cudak888 

I'm going to play devil's advocate here and say that David Mitchell's nasally posh accent shall thus be considered cool.

-Kurt

merziac

One of my favorite topics, no SPD or the like for me, can't stand the look and have a bad, crooked ankle that won't do it, period.

Oldschool clips and straps all the way, just tight enough to cradle and keep my foot on the pedals.

I have Campy and MKS with Soma dual gate clips and christophe straps on most all my bikes.

I have several shoes that I use, mainly some Nike TRX 3's that slip in and grip pretty well, have good support. Tiger/ASIC's Mexico's, kinda thin but great classic looks.

And these that I have not put a lot of miles on but work very well and really look the part.

Oldschool real deal shoes with cleats gone and a protective sole installed, a bit pricey but whats not these days.

johnnyace 

I like what you've got going on there. That's probably the route I'll go, since I already pretty much have everything except the shoes. Although I may not even bother with the shoes. Honestly, even when I was still racing, I used clips/straps until the end, and never made the transition to SPDs.

BFisher

I can assure you there were no subtitles in my head.

Actually just random, but you might say it was something like Sir Alec Guinness. By all means, insert preferred accent as seen fit.

SkinGriz

I just need to remind myself “No bunny hops in flip flops.”

Foot slipped off the pedal a couple weeks ago. More precisely foot slipped out of the flip flop. Crank spun around gouging the leg that was now barefoot.

Yes, I’ll own it. I’ve paid the stupid tax many times.

Jimbo1983

I might have missed it when reading the thread as I have a tendency to do that, but what are those cool old leather shoes you all are using? I have been looking online for some but it can be hard to locate without a name. I did find Dromarti which look pretty nice. I have been considering going to non-clip shoes after riding clipless for ages, as I have dicky knees and think it would just be better for them. I could just use clips and straps like some others do here just to keep my feet on the pedals but that's it.

E. Did see the Holdsworth ones, thanks for that rec. All sold out though as mentioned

Chuck M 

There is an entire cycling shorts thread going on elsewhere that made me think if I had a nickel for every mile I rode in the summer as a kid with whitey tighty underwear under jean shorts I could pay the COVID tax on all the bikes on my local craigslist.

droppedandlost 

You might also consider liner shorts. Basically lycra underwear with or without a chamois. That way you could maintain Fredly appearances.

Aquiles

You could use street-wear over that kind of shorts ? I'm new to road cycling.

johnnyace 

Nah, I'm good with just wearing the proper cycling shorts. They arrived today (super fast shipping!), and the shorts and jersey fit great. Big shout-out to J&G Cyclewear: excellent customer service; initially the jersey I wanted was out-of-stock, but I inquired when they would be back in stock, and they emailed me right away and said they had one left in my size.

As an added benefit, my wife approves wholeheartedly. Turns out women love a man in uniform. I had quit racing about a year or two before we met, so she has never seen me in kit.

johnnyace 

Yes, absolutely. Many people do. Also check out the Touring Shorts at J&G, which can be worn over Lycra shorts.

merziac

These?

If so, they are oldschool racing and cycling shoes that had cleats screwed or nailed to the sole that trapped the shoe on the pedal when you cinched down the strap.

I completely removed the cleats and mounting screws and had regular protective soles put on for traction and a small bit of cushion. they work very well but are stiff as can be so I need to wear them more.

They can be a bit hard to find used in the right size and can be spendy, mine are a bit big, which is ok, I got mine with a bike that I bought so lucked out.

Jimbo1983

Thank you! Yes I thought they looked very nice. I have some old Agu shoes I could maybe use in that fashion, as they won't fit my speedplay cleats due to the curvature of the sole and placement of the bolts. That's a good idea using them like that thanks.

merziac

You're welcome, keep in mind they are very slick and dangerous without the protective sole I had put on which is not cheap so the shoes need to be in good enough shape to justify it.

SapInMyBlood

Beautiful!

Jimbo1983

Good point

gugie 

Sad day when Johnny Ace loses his fred threads, memories of drafting behind his big motor on a 50 year old french bike, passing a solid line of crapon and lycra on a metric century and asking, loudly as we zipped by, “how much you pay for that bike Johnny?” and hearing him reply, loudly, “three fiddy, gugie, three fiddy!”

johnnyace 

I'll probably break it out again for select events featuring lots of crapon fibber riders, just so we can savor such moments, but for riding with the usual suspects, I'm goin' legit. I noticed when we did our own Champoeg ride back in April, that things were somewhat *ahem* uncomfortable down below after about 40 miles. Cotton and seams and whatnot.

But wait! Who is this imposter "Johnny Ace?" Signed up 11-16-11, and has never posted anything? I am the REAL johnnyace!

sovende

I’m going to stop short of saying cycling specific shirts, shorts or shoes are “required” but will say that I most often ride with at least two of the three, those being shorts and shoes. While I have a closet full of flashy cycling shirts with back pockets and a rather tight (aero) fit, i usually wear some kind of sport fabric shirt from WalMart. For me, the padding and seamless design makes for a more comfortable ride. Padded underwear with Carhart cargo shorts still have seams that can chafe sensitive areas. Most of my bikes have either SPD type or Look type pedals. Only one (maybe two) have Look types, most have SPD type (even road bikes) and a few have platform types. I prefer the SPDs because the cleat is recessed into the sole of the shoe. Look type cleats make for a goofy gait when off the bike especially with the cleat covers.
I guess it’s pretty “Fred” of me but I will mix and match and don’t really care what the purists think.

SapInMyBlood

SPD's are the way to go. One of the biggest downsides to SPD-SL for me is that with the slightest bit of sand / mud / dirt / grit, they jam up and become really ****** to clip/unclip.

gugie 

Damn, I thumbed that reply on my phone, I know better! Bad eyes and fat thumbs are no way to go through life posting on the internet...

johnnyace 

I do almost no web browsing on my phone, it's just too damn small for me. I'm definitely of the "desktop computer" generation.

verktyg 

My favorite shoes - "Stackys" - 1970's appropriate kit!





Stylish shoes from SIDI for the ladies in the crowd.


Back in 2003 I had a right side total hip replacement. It was wonderful to be able to walk again but they reassembled me with my right foot pointing out at 15°....



The solution has been to use a pedal extender on the right side. That along with extra wide MTB pedals and the right toe clip modified to sit all the way to the edge of the pedal. No cleats or clipless in case I need to get out of them in a hurry!!!



I wear size 10.5 EEE shoes (45 XW). A few years back, I found these Shimano SH CT41 shoes. Unfortunately they're discontinued. In almost 50 years of riding with toe clips these are the most comfortable cycling shoes I've ever worn!!!


They have a removable hard plastic cover over the SPD mounting area.



As far as other accoutrements, I like Kucharik Lycra 8 panel shorts for anything over a few miles. Also I wear gaudy riding jerseys for visibility plus the convenience of the rear pockets.

verktyg

johnnyace 

The new cycling shoe, to be worn with clips and straps...

tkamd73 

Sometimes it’s nice to just jump on a bike and go for a ride without having to “gear up” for it. Really, for a ride under 20 miles does it really matter!
Tim