PedalEd just created a pair of wildly light and packable hiking-ready camp moccasins – dubbed Odyssey Foldable Bikepacking Shoes – so you can always have adventure-ready footwear anywhere along your next bike trip. Designed to fold in half and pack down to take up less space inside or strapped onto your bikepacking bags, these shoes still manage to deliver off-the-beaten-path durability, with a proper Vibram sole and secure wrap-around bungee cord lacing…
Update with real weight below…
PedalEd lightweight Odyssey Foldable Bikepacking Shoes
One of the best feelings after a long day pedaling on a multi-day bikepacking adventure, is slipping out of your cycling shoes and giving your feet a break. So, bikepackers often carry along a pair of light sandals for their time off-the-bike. I’ve personally been pretty happy with these from Restrap+Quoc. But packing space is limited and weight is always a concern, so more often than not, spare footwear is basic (think: flip-flops) and seldom well-suited for any extending walks beyond the immediate camp.
But, PedalEd might just have a better solution.
A proper full-coverage shoe with a real lugged rubber sole… that still packs down super small.
Shoes are a completely new category for the unique cycling clothing maker. But PedalEd can likely leverage some industry expertise from Fizik with whom they share their Selle Royal Group design HQ in Italy. They already do collaborate on occasional special edition Fizik shoes. But these are totally different…
What’s new?
The most unique thing about the new shoes is their light fabric upper, which gives them a moccasin-like look and requires a zig-zag of bungee cord straps across the forefoot and around the back of your heel to keep them in place.
But functionally the most interesting feature is the proper Vibram rubber sole. It’s the same minimal One-Quarter sole that Vibram uses in their own packable slip-on shoes. The “special three-dimensional origami design” and LiteBase structure allow Vibram to make the sole 50% thinner without sacrificing performance or durability.
As for how lightweight they are, we’ve asked PedalEd and will update when we know more… likely after the Italian summer holidays.
Update: Ultra-distance bikepacking racer Sofiane Sehili (who is modeling these new slippers together with Elisa Vottero) tells us his pair weigh just 242g. Thanks for the update Sofiane!
Tech details
- light foldable Ripstop uppers: 85% polyester, 10% polyurethane protective film + 5% plastic insert for structure
- lining is 100% polyester for breathability, with bamboo blended into the insole for better cooling
- Vibram One-Quarter LiteBase 100% rubber GumLite Plus lugged outsole
PedalEd Odyssey Foldable Bikepacking Shoes – Pricing, availability & options
The lightweight new PedalEd Odyssey Foldable Bikepacking Shoes sell for 135€ in just this one Grey Ink color. But they include both pink and green bungee laces so you can do a bit of color customization, plus a matching stuff sack so you can pack them away and keep the rest of your bikepacking gear clean.
What’s interesting is they come in just 4 sizes. Offering S, M, L & XL, PedalEd says that each size can fit 4 standard whole EU shoe sizes thanks to the soft nature of how the soft shoe’s upper fabric folds, and the way the bungees cinch down. Overall fit range goes from a small EU 35 up to a big 49 (US men’s 3.5-14.5).
The new PedalEd Bikepacking Shoes are technically available starting today, direct from PedalEd.com. But the M & L sizes that would fit many adult cyclists, I think (EU 39-46) are already sold out. So you might find a pair in a local shop or other online retail, or you’ll just have to be patient.
