Hello, I hope this is the right place to get advice for this. My bf (27) has recently been getting into cycling and I wanted to get him some cycling shoes as a surprise present for our anniversary coming up! We live in Chicago so he uses the bike to ride down the lakeside trails and around the city roads. He’s been using his normal trainers and has mentioned slipping a few times.
I don’t know anything about cycling and looking at shoes are confusing since theres so many different kinds. I recognize his bike is a bit older so I’m wondering what kind of shoes would work best with his pedals?
Thank you!
by pandasoondubu
21 Comments
Those pedals do not require cycling specific shoes. Something like the Adidas Velosamba but again it isnt required.
No specific shoes required but you might want to invest in shinguards.
Its not the shoes but the pedals that mainly cause the slip. You can get him a pair of colorful Fooker pedals that will have much more grip. They cost a lot less than shoes. But for shoes I recommend Five Ten brand.
No specific shoes but something with a harder sole. Is it a retro bike? Something that looks cool with the bike like some retro trainers?
I use vans eith pedals like these cause they work best for me
There has been a lot of circlejerking on this sub, but i will assume this post is not and you’re being serious.
If your husband wants to keep flat pedals (the pedals that are pictured here), get a working-out shoe with good ventilation. I sometimes run flats with bodybuilding shoes while going to the gym and i feel like theyre extremely efficient. These will support the arch and be nice to walk with when out of the bike. Try to stay away from running, cushionny type of shoes.
edit: you don’t *need* any type of shoe for flat pedals. Heck, I see some people commuting with dressed-up, leather shoes sometimes.
If your husband seeks a little bit more performance and wants to get clip-on pedals and shoes (basically clipping your show to your pedals, making it so you can not only push but also pull on the pedals), then those tend to get a little more personal (some people prefer a type of clips, and not all are intercompatible). If he didn’t show you a particular model or type of shoe, i would not buy it since there’s a little bit more research to do for that and personal taste.
Given this is sarcasm and the majority of Cycling Fashion reddit heads are serious, I’d go with the new PNS X Aluminum can shoe.
Adidas sells a brand of mountain bike shoes shoes called Five Ten. They look just like regular athletic shoes but their soles are made of a rubber that are extra grippy to prevent slipping on pedals.
Steel toe boots
Literally any shoe
I can’t recommend the Clem Smith pedals from Rivendell bikes enough! Much cheaper than shoes and are extra grippy. Plus they have reflectors.
Get him better pedals, check west biking and get a pair of platform pedals with pins for 20 bucks.
Vans
On these pedals, I added toe clips and ran Adidas Samba, just the classic colorway. I put 2-3 thousand miles on those shoes. I’m not talking about the Velosamba, that shoe uses cleats. Without toe clips, just run any shoe.
Quoddy or Rancourt Boat shoes. Converse Chuck Taylors. Vans slips. Onitsukas or Pumas. Doc Martens. Tevas.
Five Ten Freeriders. The sticky sole works well with these
I think the slipping is not the shoe but the pedal. A pedal with small spikes has way better grip
I see those pedals and I know dudes taken a chunk out of his chins
I would really try talking with him before trying to purchase any type of cycling specific shoes. There’s a bunch of different styles and functionalities, and given the fact that these are super basic pedals, they don’t have a particular shoe designed for them. These would be for everyday commuting for somebody in regular shoes.
If you wanna get cycling specific shoes, they are typically ones that have clips on the bottom. They then coincide with the specific pedals that engage those clips. I hope that makes sense and if you have any other questions, feel free to reply back.
Still got my scars on my shins from ‘when I were a lad’ #ouch
Vans.