French direct sales brand Ekoi has a reputation for delivering top cycling tech in a range of options at very competitive prices. It says that this year, shoes will be amongst its key new products and first up is the Strada Cristal, with a dial closure and reinforced sole.
The Strada Cristal’s upper is made from lorica synthetic fabric. This has a diamond water repellent finish, so the shoe will cope with damp conditions. There is also an array of perforations for ventilation.
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The upper is closed with a single Atop closure, similar to a Boa dial, and a front Velcro strap. There’s a high, cosseting heel cup to help stabilise the foot.
The Strada Cristal is currently available in white and black, with three bright neon options soon to be released
The sole of the Strada Cristal is made from a mix of fibreglass and polyamide and features a central beam, which Ekoi says optimises the sole’s stiffness. There’s ventilation built in here too, with eight perforations helping to avoid heat build up.
Ekoi says that the Strada Cristal will retail for €129.99 – that’s around £115 in the UK, with free delivery. The black version is currently discounted to under £70 on Ekoi's site and in white the shoes are priced at £81.
Currently available colours are black or white, but there are neon yellow, neon green and neon orange options in the works, which should be available soon. Ekoi quotes a weight of 271g per shoe for a size 40. The Strada Cristal is available in sizes from 39 up to 46.
There’s a new top of the range shoe in the works too, called the R4, as well as the new lace-up carbon soled shoe, the Vintage, both due to be released later in 2018.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
