The German sportwear giant Adidas has launched a new cycling shoe which combines modern technology with old-school styling, according to a report on the News 24 website. The new Velosamba shoe is in the classic Adidas model, but also features innovative clipless pedal functionality.
The new cycling shoe is not a rival to Adidas’s range of high-performance shoes, but is aimed at the commuting cyclist who wants a fashionable shoe that will work with an outfit for the rest of the day. It saves the hassle of storing or carrying an extra pair of trainers for the style-conscious urban traveller.
On the sole, the Velosamba has a full-length reinforced plate with a two-bolt cleat, allowing it to clip onto bike pedals. The hybrid rubber outsole has a reinforced heel, and is also designed for comfort when walking. Based on the iconic Samba football shoe, the coated leather upper features a reflective signature three-stripe design and heel blinker.
The Adidas Samba shoes were first launched back in 1949, intended as a hard-surface training shoe for footballers. It is now regarded as a timeless classic of the sneaker world, having transcended the sporting sphere to become an all-purpose favourite. Early versions of the trainer were made from kangaroo leather fixed to a gum outsole.
The Samba was first designed amid the harsh European winters, to allow football teams to train on frozen pitches. The story of how the name came about is also interesting— the 1950 World Cup was fast approaching, and Adidas were keen to put their innovative new training shoe on the global stage.
However, that year, the tournament was due to be played in Brazil, not famous for icy frozen conditions, even in the depths of winter! In those days, there were no superstar players who had the marketing clout to sell products through sponsorship deals. Therefore, Adidas named the shoe after the national Brazilian dance, the Samba.
This put the trainers on the cultural map, and the Adidas Samba was widely adopted by players. By the early 1970’s, the Samba was widely used by futsal teams, which is similar to five-a-side football, played on hard courts. As the popularity of the sport grew, the footwear sales soared, as until the late 1990’s, they were the only futsal boots on the market.
Rival brands such as Nike and Puma finally produced their own versions, but by this time the Samba was a cult classic with the skateboarding community. In fact, it is second only to Adidas’s purpose-built skate shoe, the Busenitz, which wasn’t launched until 2006. The Samba continues to evolve in its own right as a fashion item, however.
The Samba sneaker was one of the first training shoes to make the crossover from sporting equipment to street style icon, making it a major player in fashion cultural history, with sales of over 35 million. The new Velosamba continues this tradition, aimed squarely at the athleisure market, with a choice of four colours; cream white, black, navy, and acid yellow.
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Image @cyclingweekly
