Shoes. In my opinion one of the most important articles of clothing you wear while riding. They are the contact point between human and bike. Transferring the power to the pedals, keeping your feet gripped to the pedals, and keeping your feet protected from hazards and the elements. I’m not talking about cleated bike shoes. I’m just talking about shoes you wear when riding. I know some people that prefer sandals and some that prefer tennis shoes and some that wear flip-flops. Of course the weather may dictate what kind of shoes you wear while riding. Myself, I prefer high top chucks, year round. Anybody have a love for a particular shoe to wear while riding or have ever ridden in a particularly strange shoe? My most unusual would be a pair of tuxedo dress shoes at a friend’s wedding.
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07.06.08 at 10:40 pm
Claude
I just wear any old sneaker. I’d wear a pair of canvas tops that I have similar to the ones in the photo, but I tend to wear my (low-top) pair without socks, so I think that’s just asking for trouble.
I don’t have trouble keeping my feet on the pedals but I do need a shoe that transmits whatever’s happening through to my foot. I’ve picked up on a lot of balky shifts and thrown chains that way, long before it gets too jammed up to undo easily.
07.07.08 at 12:17 am
mule1
Thanks Claude. Being able to feel whats going on is one of the reasons I like the shoes pictured.
07.07.08 at 8:38 am
Johnny
You know me; I usually rock low-cut Chucks all winter and Tevas/flip-flops in the summer. I’ve had thicker Tevas where I could not feel the pedals, but the ones I’m wearing now work pretty well for feeling the pedals (Hurricane III) and good flexibility. I know Keen makes bike sandals. But I want neither to clip my feet nor to cover my toes all summer.
The worst is frikkin dress shoes. Going to interviews/weddings in those things just hurts after a while. I don’t know if it’s the stiffness or the heel. Or maybe drinking too much at weddings? LOL
07.08.08 at 9:04 am
Corey
I usually use my chaco sandals. Good stuff.
07.08.08 at 5:24 pm
mule1
Thanks Corey.
07.09.08 at 9:07 pm
Jennine
BIG shoe.
Now, it’s been years since I was on a bike, but seriously, Johnny, flip-flops? I can barely keep those damn things on my feet when both of them are on the ground.
07.10.08 at 8:02 am
Johnny
You have to get light flippies:) In Illinois, I ran over my foot once wearing those sumb!tches. Considering that my feet can’t touch the ground while seated, I’m very…disturbed trying to imagine this:)
07.11.08 at 10:53 pm
Jennine
Well, Johnny, you are a man of many talents. Some of them clearly directly related to bizarre means of personal harm.
07.12.08 at 12:10 pm
Johnny
You’re not kidding!
I haven’t worn any this year, though. I’ve lost a toenail and sprained a toe badly in recent memory wearing those damned things. I had some sweet ones last summer that were hemp, and I loved them. But I wore them out/spilled fried rice on them and am sticking with [washable] Tevas these days:)
07.12.08 at 9:53 pm
mule1
Torn out toenails is what keeps me in close toed shoes.
07.13.08 at 12:57 pm
Johnny
Yeah, that was not pleasant. So much blood!
http://www.pragmatik.org/blog/2005/05/fear-and-loathing-in-southern-illinois/
07.16.08 at 4:54 pm
cube
I’m probably the outsider here, but I like Shimano SPD shoes. I don’t use cleats, though. I just like the extra stiffness the soles have. When I first got a pair, I felt a definite change in my riding. I wear the MTB style, not any crazy road-bike-only-fiberglass-torture-device. The caveat is when I ride a bike without toeclips. Then I wear a pair of Vans. Classic Vans are good, but I like the beefier Vans you can find at a place like Kohls…
07.16.08 at 5:56 pm
Johnny
I came home with a big Kohls bag this weekend:)
07.19.08 at 10:33 am
mule1
thanks cube