It recently occurred to me that I’ve been somewhat neglectful to my downhill biker brethren. Most of the miles I log are in the city, so I must apologize for my inherent bias towards urban cycling. This weeks design is an attempt to remedy that with a beefy, straightforward downhill riding sneaker for those out there who would rather dodge trees than MBTA buses. 

I started this design with a sectional sole, featuring a rubber cupsole forefoot for maximum durability and an inset compression molded EVA midsole in the back. The rubber outsole has directional teeth in the heel and toe area for traction and the flex area has deep multi-directional grooves molded into the sole.

The rear quarter of the upper features a high abrasion synthetic heel piece joined via closed seam with a textile collar and eyestay overlay. This would essentially make the rear quarter of the shoe one stable indestructible piece while preserving a soft comfortable collar. 

The toecap is a stitch-and-turn construction using the same high abrasion synthetic as the heel. This would prevent the stitching from fraying over time while preserving the classic toe overlay shape. I wanted this design to look and feel tough, without adding a bunch of unnecessary layers. Many of the competitor downhill shoes that I have seen are constructed from multiple pieces of durable but highly insulating material. Aside from the medial quarter underlay for stability, there are very few extraneous material pieces on this design.

For the first post of the new year I decided to go back to basics. Using elements from a previous thumbnail sketch, I whipped up a clean, low-cut versatile bike sneaker for bombing around the city. I started with a simple blucher construction with a low cut sidewall. I then incorporated a classic court style toe on the cupsole to fit snug with slide in pedal clips. 

The upper features a continued evolution of my initial branding elements. The lateral stripe has a slightly faster pitch than the absolute perpendicular stripe of previous designs. The logo execution is a small woven label flag stitched under the lateral eyestay. I think the asymmetrical design of this concept adds some dynamism without pushing it far outside of the aesthetic I’ve developed so far. 

The mesh underlays are constructed from a breathable spacer mesh on the quarter joined via closed-seam with a tight single layer textile at the collar. In addition to adding comfort and breathability, the two contiguous meshes will add substantial material depth. 

After taking some vacation time in the Pacific Northwest and coming back to a tornado of insane deadlines, we’re back with some sneaker ideation. Here are a few sketches from my moleskine that I worked on while in transit. There was one thumbnail that I thought could work for an update to my previous clipless bike design so I did a quick marker sketch in a larger scale.

I was so pleased with my previous marker sketch that I couldn’t wait to get it into Illustrator. While I had to finesse a few lines and I changed the logo to a tonal deboss, there wasn’t really a whole lot else I felt compelled to change. 

I slimmed out the outsole slightly and increased the radius of the soleplate edge to provide smoother action when worn with bike clips. One of my biggest complaints about vulcanized rubber shoes is how the 90 degree edge of the sole base is always creating friction when you go to slide your foot into the clip. Those few seconds of fumbling are a giant pain in the ass when you’re trying to take a left at a busy intersection. The slim vamp and minimal toe will allow flawless clip function while the top half of the shoe can have the tongue popped for stylish city riding.

The name is a nod to the pot hole riddled avenue of death which I ride the most.

My previous attempt at a ladies sneaker yielded some very interesting feedback. I had always assumed that the low-cut vintage canvas style was universally appreciated. Instead, the reception from the women I know revealed a deep split between those who love the high contrast color and tom-boy aesthetic of a vulcanized canvas shoes, and others who would never think of wearing a pair of shoes with a thick white rubber midsole and toecap.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a crack at a basic women’s urban biking/athletic shoe. I started from a basic running silhouette with a thin molded midsole and low collar height. My main goal while designing this shoe was to keep the detail count to a minimum while still achieving a unique and branded design.

The toecap, eyestay and heel counter are intended to be suede, as in my experience it’s the most durable leather for the consistent abrasion of pedal toe clips. The quarter underlay is a breathable mesh in the forefoot joined by closed seam with a tight weave single layer textile in the heel for stability. I chose to include a T-toe style toecap for better pedal clip coverage and structural support for the mesh vamp.