German outdoor brand Doghammer has launched what it claims to be the first 100% vegan shoes for mountain biking.
The Bike Graveler is made from 100% vegan materials with everything being from non-animal sources including the glue that holds the shoes together. The Bike Graveler is made from a mixture of vegan leather, natural canvas and real cork, and Doghammer says that because the removable insole is made from cork it should dry quickly and be odorless. To provide plenty of grip the shoes are built with a Vibram sole that is also made using recycled rubber.
We are starting to see more brands create more sustainable footwear options with
Five Ten launching its Primeblue ocean plastic shoes last year. Finding vegan MTB shoes can be quite tricky with lots of options having suede as the main material of the shoe. This is especially true for flat pedal riders who want animal-free footwear although it has definitely become easier in recent years. I have been running a mixture of Five Ten's Trailcross and new Primeblue freeriders over the past few years, although they do sit in a moral grey area as it's not clear where the glue comes from for the shoes.
Doghammer's Bike Graveler shoes are available now for clipless riders with a flat pedal option becoming available in June. The flat pedal version sells for €139.90 with the clipless option retailing at €159.90. You can find out more
here.
Looking it up, it seems like most athletic shoe glues are polyurethane and thermoplastics. So I'm guessing that these guys just added some canvas and earth friendly colors.
The garbage hippie aesthetic is free though
I’m not a vegan either just can’t stand people that think about other peoples situations in live rather than concentrating on they’re own!
I think they look good, Hoping for flat pedal versions that look similar to try out.
I do like a more “interesting” shoe than most, and the myriad of black options is fairly tiring. I get it, sales and all that, appealing to the tastes of the majority if you want to sell more product, doesn’t change my want for a more silly coloured shoe.
Used to wear 5.10 bright blue suede Ascent shoes, till I absolutely wore them out. If I could find those again, I’d be stoked.
Can I at least SEE the damn sole?
Also if PETA and other animal rights groups wanted to really move the needle for not using leather in shoes they should push to change the import regulations/ taxes that HEAVILY favor leather shoes. Example: a waterproof shoe that is primarily leather has 3x less import taxes on it than one with primarily textile.
Name? Legendary.
Vegan? Beyond obnoxious. Awesome.
And they actually look cool AF.
Win-win-win…! ; )
I wonder if they use peaches for vegan suede?
"It's actually just sparkling shoe fabric."