# Touring Shoe Report - Mamnick Hibel



## bulldog1935 (Aug 8, 2016)

Been riding Chrome Kursk sneakers in my Ale toe clips with Binda straps for more than a few years.  They have great shanks, but my biggest complaint about them is an ersatz rubber strap around the toe box (in the style of Keds) that impedes ingress past the straps.

I have such fond memories of my Avocet touring shoes from 1978.  Suede uppers, injection soles, stiff shanks, and narrow toe box made for cage pedals and clips. No one makes anything like them anymore - everything is SPD or giant platform shoes.  With one exception - custom leather from die-hard retrogrouches who remember good shoes for toe clips.

My birthday treat for me this year was Mamnick touring shoes.  Available in even UK sizes, which means subtract one size from your US shoe size.  My foot is a bit of an ice skate, was measured out once at 13AAA, I normally buy 12s and would guess an EU 47 would be just right.  So I was a little tenuous about UK size 11, but the long tapered toe box on these took away my trepidation.  You should normally start off with laces fairly loose, because our feet swell when we ride.  I also wrenched over black vs. brown but finally chose the brown, and they're gorgeous.  OK, and fessing up, they were $210 shipped.  Splurging for my birthday.

When I received these last week I was floored with the quality construction.  They are all leather, stiff leather sole, low profile leather heel.  The only man-made part is an added thin rubber half-sole in front which should make them a little grippier on the cages.  They are also lighter in weight than the Chrome sneakers.

Took a maiden ride in my birthday shoes yesterday.  Again, the point of these was unimpeded entry past the toe straps, and they shined at that.  The thin, secondary rubber half-sole on these is trickier to grab and flip the pedal than the molded cut-out rubber sole on my Chromes.  The soles are extremely stiff, and provide perfect heel and arch support.  Did some serious climbing out of the Olmos basin in San Antonio yesterday and am very happy with these.  Just a 30 mile ride with a good deal of climbing, also in south Texas summer heat.  They are light and cool.  No pain, no complaints - they left a little brown dye on my merino socks.
The guys in the riding group swooned over them.








and a huge attaboy for the Alamo Heights police dept yesterday.  When we took off at 7am, a patrol car escorted us, beating us to every intersection and stopping with his lights on through the limit of his uppercrusty Urban hamlet (their zip code is _oh-nine_).  We flew down the big hill on Broadway with nothing to slow us down.

The officer even got his reward for the day.  After we returned, he pursued a car down Broadway with his siren on.  Bet the dummy was doing well over 50 in seriously defended 30 zone.  Probably a $500 ticket.


----------



## momo608 (Aug 9, 2016)

Try finding toe clips for these.


----------



## bulldog1935 (Aug 9, 2016)

But you bought the last pair and they are perfectly trick for a Varsity.

it's a question of form follows function, but if they look sexier than my dress Italian loafers, wtf

Here are a few others out there that are close, but not quite the Mamnicks
Hasus, made in Taiwan and can be found on ebay.au for $100
http://www.hasus.com.tw/products_detail_en.php?i.d.=98
The VGT-01 has the right soles but non-vented uppers.
VGT-03 has the right uppers, but the soles are really for Look cleats




Discontinued Carnac Carlit touring shoes


  a guy is selling two pair of these, US size 11, on iBoB

A $105 Serbian option that has a fan club on CR, but doesn't come in my size
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=291826227462

Rufflander price is right, but no vents and injected sole
http://www.rufflander.co.uk/shop/heritage-footwear/arturo-cycle-shoe/



The touring shoes that most know are Quoc Pham Fixed, but cost a bit more than the Mamnicks and with slightly-vented uppers, but I prefer the style of the Mamnicks (and the longer tongue/laces work better with my feet)




Vittoria and Giro are making $300 shoes in the style, but are SPD and not real touring shoes.




Of course you can always search ebay for vintage Sidi and Avocet.
If my 1978 Avocet touring shoes were still made, that's what I'd be wearing.

and if you're just looking for good cycling shoes that don't have to fit in your toe straps, and will work with half clips, check out Merrell closeouts on sierratradingpost
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s~merrell-cycling/?perPage=24


----------



## momo608 (Aug 9, 2016)

http://www.bikeforums.net/


----------



## bulldog1935 (Aug 9, 2016)

and let you rule as bully and post endless Varsity threads here?
no thanks

Schwinn have their own lightweight page and shouldn't even be posted on this one.
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/
not a single Schwinn

you as queen of the vintage lightweights page, and duck as queen of the break room - what a forum it would be




nice shoes - good form, too - riding on core muscles



Ian Hibbell, btw, was the first person to bicycle from Cape Horn to Alaska


----------



## momo608 (Aug 9, 2016)

bulldog1935 said:


> and let you rule as bully and post endless Varsity threads here?
> no thanks
> 
> Schwinn have their own lightweight page and shouldn't even be posted on this one.
> ...




WOW!

thought you might not be aware that there was as site more inline with your interests, just sayin!

endless Varsity threads?


----------



## Schwinn499 (Aug 10, 2016)

That escalated quickly!


----------



## Dale Alan (Aug 10, 2016)

Holy crap,someone needs a nap.


----------



## bulldog1935 (Aug 10, 2016)

some people contribute to threads, some ignore them, others put body waste on them

Some of the more interesting contributors to this forum have been run off because of the latter - some I know personally


----------



## momo608 (Aug 10, 2016)

bulldog1935 said:


> some people contribute to threads, some ignore them, others put body waste on them



You hijack them, is that body waste?


----------



## bulldog1935 (Sep 6, 2016)

stalker aside, my daughter's birthday is this month, and she also rides toe clips. 
One of my Japan parts vendors had a NOS pair of Detto (from '70s) in her size. 
They're winging their way here by Fed-Ex
She will be styling (she wore her wrestling shoes last weekend, and she needs the stiffer soles)


----------

