A cycling shoe that can walk the walk

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Frustrated by the lack of footwear that could transition from bike to street, former pro-cyclist David Millar, a four-time Tour de France stage winner, set out to make his own. Under the moniker of his cycling clothing brand CHPT3, and along with co-founder James Carnes, a former Adidas creative director, he embarked on a three-year journey to create the “future of urban mobility”.

The result, the Transit 2.0 (£195), has a leather and suede upper, with a moulded insole and a generously cushioned EVA foam sole. It delivers the all-day comfort of a casual sneaker. Walking around, I found it nearly impossible to tell that I was wearing a cycling shoe. But turn the shoe over, and its hidden cycling credentials are revealed. A nylon plate recessed in the forefoot houses the two-bolt cleat, allowing for silent walking and remarkably efficient power transfer when clipped into SPD pedals. For those who prefer a flat pedal setup, the shoes include a removable insert that fills the cleat groove, making them equally suited to casual riders. Says Millar: “In many ways the Transit 2.0 represents the original concept of CHPT3, and my desire to apply racing experience and performance expectations into a non-racing world. Mixing performance with style and inspiring people to think differently about cycling.”

Available in black or white, the shoes are the next step in a plan to make his cyclewear an all-year-round high‑performance lifestyle proposition. Other colourways and a lighter-weight performance version will be released in December and January.