TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET
“Competitive Olympic recurve archer, Tyler Benner is a posture enthusiast who published a textbook with the US Olympic archery coach on archery technique. A lifelong runner, archer and cyclist, Tyler was frustrated with his balance and agility on a bicycle. After testing all the various shoes on the market for proper posture and finding them lacking in key features, Tyler set out to make his own idea of what a cycling shoe should be for maximal balance and agility.
If you are interested in learning more and improving your own daily posture, follow Tyler’s movement oriented furniture company Venn Design . ”
Cycling Shoe
FOLLOW THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OVER A SIX YEAR PERIOD THROUGH MANY PRODUCT ITERATIONS !
In the summer of 2016 Tyler Benner approached me with the idea of making a cycling shoe for enhanced agility and balance. As I’d never made a cycling shoe before, we explored together as to how to build one from first principles. Our first pair was simple but effective and accommodated a cleat mounted to the bottom of the sole.
As bamboo plywood was a close enough approximation to carbon fiber, we decided on this approach to stiffen the sole for a more connected feeling on the bicycle. While this wasn’t a great long-term solution in rainy PNW, it was an effective prototyping approach.
Last development was an extensive process spanning years of trial and error. We started with duct tape forms for the first pair of shoes and eventually produced a whole range of sizes manufactured by a last vendor from our designs. The lasting skills I honed on the cycling shoe enabled me to expand my abilities and now I’ve made lasts for everything from boots to high-heeled stilettos!
With around a dozen fundamental iterations to the concept, 3 sets of lasts, and ~75 pairs of shoes manufactured in sizes 4 through 13, we covered our bases with testing and prototyping. The shoes have been tested by daily commuters, weekend warriors, and racers, while we gleaned insights on usage and durability.
Always with a mind towards high volume production, please stay tuned for announcements for the soon-coming production shoe. If you’d like to reserve your pair, please send a message.
To improve the finish quality we made a set of custom lasts in a range of sizes. Several rounds of last development improved the fit and performance. Shoes were made in a range of sizes for partners and several customers who wanted to support the mission by purchasing pre-production prototypes.
