Non-leather cycling shoes

I know some of you around here are vegan (ok.. I know one of you is.)

I want to get into the whole foot-hooked-up-to-the-pedals thing, but have no idea where to start.. I need somewhat comfortable shoes, preferably that I can walk in (at least for a few minutes), CHEAP and non-leather. Any ideas? Preferably with a place in London I could try them at.. And hopefully compatible with time atac's, as they seem to be quite good and just about in my budget!

I know Sidis are made or Lorica which is vegan, they are not exactly the cheapest option but you can find some used ones for cheap (once i got one pair for £16!).

Try Decathlon, they have MTB and road shoes there, nearly positive they are vegan.. plus Decathlon prices are fair.

Hi, I've just got some Shimano MT20s which look like canvas trainers and can be walked in but also have SPD fittings. Only got them yesterday but they seem good so far.

I also got some Shimano M324 pedals which have an SPD clip on one side but are flat on the other, so you can still use the bike to pop down the shops without putting your cycling shoes on.

Simon

P.S. Never thought I'd change from clips and straps but there's a few hills round here where you need all the help you can get. It was that or 'gears' ;-)

All sidi's are vegan
http://www.velouk.com/proddetail.asp?prod=62202 - these are a good deal
they have a rubber sole so easy to walk in.
you can get 10% off by putting in VeloTen at the checkout ....

Simon, don't those have leather bits though?

Roberto: thanks, I might try decathlon on my way home.. Sidi's look great, but waaaay out of budget.. I'm keeping an eye on ebay, but since I've never bought any other cycling shoes, it's a bit of a gamble with shoe sizes varying pretty wildly. Btw, I sent you an email earlier!

I had assumed they were fake leather, sorry. I'll check when I get home and let you know...

cheers :) It's a bit hard to say if there's no tag with the materials.. Most shops say they're mesh and "split leather", which can be both animal or synthetic..

Yeah, shimano MT20s use leather. Can def recommend the Decathlon shoes. Got a pair of Sport 400s for £20, nice fit, SPD, Stiff sole, but can walk in them, & totally vegan. I believe all their cycling shoes are vegan. They do some more 'casual' type shoes (Not SPD) and I think some MTB ones.

Scrapper All sidi's are vegan
http://www.velouk.com/proddetail.asp?prod=62202 - these are a good deal
they have a rubber sole so easy to walk in.
you can get 10% off by putting in VeloTen at the checkout ....

there quite cheap!! im tempted:)

ummmmm well nice!

are those the indoor ones aidan? they do look nice! wonder it they'd last though..

Thanks Tris, I didn't manage to check decathlon last night but will do today.. £20 is a bargain!

Yeah don't get the indoor ones they are not really designed for outdoor use.
those bullets are a great deal you won't find any cheaper

yeah, they seemed nice and a good price as well, but they don't have my size :|

yeah they are indoor shoes....they do look nice tho!......i dont what sidi's with stupid colours on them...like bowling shoes

You will be probably be able to get dragons etc cheap in September once the new versions arrive
(if anyone has sizes left)

Has anyone ever heard anything about Viper shoes?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20181

Sorry to piss on your parade, but aren't all these things gonna be made using glue? Glue is made of bones right?

Not necessarily. There are synthetic glues available, which are generally used with synthetic fabrix (It seems to work more consistently than animal-derived glue and manmade fabrics).

I'm trying to get an email address for the company so that I can email them and ask about the manufacture. Just seeing if anyone knows anything about them/whether they're worth it in the first place.

Failing that it'll have to be a pair of Sidis but I'm trying to do this on the cheap :]

I sit corrected

Thanks though, you'd be amazed the amount of so-called-vegans who don't pay attention to this :]

Nevermind, I just had an afterwork accident with my credit card, involving Condor and some Sidi Dominators.

They last ages so it's money well spent.

That's good to hear.

I know I could have got them cheaper if I wasn't me and would wait for mail order. That said I've just done my first ride on them and the power transfer is noticably better than the 661 mountain bike shoes that I had been using.

So pasta is all I can afford to eat for the rest of the month but it seems worth it already :]

How about human skin? Has anyone tried making clippy-inny shoes out of man-hide, sort of Leatherface stylee.