Chrome Milo's (Oh My God, Shoes!)

When I first got a pair of the Chrome Milo's back in 2007 I took alot of heat for buying a hipster bag company's shoes. I was just coming off the emotionally devestating blow out of my long running Checkerboard's and picked these up after seeing a few pairs that were given out at the NACC's (see, event sponsorship works).

The Milo's turned out to be well worth the hassle. They are the best shoe for riding fixed gear that I have ever worn. The thick leather upper does a great job of padding your foot against the toe clip, as well as offering good foot protection in general, which is something that can't be said about the Van's. The Vans slipons upper canvas is just too thin, and you can feel your toe clip digging in against your toes and tops of feet. The thick material of the Milo does make them warmer, but it never really bothered me. The vent holes did a fairly decent job.

In addition to the thicker upper, the sole is way stiffer than a Van's (or Chuck's) and is generously padded for a cushy ride. As mine stretched out I replaced the stock insole with a thicker one to take up some of the extra space.

They feel great in the clips, protect your feet, are stiff, and have no laces (a requirement of mine). I've been riding them for two years, in summer and winter, and they've held up great. I was able to still ride them this winter due to the heavey wool socks needed in Minnesota winters, but they now have been putaway till next fall. They've simply stretched out too much for me to wear with a summer sock.

If anybody out there has any pull with Chrome, ask them to do another run. Or if you happen to have a size 9 in good shape, let me know and I'll be happy to take them off your hands for a reasonable price.


Toe boxes smashed permanently into toe clip shape

easy to see where the pedal bodies sit



My current shoe is the Adidas Super Skate slip on. I bought these after hearing Burd talk about how much he loves them.

Let's just get this out of the way right now: I bought them in this colorway because they were on sale for $30. The other day my friend Josh looked me dead in the eye and told me that he couldn't take me seriously while I was wearing these "stupid hipster shoes." They're ugly, I get it.

At first I felt like my foot was sitting further back on the pedal cage and that my feet weren't sitting as far into the clips as with my Milo's. It took a few weeks to get used to them, but now I don't notice that at all. They keep my feet way cooler than the Milo's, ride well, are lightweight, and are fairly comfy.

I later learned from Burd that these aren't the Super Skate's that shoe guys in the know ride. I dont' remember exactly what he told me but I think he said that I needed to buy the vulcanized ones or something. I don't know, I'm not one of those guys. Burd if you see this, please clue me in as to which are the preferred Super Skates.
The upper isn't as thick as the Milo's and the soles are not as stiff which is something that I notice and miss. However the upper does offer way more stiffness and protection from the toe-clips than the Van's.

Overall they were totally worth the $30 and should get me through the summer.