The use of 3D printing has become commonplace in the cycling industry for good reason: the technology allows designers to produce complex shapes and products that may not be possible otherwise (or at least not financially viable). In spite of that, the cycling industry still has yet to crack the true potential of 3D printing with completely custom products, made with the exact measurements to fit one customer: you.
That seems to be where German sports equipment manufacturer, HEZO comes into play. Hezo has developed a personalized cycling shoe production system that creates custom footwear using 3D printing technology and smartphone-based foot scanning. The company, originally founded as Gegenwind Sport GmbH in February 2022, uses an app-based foot scan to collect 1,000 data points with a claimed 1-millimeter accuracy, which feeds into proprietary fitting software that uses algorithms to produce individually tailored cycling shoes.
The company’s manufacturing process employs FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printing with recyclable materials designed for lightweight, modular construction and high performance.
HEZO’s first product, the Helu One, was the result of co-founder Helen Wiehr’s 2018 product design thesis and launched in December 2022. The three-person founding team includes Wiehr (Master of Industrial Design), Carsten Kaldenhoff (Master of Engineering and former competitive cyclist), and Dr. Nils Hasler (PhD in Computer Science).
Since then, the brand has gone on to introduce three new shoes: the Wolfland 01 for gravel cycling, the Helu Two Carbon and Helu 03 for road cycling, plus recovery slides called Oasis. The shoes feature a zero-drop design with expanded toe room, which claims to prevent foot numbness during rides. Customers create 3D foot scans using HEZO’s mobile app to take three photographs, which the company’s software uses to digitally customize each shoe’s fit. The manufacturing process eliminates the need for traditional insoles through precise contouring to individual foot shapes.
The custom-fit shoes will be most appreciated by cyclists with specific foot anatomy requirements (you won’t need your orthotic insoles anymore), but all cyclists should see improved performance and comfort with a perfect fit. The company produces its footwear in Germany, and says their construction is “like an onion.” Inside is a 3D printed TPU foam inner shoe that adapts to your foot shape, which is then wrapped in a 3D-printed MonoShell, which is the rigid exterior of the shoe. The Wolfland and Helu 03 use a polypropylene plastic filament for the MonoShell, while the Helu 02 uses PA6 carbon filament for increased rigidity. All models close with a Fidlock Winch magnetic closure. The MonoShell also has an Aero Dimple texture printed right in, because why not?
That modular construction also results in some unique features for the shoes. The inner liners are washable, recyclable, and completely replaceable should you wear them out. The same goes for the MonoShell, you can replace it if it gets damaged, but you can also easily replace the Foot Caps or tread caps when they wear out by plugging in a new one. The Foot Caps (as well as the inner shoe and non-carbon MonoShells) are also available in multiple colors, so you can customize your shoe.
One of the many benefits of 3D printing is that Hezo can operate without inventory, manufacturing shoes only after orders are placed. However, that does mean you’ll be waiting quite a bit longer for your shoes than for something available off the shelf. Hezo states that most shoes will take 8-12 weeks for completion – 6-8 weeks of that is just waiting for a printing slot to open up. The production of the shoe itself is said to take 2 weeks.
The company offers a 60-day trial period and reports 97% customer satisfaction rates. Pricing starts at 249 Euro for the Wolfland 01 gravel shoe, and tops out at 359 Euro for the newest Helu 02 Carbon road shoe.
