Originally Posted by
wolfchild
I know this is a zombie thread, but I'll bite....I started cycling in 2007, it's 2022. I have ridden many thousands of miles in the last 15 years and I still haven't purchased cycling specific shoes....That right there should tell you if cycling shoes are a necessity or not. Nothing to do with the cost because majority of my non-cycling shoes and boots are more expensive than cycling specific shoes.
Weird flex, but okay.....
I mean, my Ariat rigging boots and my Brooks Cadence running shoes cost more than my Pearl Izumis but they'd be pretty crap to wear as cycling shoes. I wouldn't want to run a marathon in my P-I's nor would I dream of wearing my Brooks on deck at work.
My Doc Martens are actually pretty good for in-town errand running and other short rides, but I wouldn't want to grind out a mountain century in them, either.
I have different footwear that's better suited to different jobs and conditions, just like I have multiple, different kinds of bikes for different kinds of rides; otherwise, all my bikes would be steel-framed single-speeds.