Retrofitz Makes Any Shoe Clipless, Offers DIY Cleat System
Retrofitz is a new company that focuses on taking any pair of shoes and modding them for clipless bike use. Shown above is a DIY conversion system they sell for $50 that includes two nylon plates, a few bolts and an instruction manual. It makes any shoe compatible with SPD, TIME offroad, Crank Brothers, Ritchey, and Speedplay Frogs.
They’re not going to be stiff, but neither were the Pearl Izumi X-Project 1.0‘s we tried at Interbike, and they were fantastic. If you’re not feeling the DIY, Retrofitz will also make your shoes for you in an array of styles. Images after the break…
The clipless Adidas Samba runs $155 for any size. Specify what you want and they’ll make them for you.
As if Nikes couldn’t get any fresher.
Check out some Chuck Taylors, Asics, and more over at Retrofitz.
Comments
These are going to work great on my cowboy boots
I might be in the minority here, but I think it’s pretty cool. It could be that I’m influenced by the photos since I’m currently wearing Sambas.
Pretty cool idea, but I did it first: http://gearinches.com/blog/how-to/diy-cycling-shoes
However, if I try this again, I think I’ll give the Retrofitz a try and save myself some hassle.
It seems like you have to cut away a good portion of the sole, and the plastic sticks out pretty far making them semi-dangerous to walk in. I wouldn’t waste a perfectly good pair of shoes on that, but to each his own I suppose.
I kind of agree with Seldon that the protrusion takes away from the usefulness of the shoe as a regular street shoe. It’s still an interesting concept and perhaps with a thicker soled shoe it could be worthwhile to try. A pair of clipless Chuck Taylors would be pretty rad.
This isn’t going to work like people think. You HAVE to cut a big ass square on the bottom of your shoes for this to work. Check the pics doofuses.
@Ajax, who exactly in the comments is a doofus? I believe everyone understands that you have to cut a hole in the shoe. Hence the whole, you know, RETROFITing thing.
Flip flops anybody?
@psmurf, if you didn’t know from the pics alone that there is a big square that needs to be cut in the bottom of your shoes for this to work, then I don’t know how to help you. Reading glasses maybe?
I can make some winter riding boots that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
I had the same initial reaction as Seldon, but with thicker-soled shoes like cross trainers, it might clear the TPU bumpers. Also, notice that the bumpers are removable, or at least they look to be since they’re screw mounted. Being TPU, I guess you could always trim-to-fit the bumpers as well, as long as your cleat choice cleared when walking. I think this is a great concept, but pricing seems a bit high. I’ll probably buy a set and give it a shot, but I’d have lower performance expectations if they were under $40.
@Ajax Who specifically is confused about the hole?
Even if it ruined the shoes for walking, this could be fun. $50 to turn some cowboy boots into somewhat usable novelty riding equipment, I can’t think of any weird cycling races that people would use these in
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@Ajax, trolling like a master! Now, let me introduce you to a playground called youtube…
@ Ajax.
Thank you so very much for your insite. Who would have thought that you would have to cut a hole in the shoe to install a cleat. (deleted)
This is the best solution to casual cycling shoes (not compared to DZR and Chrome). Also gives a a great re-purpose for an older pair!
But by the way – this company is not new and has been around for a few years now.