Adidas has today released the Velosamba, a two-bolt clipless (clip-in) version of its Samba casual shoe, which is one of the most iconic shoes in streetwear.
The shoe is the brand’s first ever cycling-specific casual shoe and comes hot on the heels of The Road Shoe launch in December.
That shoe marked the brand’s overall re-entry into the cycling footwear market after a 15-year hiatus.
A classic reimagined
The Velosamba is, in the brand’s words, “a recoding of an iconic Adidas silhouette into cycling”.
Outwardly, you would be hard-pushed to tell it is even a cycling shoe – it really does look much like the classic Samba.
Starting from the bottom up, the natural rubber outsole of the Velosamba is the same as found on the Samba, but the shoe features a full-length nylon insole to increase stiffness.
The upper is made from a coated leather, which is said to be water-resistant.
The three stripe pattern on the shoe – Adidas’s signature design – is made from a reflective material to improve low-light visibility.
The Velosamba is available in four different colours: black, cream, acid yellow (our pick of the bunch) and navy.
The Velosamba is available exclusively from Adidas for £100 / $120 / €120.
A hint of more to come from Adidas?
At the time of the launch of The Road Shoe, Adidas was clear it was taking its re-entry into the cycling market seriously, and hinted that we should expect more from the brand going forward.
The brand also stressed that the shoe was targeted at the “young and burgeoning generation of [new] cyclists”.
With that in mind, the launch of the Velosamba should come as no surprise – cycling has experienced a boom in popularity over the past year and enormous brands such as Adidas will be keen to cash in on the growth.
Whether Adidas will move into the ‘serious’ enthusiast sphere or make a re-entry into the professional peloton seems unlikely at this stage – the focus appears to be on the entry-level and commuter market, but we will certainly be watching the brand closely.
