The Yellow Princesses


The Velominati would not exist if it weren’t for The Rules. Of the current 79 Rules, only two, Rule #34 and Rule #69 stipulate anything about shoes. Perhaps that is all that is needed. However, I do have a set of personal Rules that I’ve been living by and developing for nearly ten years now. My own personal Rule #1 is No Red Shoes. And as a strict disciple of my own Rules I have no red shoes.

This is partly why I was so relieved that I could title this article The Yellow Princesses and not the Red Princesses. Because if Mavic made the Zxellium in red, I would simply have to break my own rule. These shoes are sublime.

I’ve gone through a few pair of cycle shoes in my relatively short time as a dedicated road cyclist and Velominatus. Nalini 2004’s, Cat-1 Gavias, and an old pair of Frank’s DMT Ultimax’s have all graced my gunboats. I’ve also tried many a pair on in hopes of finding that glass slipper. Sidis heel cup is too narrow, Shimanos toe box is too wide, Pearl Izumis weren’t my cup of tea, and so on and so forth.

That is until I purchased a pair of Mavic Razor mtb shoes for riding my cyclocross bike. The Razors have many miles of gravel under them. They are durable, perform well, are stylish, and easily the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn. I was sold on Mavic shoes since buying them.

So after riding Frank’s retired DMT’s into the road after he made the switch to the much bally-hooed White Ladies this season, it was time for me to go shoe shopping.

At first, the yellow put me off a little bit. I considered if wearing yellow at all would be considered a Rule violation. That, as we all know, only applies to jerseys. Riders regularly wear non-team issue and personalized shoes. The Zxelliums do also come in white but since the White Ladies was taken I had to make a different plan. Then I saw this guy wearing them in this year’s tour.

That did it for me. Being a fan of Chris Horner and seeing how the Zxelliums seemed to at once stand out and tie his kit together riding up the Tourmalet this year made me think I could pull them off too.

Whether or not I can pull them off remains to be seen. But I may not ever want to take them off. Damn if they’re not like bedroom slippers. And light! Oh the lightness. In my hand, not on a scale mind you, they are lighter than the DMTs. And that’s with the cleats on the Mavics and not on the DMTs. The muted sole is also cause for carbone.

At any rate, I’m stoked about the shoes. I thought about filing this article under the Reverence folder but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s no doubt these shoes will be held in reverence one day but I must go put many kilometers on them first.

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84 Replies to “The Yellow Princesses”

  1. OH MY! that Fizik shoe is the shiiite!! Black, white stripe, I don’t care what it cost, I would give a kidney for that!!! Anyone know when those dudes will be out??

  2. The Red Damsels is were its at. If I can but something in red I will. these are my girls here.

    and this guys seems to think they are ok

  3. @Marko
    Any chance of a progress report on these darlings?
    Holding up okay?
    Still having to beat the ladies back with a spiked bat?

  4. @CJ
    I’m still loving them. I just through some footbeds in as a part of a pro-fit I just did and they’re even better. No, they don’t hide dirt and grime as well as black but they’re easy to clean. No problems.

  5. I tired on some Y.P.’s in Salt Lake City a few months ago and I couldn’t believe how comfy they were, then Dane shows up at the Allan Butler Crit with them. It’s an omen – I know what I’m getting for Christmas.

  6. I’m tossing up what to get in new shoes right now. I’m ditching everything Specialized I own, bit by bit. I’d really like Sidis again, but they are just so expensive. I’ve got these puppies eyed up at work, cheap to me, heat moldable and I want Black Widows to match my new black Lazer Helium.

    But those V-Carnacs still get me firm…

  7. @brett

    OMG what are they – that would go perfectly with my Ridley.

    Having said that I have a recent pair of Bonts which are the best shoes I’ve ever had.

    I use them in preference to my yellow princesses but it’s so hot here you can’t wear shoes two days in a row. They don’t dry out properly.

    So another pair of shoes might be hard to justify. But it would go perfectly…

  8. @brett
    Nice… their website doesn’t have the Black and Gold version though but I’ll look out for it. Just in case :-)

    Yes the Bonts are hear moldable as well. Surprised more Aussies don’t seem to use them.

  9. @brett

    Get thee behind me Satan…

    They would look totally perfect, along with the new Witte Kitte… but I can’t, thanks though.

  10. I’ve really been lusting after some sort of “princesses”. I tried some Zxelliums on down in Salt Lake City and they were really nice. But I can get employee purchase on S-Works and I’ve always had problems with non Body Geometry shoes so I might go with these:

  11. @brett

    I’m tossing up what to get in new shoes right now. I’m ditching everything Specialized I own, bit by bit. I’d really like Sidis again, but they are just so expensive. I’ve got these puppies eyed up at work, cheap to me, heat moldable and I want Black Widows to match my new black Lazer Helium.

    But those V-Carnacs still get me firm…

    Love this website (not quite like not going to the LBS).
    http://www.sierratradingpost.com/sidi-genius-5-pro-carbon-road-cycling-shoes-3-hole-for-men~p~2247y/?filterString=search~cycling-shoes%2F

  12. @Cyclops
    I just bought those exact shoes about a month ago. They are solid. One issue I have off and on is they are really easy to overtighten, which makes your feet go numb. I have the hang of it for the most part. Fortunately, you can easily adjust on the fly as you ride if you are too loose or too tight, which looks incredibly PRO. Dialing up the tightness before a sprint, that’s the shit right there.

  13. How are you supposed to wash these Mavics properly? I’ve seen people advocating washing machines, wiping down, or sticking them in a bucket of soapy water..
    I’ve always done the last one but I was just wpndering.

  14. @dan

    How are you supposed to wash these Mavics properly? I’ve seen people advocating washing machines, wiping down, or sticking them in a bucket of soapy water..
    I’ve always done the last one but I was just wpndering.

    I’m not sure about the Mavics specifically, but I wash my White Ladies by just filling a bucket with water and laundry detergent, and soaking them overnight. I might scrub the dirtiest bits beforehand with the same water.

    To dry them, remove the insoles and stuff them with newspaper.

  15. Let’s all give thanks that George resisted a perfect opportunity to go all out ‘red’ shoes. But he must not go (un)challenged on the warmers and the finger pose (20 years young again) !!

  16. All over the yellow princesses ;-) Care should be taken to make sure kit matches.  so you don’t look like you’ve bought it all on sale and it’s all miss-matched.  Yes, that does include custom paint on your Oakleys

  17. Fuck y’all’s dumb ass rules.

    I have a RED pair of FIZIK AND a white pair. I’ll ride in them all day!! And I’ll bust your ass if somebody says something to my face.

    I’ll wear what ever color shoes or socks I feel.

    ….and sleeveless jersey rule! Fuck that too! I’ve been wearing sleeveless jerseys since the 90’s. The first jersey I bought (once I could pay for it myself) was a “Coors-Light” team jersey. I had the guns to show off in it back then and still do.

     

  18. @C. C. Rider

    I’m assuming you got here by some search engine result?

    If you’d bother to hang around here for a while rather than getting all pissy and leaving in a huff, you’d find that there’s actually some subtlety behind the rules (not much, but some) and that while we delight in giving each other shit, we’re all riders at the core.

    For fuck’s sake, I’ve shown up to two cogals out of shape with unshaven legs and after the initial grief, everyone was great to ride with.

    But if you’re going to threaten to bust somebody’s face over a comment about shoes, I’m glad you’re leaving.  With that attitude, I don’t want to ride with you no matter what your bike, your biceps, your shoes, or your kit is.

  19. @C. C. Rider

    Fuck y’all’s dumb ass rules.

    I have a RED pair of fi’zi:k AND a white pair. I’ll ride in them all day!! And I’ll bust your ass if somebody says something to my face.

    I’ll wear what ever color shoes or socks I feel.

    ….and sleeveless jersey rule! Fuck that too! I’ve been wearing sleeveless jerseys since the 90’s. The first jersey I bought (once I could pay for it myself) was a “Coors-Light” team jersey. I had the guns to show off in it back then and still do.

    The last of the great internet hard men. Not.

    I’ll bet your sleeveless jerseys go perfectly with your mullet.

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