NAHBS 2010 – Dromarti, based in Somerset County in the UK countryside, introduced their new Italian leather cycling shoes and gloves, featuring some very, very supple hides. While they look like dress shoes crossed with old-school racing flats, they’re actually very technically savvy performance cycling shoes.
Let’s not kid ourselves…for $195 to $240, you’re probably not going to ride these on training and group rides, but you certainly could. And you’ll see why just after the break. But first, those gloves. They’re hand made. Yes, hand crocheted and handcut leather, and they come with that bag you see underneath them. They’re super soft. Called the “La Grande”, they’ll set you back a grande $116, but they’re probably worth it if because you spend a lot of time on the bike. (see how easy it was to justify that?)
Shoe fetish satisfied after the jump…
From left to right, you have the Storica ($240) solid leather upper and sole with grippy sections for walking and pedaling, the Race ($195) with three-bolt Look pedal attachments and the Sportive ($210) with cleats and standard SPD cleat bolt holes. The latter two have perforated uppers to help vent sweat and heat.
The Race comes with a small ridge you can attach to catch the end of your flat pedals and/or keep it from jamming all the way into your two clips and scuffing your leather. Just try to keep your friends from drooling on them until you’ve properly conditioned the leather, OK?
