Vittoria Soles ~

Vittoria offers three different soles, each with its own special advantages:

1. The Carbon Heart sole. For many riders, this sole combines the best of both worlds: the stiffness and vibration damping of carbon where you need it with the extra comfort of nylon for the long rides.

2. Full carbon sole, the Scorpion Lightech. It is thin, very thin. The Scorpion Lightech sole is only 3.5mm thick so your pedaling is automatically made more efficient. It is stiff for power tremendous power transfer, yet tt has just enough give for comfort. The sole is vented with protective mesh screens so air can circulate from the front to back of the shoe.  

3. The original nylon-carbon composite sole, which is supplied on the Racer, Zenith, and Zoom. Though a bit less efficient than the first two soles, this sole provides more springiness for great comfort over long rides.

Most shoe companies make their soles adaptable to the various pedal systems with a set of adapter plates that fit between the cleats and the sole of the shoe. Vittoria does not. While in years past Vittoria made shoes this way, a few years ago they decided that this system was not optimal.

Why?

You must remember that first and foremost, Vittoria is a racing shoe company. They live racing. The owner, Celestino Vercelli, was a pro during the great days of Merckx and de Vlaeminck. They have equipped and do equip the greatest riders in the world. Their goal is to make their shoes as efficient as possible. With a sole built up with a series of adapter plates, they saw three big disadvantages.

1. Ergonomics. The closer the ball of the foot is to the center of the axle of the pedal, the smaller the dead spot at the top of the stroke. Built-up soles increase the distance of the foot to the pedal, making a bigger dead spot, causing lost efficiency.
2. Weight. Built-up sole systems are heavier. Vittoria shoes are the lightest shoes around and they intend to stay that way.
3. Efficiency. With extra plates at the bottom of the sole, there is a slight amount of lost energy in the transfer of power from the foot to the pedal as those plates flex and move against each other. This energy loss is not large, but I'm not going willingly give up any of my precious watts.

For these reasons, the regular Vittoria sole works with Look, Shimano, and Campagnolo without adapters. Those clients that use the Time system can order Vittoria shoes with genuine TBT soles. The optimal efficiency of the various pedal systems is not compromised.

Why does Vittoria's competition, all makers of serious, well-made shoes, use adapters if they are not the best solution for the performance rider?

Business, my friend, business. If there is one shoe that does it all with a few adapter plates, there is just one sole, and stock keeping (and costs) is reduced. But, Vittoria and Torelli believe that should not be the rider's problem. We believe that you want, demand, and deserve the best.

This page was last edited on 11/04/2004