Quoc Pham Cycling Shoes have been around for several years, but we hadn’t really gotten around to them in much detail, really only mentioning them in passing and in their collaboration with Ergon on a unique Bavarian leather grip. They are a small UK-based company intent on bringing classic styling and hand-lasting to high-performing cycling shoes. Working primarily with full leather uppers, they have developed a line of traditional-looking shoes for urban cycling and touring that don’t shout bike shoes, allowing them to blend in off the bike while offering efficient functionality while pedaling. This goal of an all-day cycling shoe has led them to develop some great looking shoes that we wouldn’t have expected to be SPD-compatible at first.
We got the chance to chat briefly with company director Quoc Pham at the Berlin Bike Show about his eponymous shoes and their motivations, to have a look at their first non-leather offerings, and talk about what they have in the works. Step past the fold for some detail shots, their typical pricing, and some more info…
Quoc Pham has a self-proclaimed “fetish for fine shoes” and has been working to bring together modern materials with classic leather shoemaking techniques. With design and testing from their head office in a London suburb and manufacture in Taiwan, they have come from a simple lace-up for pedals and clips to a much broader offering. These Black classic leather Tourer shoes take the base lace-up and add a lugged sole and fully-recessed clipless pedal compatibility. The honey-hued Tan Urbanite-Low builds off more of a sneaker aesthetic or street styling, while still including their standard reinforced midsole for an efficient pedaling platform and full clipless pedal compatibility. All of their leather shoes have a full-leather upper, including leather linings, natural cork + EVA insoles, and have 3M reflective details for added visibility.
We really like the Tourer as it shows how a classic design can nicely be adapted to contemporary mixed-use applications. I definitely know a few closet luddites who could get behind a pair of these. Pricing for their shoes seems pretty reasonable when compared to other top-quality cycling shoes. These Tourers retail for 160£/$240, while the flat pedal version, named Fixed, are 130£/$170. The Mid and Low Urbanites above run 180£/$250 and 170£/$250, respectively.
The brand new shoes they were showing off in Berlin were Quoc Pham’s first departure away from leather, with a reinforced woven nylon urban line geared specifically towards taking the abuse of hardcourt bike polo, hence the name. The shoes keep the reinforced clipless sole and relective details of the leather offerings, but add no maintenance durability and padding to the upper, most prominent over the ankle in the mid-height boot, designed to protect the street rider and polo player. Both heights are available in black only and sell for a cheaper 160£/$200 and 150£/$190.
Outside of their current offerings, Pham showed us this upcoming suede Chukka which will be available soon in at least this all black version and a tan/reddish brown with the white sole. It will use the same tech as and finishing as the Urbanite and should have similar pricing. We liked the look of the three current soles: the flat sole of the Fixed, the sneaker sole of the Urbanite and Hardcourt, and the lugged sole of the Tourer. But what was even more interesting was a fourth sole they are working on. Pham says he is on at least the 7th generation of a reinforced road sole they are developing, as he works to meld functionality and usability to a new leather road lace-up. He says he still has a little ways to go, but we will be anxiously awaiting news on this one.
