From the very first day I owned the Vittoria 1976, I knew I had finally found the shoe I was looking for. I’ve been riding bikes since forever, and atop clipless pedals almost as long. I’ve had my fair share of clipless shoes- from Diadora to Sidi to Shimano. Each had their pros, but many had their cons. As a messenger, I had always desired a shoe that performed like the pro-peloton would demand, yet allow me to run in and out of buildings at great haste. The 1976 allows me just that.
The 1976 is stiff and comfortable. An oxymoron by most standards, however it performs exactly as I had always desired. An SPD compatible sole, though I ride them with Time Atacs, there is ample room for cleat engagement (a problem I have found with other shoes of recent design that seek to combine fashion and function). In no way does the sole impede the subtle float of the cleat/pedal interface. The power transfer from foot to pedal feels as though little is lost and when skidding (yes I use them in conjunction with my track bike) never do I feel like there is too much give in the body of the shoe when pulling up on the pedal.
When off the bike, I don’t feel the cleat scraping on the ground or even the push of the bolts from the cleat attachment on the ball of my foot. Too many times I’ve had a shoe where walking has ruined my cleats or I’ve gotten home and been close to incapacitated due to poor sole design of a clipless shoe. No such thing with the 1976, these are just as functional off the bike as on. In fact, even as I write this review, my feet are propped up and my 1976s are still on- no worries about my hardwood floors here!
If there is one draw back I can think of with this shoe, it’s the damn spaghetti string laces! I’m not trying to impress the prime minister here, regular sport laces would be fine. It just makes lacing up these shoes a little tough at times.
All in all, I would highly recommend these shoes. I’ve done all kinds of riding in them, from semi-casual road rides to alley cats (they helped my win the recent Coffee-Cat here in SF!)- I even did a cross race in them- and the Vittoria 1976 has proven itself a worthy shoe and well worth the money. -Fergus
Vittoria 1976 Classics available at Pushbike in White or Black. More from Fergus at Team Chica Sexy!
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