Archival Footwear: Reynolds Touring Shoes

Reynolds is one of those rare, out-of-the-past companies still producing traditional leather cycling shoes in Northampton, England (home of Crockett and Jones). Reynolds sells only one shoe model called Innovations. Though Reynolds describe Innovations as a "new model" it still looks like something from the pages of a 1930s catalog (like this shoe , for instance). Per catalog copy, Innovations features "full grain leather, a double sole, redesigned side pedal patch, full leather padded tongue and raised and padded top line to give ankle support."

I would have ordered my own pair of Reynolds years ago if not for enigmatic-to-me UK shoe sizing charts.

A cautionary tale: the shoes pictured in this post were ordered by a gent who mis-calculated his own UK/Reynolds shoe size. If you'd like your own pair of Reynolds touring shoes, wear a men's size 11.5 and wish to bypass UK shipping hassles, visit this flickr user for further info.

And here's another style of cycling shoe, the "Ball Bearing," awaiting resurrection from the archives ("a sample piece of leather will be mailed upon application"):