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The Chrome Arnhem is a black suede chukka boot that’s designed to perform on and off the bike. On the bike the goal is for the shoe to provide a relatively stable platform for pedaling, and to resist ripping, tearing or otherwise wearing out. Off the bike, the idea is for the shoe to be comfortable enough to wear all day, flexible enough to walk in, and look good enough that you’ll actually want to wear them.
In my estimation Chrome has succeeded on all counts and then some. To be fair, I can’t judge their overall durability in just two months of use, but so far they’re holding up fantastically. One of the main reasons the chukka boot style makes sense for urban cyclists is because of the lack of stitching in the toe box. Suede leather is pretty damn tough and it will likely take a year or more for metal toe clips to wear a hole in these. But, I’ve got other suede leather shoes with little holes where the seams have popped from rubbing against the toe clips in just a few short months.
I’ve been more than happy with the soles of these shoes. The red rubber is noticeably more grippy than most of my shoes, making the shoe-to-pedal interface feel even more secure. The soles are just stiff enough to avoid feeling the edge of the pedal, but they’ve proven themselves plenty comfortable enough to walk around in all day. As you can see from the cutaway illustration at the left, the construction of the soles is serious, with several different layers contributing to the overall performance of the shoes.
I’ve also been really happy with the styling. When I first saw them online I wasn’t sold, but as soon as I pulled them out of the box I was impressed. They’ve received countless compliments from my students and coworkers, and even two months later I have people noticing them and asking if I got new shoes. Although I haven’t really cleaned them yet, I’ve always liked suede shoes for the reason that you only need a good stiff brush to keep them looking good. And the metal tipped shoe laces are just icing on the cake.
The Arnhem is available in sizes 7-13 and retails for $90. Visit www.chromebags.com for more info.
I think I’m going to have to get some Chrome shoes. Riding my 1×8 commuter isn’t a problem with footwear, but my track bike kills my feet. The gearing is a bit tall and there are a lot of hills in my town, meaning hard pedal strokes from time to time. I have gotten tendonitis in my feet from not having stiff enough soles.
I like the look, and they I have heard great things about the comfort too. When I got my bag at their store in San Fransisco i didn’t even think of the shoes, even though they were sitting there blinking at me on the back wall…i might have to make another trip to the store!
I have these shoes and am fairly disappointed.. the sole is quite squishy and you can feel the pedal rubbing on the ball of your foot quite easily.
Also, the rubber on the sides of the front of the shoe is extremely sticky to toe straps and thus make it much harder than most shoes to exit toe clips if you are even remotely snug in your straps. Especially leather / laminated straps. Hard to ignore this problem for me… Also the little reflective band in the back was badly glued on to the shoe and started peeling off on the first day.
When Chrome first introduced their shoe line there was one model (Milo) available and only to retailers, I was lucky enough to get a pair through the shop I worked at, at the time, and they by far were the most durable shoes to withstand the wear of commuting and living in metal toe clips. And for the year and a half I wore them they were comfortable until the heels finally wore through. Needless to say I’m happy they are now offered in all styles and colors n’at.