Wear the right shoes is essential to pedal efficiently. If for a long time the “cycling” shoes were a prerogative of the professionals, this is no longer the case today. This type of footwear are conceived considering two main factors:
- Sole – Generally made of medium or hard plastic material. Lacks flexibility to avoid the dispersion of the force applied to the pedal.
- Quick Release Cleat – Focuses the force exerted on one point by generating a more effective pedal.
To choose the shoe that best suits our needs, you have to remember the use that we are going to do: For cyclotourism? For the ride? For mountain biking?
Let’s see some tips for a reasoned purchase.
Cyclotourism
Frequent climbs and descents on bike, long walks in museums or parks. For this type of activity it’s best to avoid a technical shoe unless you have space in the bags for spare shoes.
On the market are available hybrid shoes with semi-rigid sole and retractable cleat (embedded in the sole) can be a good solution. Or you could think to mounting a toecap on both pedals, which allows you to give the right strength with every type of shoe.
Road bike
With road bikes, the best solution is the technical shoes with smooth carbon sole or rigid plastic sole and quick release cleat big enough. The rest of the footwear is generally made of leather or synthetic material with velcro latch or with micrometric levers.
It’s also provided with a breathable inner sole, replaceable with an ergonomic one if it can be necessary. The smooth sole makes them slippery during the walk. After all, they aren’t designed for long walks but just for short stops.
Mountain bike
Also for this discipline you need a technical shoe with the addition, under the sole, of a rubber profile and several studs to deal with potential walking stretches. This feature doesn’t make them so slippery as the road bike shoes, but it’s best to avoid using them for trekking.
In addition, the cleat has smaller dimensions and is in a more retracted position than a road bike shoe.