In a special collaborative project for the British athletes at the London Olympics, Adidas and Specialized partnered for a non-commercial cycling shoe.
With the groundwork going back several months, adidas provided R&D, studying pressure distribution on the upper as well as the sole. Specialized brought to the table their own R&D, plus years of experience with carbon fiber, cycling ergonomics and pro athlete insight.
Dubbed the Sonic, this pro-only shoe features a Specialized sole and Body Geometry footbed with BOA closures and an adidas thermobonded upper.
It is not yet known whether any of the five British men's road team riders will use the shoes in Olympic competition. Currently, Mark Cavendish uses Nike-branded shoes, Bradley Wiggins rides Bont, David Millar is on fi'zi:k, Ian Stannard wears Shimano and Chris Froome has Sidi.
Adidas approached Specialized for the American company's expertise with cycling shoes.
The sole is the same as the 2013 Specialized S-Works shoe, which was recently introduced to the world's media.
Sole by Specialized, upper by adidas
