I was used to clipping in on all my bikes when I started back to riding my uni a few years back. I am also a runner, and at first I just rode in my running shoes. I knew these had a lot more flex than I preferred, but it was what I had at the time. About a year or so back I was at an REI looking at hiking shoes, and realized that low sided hiking shoes gave me all I was looking for in a riding shoe. They are somewhat rigid meaning less enegy is lost flexing your foot, they generally have very flat wide soles for gripping all kind of trail terrain, and the ones I have also have vibram non-skid soles. I’ve ridden in them for a year or more now, and still think they really are what the doctor ordered. They are a little heavier than skateboard shoes and a bit more expensive, but they last a long time, and overall they give me almost anything I could want in a riding shoe.
I wear some low sided Regatta shoes which are a hiking shoes, they have been great for the last 9 months but the sole is getting a bit word from the pedal pins.
I have pretty much exclusively worn hiking boots for riding. I use mid-height boots for some ankle support. The only problem is some boots won’t engage all the spikes on pedals with their big lugs. I have been considering re-soleing an old pair of hikers with 5-10 rubber but their leather is pretty much worn out.
They tend to be hot and heavy, arch cut out makes pedal contact not as good as flats, but they can work fine. Eric’s idea is a good one, to resole the boot to make it flatter, but this is not inexpensive or easy. I have three resole shoes and they work so so, maybe not as good as the shoe was as stock.
So, I’ve been thinking about going the hiking shoe route. Right now I ride in running shoes which really “lock in” to the pins on the pedals. I ride the same Uni on and off road with the same shoes. Especially off road, I like the positive engagement of the running shoe tread. Anyone have an opinion on whether hiking shoes would engage as well at the running shoes? Maybe I should look for trail running shoes?
These are getting pretty popular amongst bike trials riders, I have a pair myself and they are easily the best riding shoes I’ve had so far. I where them every day not just on the bike and the soles are still in great condition. http://www.adidas.co.uk/Men’s-Terrex-Solo/QP640,en_GB,pd.html
I started learning with hiking boots a year ago and am absolutely addicted. I’m a chicken, so I’m always concerned about getting hurt, but hiking boots give me the ankle support to keep sprained ankles at bay and protect my feet from getting banged up. I don’t find them to be that hot, and I think the ones I have (Asolo) could survive the apocalypse. I’ve also found that the deep grooves in the sole makes for better gripping than other shoes, but I’ve not had extensive experience with pinned pedals.
My only regret is that the sole is not flat on the inside edge (it tapers up), so I might have some issue with slipping off the cranks on rolling flatland tricks. I’ve thought about switching shoes to a more flatter sole, but as soon as my ankles aren’t strapped in I get nervous.
Kinda pricey, but they are waterproof, good quality, good fit, and look at that flat sole
The sole is not stiff, probably on par with a Five Ten Impact, certainly enough sole for muni esp if you like some ankle coverage. I think they make a low in the same sole.
In my opinion, it’s very important that the shoe have a very stiff sole; if it’s not, you waste motion with flex, lose power and efficiency, and produce fatique/pain in your feet. When I switched to stiffer-soled shoes – yes, I wear hiking boots now, instead of sneakers – the difference is dramatic whether I am doing muni or road rides.
If you can’t afford a new pair of shoes now, you can stiffen your soles with a cheap DIY solution: take a plastic storage container lid, or some other stiff plastic, trace the outline of your shoe’s insole/sock liner, and carefully cut it out (can be tricky depending on material, but tin snips work nicely.)
Slip that puppy in , then replace your regular insole on top, and enjoy!
I mostly ride single track and changed to Five Ten Exumguide Twilights (http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/45-exum-guide-twilight)
from Brooks Trance runners about 3 months ago, since I needed new hiking boots anyway. Not certain that there is more ankle support, but the grip on the pedals is much better and I think the stiffer soles save work on the uni as others have said. They get plenty of short sprints down the track or off into the bush when I UPD and feel more stable doing that than runners did. Comfortable and grippy for hiking with a back pack also, as I found out doing a 13 day walk recently - dual purpose! They are excellent foot warmers but not as hot as some hiking boots. The other protective gear I wear is more of an issue there: one day maybe I won’t fall over all the time and I can leave the body armour at home!
I started out learning to ride on a pair of Feiyue freerunning pumps, but they lacked decent grip on the pedals outdoors. I then switched to my Brooks running shoes, but found the wide sole caught on the cranks more than I liked.
I finally settled on a pair of solid, reinforced hiking shoes which seem to have steel toecaps (bonus) and they are ideal. The sole does not project beyond my foot at any point and the lack of flexibility helps me feel that I have a solid ‘base’ on the pedals.
