes Iâve been able to wear recently (due to my feet issues). This feels like a Shimano tri shoe, but clearly is much faster aerodynamically.
-AESTHETICS- They look great, I think most people would agree. Theyâre clean and mostly go unnoticed from what I gather, they fit looks-wise with other current high performance shoes.
-EASE OF ENTRY- They go on quickly, I think Ed even makes it look harder than it is on the YouTube video. They go right on, and I wear my shoes extremely tight. Closure is super-simple, itâs just one action. Iâve practiced taking them on and off while riding along, with a little practice it becomes natural really quickly.
-ADJUSTMENT- They adjust easily, Iâve gotten handy with the switch dial on the back and can do it while riding to fine-tune it, but I tend to be doing that less and less. In a pinch, Iâve just flipped the closure system out and immediately all pressure was off my foot and I was able to still ride comfortably albeit with a much looser shoe. When the ride got hard again, I flip the back closed and theyâre race-ready-tight. Itâs nice to know that option exists at any moment.
-COMFORT- Like I mentioned above, I have comfort issues in all cycling shoes at this point, but these are comfortable and have gotten more comfortable every time I wear them. I do feel that they are breaking in a bit, not all shoes do this in my experience, specifically SWORKS shoes with the patent-leather upper. Insoles are fine for me, they are removable and not glued in, so some aftermarket or custom ones could go in there, but Iâll stick with stock for now, they again feel like Shimano stock shoes.
-CLEAT POSITIONING- These shoes have a wide fore-aft adjustment, particularly the setback toward mid-foot positioning. I like my cleats âdeepâ positioned on the shoe, 1-2cm behind the ball of my foot, and these allow for that without a custom plate or anything. This is a huge plus for me, most current shoes (Specialized specifically) donât allow me to get the cleat quite far enough back to my liking.
-ERGONIMICS- The shoe seems well-built, Iâve heard the closure âwireâ has been upgraded to larger gauge since the earliest edition. This shoe seems like it should hold up well. Itâs quite simple, but also really clever how itâs engineered. Itâs also clear if the wire were to break/wear-out, it could be replaced far more easily than even a BOA, which is nice to know.
-CARBON SOLE- Most carbon soles are really stiff at this point, these are the same. With a Speedplay pedal, I donât feel the sole flex at all. I feel that the âpedal stackâ is a little lower than Shimano or Specialized. The saddle will have to be dropped 2-3mm I would guess for most people. This is well into the arena of marginal gains, but I like this, the closer the foot to the pedal, the more efficient and faster!
Dislikes:
-WEIGHT- Theyâre slightly heavy, maybe a little more than Shimano shoes. Iâm an aero and weight/weenie, I know it really doesnât matter in triathlon, but I'm aware of it and of course donât notice it at all while riding. Allow for the caveat that Iâm used to wearing ~100-150 gram per shoe cycling shoes, itâs an unfair comparison, but they are heavier than most of the shoes Iâve worn.
Lastly, and this part surprises me, now I have a some decisions to make. I will be wearing these in triathlons going forward, I think for my needs theyâre a step up in more than one category. I will have to decide if I wear them as I start road racing again. Flattish road races and criteriums? Likely! Hilly races? I may wear something else. If I get back on the track to do pursuit again, they probably would be an option. Iâm not sure how these would compare to a Shimano shoe with a good shoe cover, also I donât even know if shoe covers are UCI legal on the track anymore, I know theyâve gone back and forth on that. Anyway, all good problems to have and very happy with my shoes and excited for the future success of VeloVetta.
