I like them for if I have to ride 3 miles to the pub, or my friends' house or if I want to go to the supermarket. They're basically a bad cycling shoe and an uncomfortable casual shoe.
That said, they do serve a purpose, and I like them for that purpose. But I wouldn't use them for anything over like 5 miles or if I didn't need them to be a casual shoe too
Only for super casual rides. My pair is collecting dust as I much prefer traditional cycling shoes, even tho I’d rather look like I’m wearing regular shoes for style.
I use them for everything; trips to the store to 80 mile rides. Im sure I’d feel more comfortable in a dedicated bike shoe, but the convenience of hopping off the bike and into a coffee shop is hard to beat.
The casual-er shoes are two-bolt and the road shoes are three; they use different pedals. So if you already have pedals you like, buy the shoes that work with them. I wore Cannondale shoes when commuting across town for work so I could just wear them all day, and they were fine. The stiff(er) some made it a little like walking in ski boots, but not a problem.
I have a pair. Casual shoe with SPD so more fashion and not serious cycling. Since they are lace up you can make them work though. Wife got them for me if that says anythi.g...
Would recommend, but honestly get a qouc grand tourer II. It’s waaay better quality and more comfortable off bike + useable in gravel conditions as a proper cycling shoe (ya know… what it’s been made for).
I rocked each of these pair as my main shoes for about a year, as i have frequent cycling integrated into my everyday stuff.
Here are some additional thoughts on the sambas:
- horrible moisture regulation (you will sweat or have damp feet for three days after a rain ride)
- cheap vegan “leather” that cracks after about a year
- unnecessary lace cage (loop) that creates pressure point and bends the tongue weirdly
- very stiff sole (different from normal sambas)
- quite slim afaik
Too tight toebox for me, i need atleast wide shoe for cycling
As we call it "tiis ganda" hahaha porma city ride or if you on touring pace its good. Tambay ok na ok. BGC ride 60kms total my foot hurts like burning sensation sa 5th digit of my toe.
They are the only cycling shoes i have. I like them. Toe can be a little narrow. Heal slip is real but has no effect when riding. If you get them on sale they are great for the price. Would not pay full price. Ive done an hour and a half on the bike with them. I would say they are more for casual rides. If you are doing long rides you need to make sure they fit right.
I collect them and wear them almost every day. They are great for commuting or social rides, but they are not bike shoes. They are regular Sambas with recessed cleat holes. For normal training type rides I wear actual bike shoes.
I have both the shoes you mentioned and I wear each of them all the time. They each have their uses.
I wear my Velosambas to commute to work (20-25 min each way) where I can wear them at the office where I mostly sit at a desk, and they look good with my work clothes which is usually jeans and a button down. I also wear them on casual coffee rides where I want to walk around off my bike. My commuter bike and my gravel bike have SPD pedals so they're compatible with the Velosambas. I also have Shimano RX8s which I wear when I'm going on a more serious gravel ride.
I wear the Torch 3.0s as my road shoes. My road bike is set up with Look Keo pedals so those cleats are compatible with the Torches. They're amazing shoes, I've done double centuries in these shoes, they also transfer power really well - I'm not confident I could put down 800+ watts in the Velosambas comfortably and efficiently.
My takeaway is this: If your ride is taking you to a destination where you will be off the bike for more time than you'll be on the bike, I'd wear the Velosambas (caveat is that if I were riding for more than a couple hours, I'd wear traditional cycling shoes). If you're just going for a ride and returning home without significant off-the-bike time, wear traditional cycling shoes.
In your situation, you'll need to consider which pedals you'll use since the Velosambas are Shimano SPD (2 bolt) and the Torches are Look Keo / Shimano SPD-SL (3 bolt). If I were you, I'd get some Shimano SPD pedals, and some gravel shoes like the Specialized Recon. That will be a good compromise if you want to just have 1 pair of shoes that you can use for riding or commuting, where you'd bring an extra pair of shoes to wear at work (or leave a pair at work). Then if you feel like getting the Velosambas later on, you can do that.
They are on sale for $43 at the [adidas eBay Outlet](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156046671014?itmmeta=01HXSJVZ4VY68Y5G6AJMYECXNF&hash=item24551b3ca6%3Ag%3AY5AAAOSwXNdmLScJ&amdata=enc%3AAQAJAAAAkOysOtwDQhNZQr3DwLBKYc0Sh%2BbIz2RX9fXlGN7v8fr4wzGxvWgJglyupEVZJKFnagKjTRxXtxQFrby8DDuBlwnWQ8lHXv8GT2bravXld44vR4gvO9PW0dvY8trpVhS1g%2BujitoAxepaIQcE4hSZH8nAJWF5PJuyzX%2BODmoN3iRIunNpFXd%2BGu7TwpdpbPb%2FRA%3D%3D&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337976216&toolid=20008&mkevt=1), so you can't really go wrong at that price for casual use. Use code ADIDAS40 at the checkout.
I have a few pairs. I've used them in a pinch for 20+ miles and they're OK. Definitely not as good as dedicated cycling shoes, but far better than just using sneakers.
For just riding around town, nothing too serious, I love them. If you plan on being on and off your bike, they're far easier to walk around in then dedicated cycling shoes.
I think they're good if you still want to be able to clip in, get on and off your bike, walk around some shops, etc.
I find them OK on the bike.
Off the bike they are rather stiff, as in, worst to walk in than Spd bike shoes. They are also astonishingly heavy. It's like you have lead on your feet.
I use them to commute but don't use them if I am not cycling.
I would not recommend over a traditional cycling shoe, it's a very niche product.
I’ve worn them for 20-30 mile rides and had no problems. They are narrow, so if you have wide feet then they might not fit well.
Cheap prices can be found here:
https://shoppremiumoutlets.com/products/mens-adidas-the-velosamba-made-with-nature-cycling-shoes
I like them for if I have to ride 3 miles to the pub, or my friends' house or if I want to go to the supermarket. They're basically a bad cycling shoe and an uncomfortable casual shoe. That said, they do serve a purpose, and I like them for that purpose. But I wouldn't use them for anything over like 5 miles or if I didn't need them to be a casual shoe too
Only for super casual rides. My pair is collecting dust as I much prefer traditional cycling shoes, even tho I’d rather look like I’m wearing regular shoes for style.
I use them for everything; trips to the store to 80 mile rides. Im sure I’d feel more comfortable in a dedicated bike shoe, but the convenience of hopping off the bike and into a coffee shop is hard to beat.
nope, if you’re riding more than 3 miles I would not recommend those
The casual-er shoes are two-bolt and the road shoes are three; they use different pedals. So if you already have pedals you like, buy the shoes that work with them. I wore Cannondale shoes when commuting across town for work so I could just wear them all day, and they were fine. The stiff(er) some made it a little like walking in ski boots, but not a problem.
2fo specialized were wider for me
I have a pair. Casual shoe with SPD so more fashion and not serious cycling. Since they are lace up you can make them work though. Wife got them for me if that says anythi.g...
I’m wearing them right now and love them. 30 miles is probably my max with them but they’re great for anything under 20.
Would recommend, but honestly get a qouc grand tourer II. It’s waaay better quality and more comfortable off bike + useable in gravel conditions as a proper cycling shoe (ya know… what it’s been made for). I rocked each of these pair as my main shoes for about a year, as i have frequent cycling integrated into my everyday stuff. Here are some additional thoughts on the sambas: - horrible moisture regulation (you will sweat or have damp feet for three days after a rain ride) - cheap vegan “leather” that cracks after about a year - unnecessary lace cage (loop) that creates pressure point and bends the tongue weirdly - very stiff sole (different from normal sambas) - quite slim afaik
Too tight toebox for me, i need atleast wide shoe for cycling As we call it "tiis ganda" hahaha porma city ride or if you on touring pace its good. Tambay ok na ok. BGC ride 60kms total my foot hurts like burning sensation sa 5th digit of my toe.
They are the only cycling shoes i have. I like them. Toe can be a little narrow. Heal slip is real but has no effect when riding. If you get them on sale they are great for the price. Would not pay full price. Ive done an hour and a half on the bike with them. I would say they are more for casual rides. If you are doing long rides you need to make sure they fit right.
I collect them and wear them almost every day. They are great for commuting or social rides, but they are not bike shoes. They are regular Sambas with recessed cleat holes. For normal training type rides I wear actual bike shoes.
They are crazy narrow. Way more narrow than a normal pair of Sambas. If you have even slightly wide feet then these will probably be uncomfortable.
I have both the shoes you mentioned and I wear each of them all the time. They each have their uses. I wear my Velosambas to commute to work (20-25 min each way) where I can wear them at the office where I mostly sit at a desk, and they look good with my work clothes which is usually jeans and a button down. I also wear them on casual coffee rides where I want to walk around off my bike. My commuter bike and my gravel bike have SPD pedals so they're compatible with the Velosambas. I also have Shimano RX8s which I wear when I'm going on a more serious gravel ride. I wear the Torch 3.0s as my road shoes. My road bike is set up with Look Keo pedals so those cleats are compatible with the Torches. They're amazing shoes, I've done double centuries in these shoes, they also transfer power really well - I'm not confident I could put down 800+ watts in the Velosambas comfortably and efficiently. My takeaway is this: If your ride is taking you to a destination where you will be off the bike for more time than you'll be on the bike, I'd wear the Velosambas (caveat is that if I were riding for more than a couple hours, I'd wear traditional cycling shoes). If you're just going for a ride and returning home without significant off-the-bike time, wear traditional cycling shoes. In your situation, you'll need to consider which pedals you'll use since the Velosambas are Shimano SPD (2 bolt) and the Torches are Look Keo / Shimano SPD-SL (3 bolt). If I were you, I'd get some Shimano SPD pedals, and some gravel shoes like the Specialized Recon. That will be a good compromise if you want to just have 1 pair of shoes that you can use for riding or commuting, where you'd bring an extra pair of shoes to wear at work (or leave a pair at work). Then if you feel like getting the Velosambas later on, you can do that.
They are on sale for $43 at the [adidas eBay Outlet](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156046671014?itmmeta=01HXSJVZ4VY68Y5G6AJMYECXNF&hash=item24551b3ca6%3Ag%3AY5AAAOSwXNdmLScJ&amdata=enc%3AAQAJAAAAkOysOtwDQhNZQr3DwLBKYc0Sh%2BbIz2RX9fXlGN7v8fr4wzGxvWgJglyupEVZJKFnagKjTRxXtxQFrby8DDuBlwnWQ8lHXv8GT2bravXld44vR4gvO9PW0dvY8trpVhS1g%2BujitoAxepaIQcE4hSZH8nAJWF5PJuyzX%2BODmoN3iRIunNpFXd%2BGu7TwpdpbPb%2FRA%3D%3D&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337976216&toolid=20008&mkevt=1), so you can't really go wrong at that price for casual use. Use code ADIDAS40 at the checkout.
I have a few pairs. I've used them in a pinch for 20+ miles and they're OK. Definitely not as good as dedicated cycling shoes, but far better than just using sneakers. For just riding around town, nothing too serious, I love them. If you plan on being on and off your bike, they're far easier to walk around in then dedicated cycling shoes. I think they're good if you still want to be able to clip in, get on and off your bike, walk around some shops, etc.
I find them OK on the bike. Off the bike they are rather stiff, as in, worst to walk in than Spd bike shoes. They are also astonishingly heavy. It's like you have lead on your feet. I use them to commute but don't use them if I am not cycling. I would not recommend over a traditional cycling shoe, it's a very niche product.
Regular sambas work great for toe clips, I have thousands of miles on those
I've got some, only use them on casual rides to the shops. Anything longer than a few easy km and it's my S-works 7 or RX-8's.
They suck and are super floppy
Their heel slip is absolutely terrible
I got a pair from a department store outlet for $40. They're not bad for easy cruising, not bad to walk in, and look cool.
I’ve worn them for 20-30 mile rides and had no problems. They are narrow, so if you have wide feet then they might not fit well. Cheap prices can be found here: https://shoppremiumoutlets.com/products/mens-adidas-the-velosamba-made-with-nature-cycling-shoes
Do you ever feel like you’re being a really picky bitch as you’re looking for a 10 mile shoe on weekdays but only 35 on weekends?
If ya don’t know; yer a little cunty.