Ensuring their new “performance” cycling sneaker won’t be taken too seriously, adidas curiously collaborated with two brands with only the faintest interest in riding bikes. Streetwear website Hypebeast and Berlin sneaker shop Solebox helped the footwear giant design their own Zeitfreis, matched with a couple custom painted Bianchi track bikes as “The Complete Ride.†Asked about their biking habits and local fixed gear scene, Jason Chow from Hypebeast and Hikmet from Solebox laid it all out to Crooked Tongues:
Jason: I don’t ride regularly due to the fact that living in Hong Kong with the traffic and killer summer humidity it makes for an unbearable situation. To me, cycling is a great exercise and leisure hobby. I’ve ridden a few fixes and is something I might explore on a more permanent basis in the future but until I find more time, I don’t think I’ll splurge my paycheck on a bike just yet.
Hikmet: I would be lying if I am saying, that i am a cyclist. I know how to move a bike. But thats it. But I loved as a child to look the indoor cycle championships on TV. Especially the crashes. The fixed bike scene is still at the beginning, so there will be more attention directed to it in the future over here in Germany.
While it’s good to know they share our enthusiasm for watching pile ups on the velodrome, their disinterest in actually riding bikes makes it hard to believe that they were even recruited to sell the so called “innovative cycling” sneakers in the first place. Also, for the price they’re asking, $150 and $200, you may be better off copping a pair of real, stiff soled cycling shoes, even if they don’t have a half-cocked track bike to match.
I agree with you, but I also think what Eugene Kan said in his interview with Sneaker Freaker better reflects Hypebeast's involvement in the project:
http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/articles/Adidas-X-H…
SF: What finally sold you on the idea?
EK: At first I personally was a bit apprehensive in fully committing to the project. I'm not fully entrenched in the fixed gear world, yet there is definitely an inherent respect for what I would largely consider an artform. The ability to foresee and predict alongside split second reactions are no different from any other sport. While a lack of authenticity was sort of lingering in the back of my mind, I sort of equated this as no different from James Jebbia starting Supreme with no background in skating or Martha Cooper finding herself capturing something that truly interested her (I think might draw some hate for those two comparisons). Essentially, I personally as well as the rest of the crew just wanted to put together a solid project which included everything from product to communications. It was a great challenge in itself and one I think we've fully accomplished.
Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
lovely advice. I'm going to publish a link of this podcast on my blackboard web page for my students. Every thing you said functions for discussion boards too. Thank you !