Style 43

The other day was a sad day for me heart, but a happy day for my feet. I took the plunge and threw away my $25 Vans which had served me so well, and decided to dive back into the world of bmx specific footwear. I don’t ask a vast amount from shoes: basically nothing overly garish, nothing with mega thick moon-boot soles like the old DCs had, and that they won’t just fall to pieces because of cost cutting manufacturing techniques. I’ve had, in short, some pretty shit luck with shoes in the past, hence my lack of hastiness to replace my trusted feet protectors. However, I think Orchid, coupled with Colin from Seventies may have turned this opinion around with (fanfare please!) the spanking Orchid Majestics.

Firstly, I’m pretty sure these are all synthetic, which means they are vegan and veggie friendly! Hurrah! I went for the black/charcoal/dark red colourway which is the most toned down of the three, as I said before I like shoes to be fairly understated when it comes to riding in them. No 7 colour, limited edition £300 Nikes for me.

Secondly, they are not wallet bustingly expensive at £55 which makes a pleasant change from the old days of bmx footwear where skate companies would take flavour of the month, sponsor him and put out his signature shoe at a price no regular rider could afford.

As you can see, I’ve been riding these shoes for a little while now, and I ride brakeless so they’re holding up well. I wasn’t going to just review them as soon as I got them, because unlike many reviewers I’d rather be honest about the product. It’s not as though my hands are tied by any company or sponsor who expect two thumbs up on everything they give me. My job is to deliver an honest review so the people who read it don’t rush out and buy something which is actually a pile of shit.

Anyway, self righteousness aside…the shoes. They’re bordering on mid-top, which I’m a big fan of because it helps those weird little knobbly bones that stick out of your ankles be protected, and anyone who has ever hurt them will know that it definitely isn’t much fun. The laces aren’t the flat ones which fray, but tubular synthetic ones which are holding up well in that they stay tied tight. They also make the shoe look narrower, I sometimes find flat laces can make your shoes look like ducks feet, and babes don’t dig that. Given it’s winter, your feet can get chilly and I’m pleased to report mine were fairly snug throughout this cold spell, indeed this very day in March where I needed 2 hoodies and the roads were damp, my feet felt fine when I returned home. Yet any Johnny Hipsters who ride in waffer plimsoles will have had a miserable day bicycle motorcrossing.

I don’t take such great care of my pedals so it’s a good thing the grip on the soles works so well. They’re thick and fairly stiff (wahey! inuendo!) , but not so much so as you can’t feel your bike beneath you. In fact, in terms of performance I can’t really knock these shoes, despite racking my brains for problems with ‘em. My only gripe is pretty pathetic to be honest…the laces are too long for my liking, I don’t like having to double-knot my shoes, I feel like the kid at school who couldn’t tie his own laces, so his moms did them for him double tight. But that’s literally it, and laces can always be cut down if you so wish.

Orchid really do know what they’re doing, but I guess when a company is actually rider run it’s to (hopefully) be expected. Managing to keep the price down and quality up is a rare meeting point, and Orchid appear to have found it. They haven’t cut quality in order to cut costs so you have to replace your bicycle slippers too often. I’m guessing that if Orchid was a person, he’d be a good dude, and would probably buy you a smoothie and talk about current affairs without belittling you.

If you need new sneakers, you could do a whole lot worse than buying these. In fact I think you’d be hard done by to find a better purchase.

Peace Out

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