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Are bike shoes really necessary?

Old 04-29-22, 06:16 AM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals

Now, for the person who rides on the MUP at 10 mph, cycling shoes are overkill.
I ride the MUP all the time because it is available and safer than riding with traffic. I’m not sure if I go as slow as 10 mph , but I normally ride at least 25 miles. But I want my feet to be comfortable, so I always ride with cycling shoes.
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Old 04-29-22, 06:24 AM
  #127  
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use any shoe you like.
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Old 04-29-22, 06:33 AM
  #128  
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Originally Posted by cyclist2000
There are quite a few, Bontrager, Specilized, FiveTen, Shimano, Ride Concept, there are probably more but many most of these only have one model in their cycling arsenal for flat pedals, where as FiveTen has many models.
Pearl has several

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Old 04-29-22, 08:51 AM
  #129  
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There is a huge difference between personal preference and necessity...Bike shoes and clipless pedals are personal preference and not a necessity...The biggest problem with people is that they take their personal preferences and try to make it sound like it's a necessity for everybody....Thousands and thousands of people in this world ride bikes without bike specific shoes and clipless pedals, some even do loaded touring around the world with platform pedals and hiking shoes..
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Old 04-29-22, 11:04 AM
  #130  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
There is a huge difference between personal preference and necessity...Bike shoes and clipless pedals are personal preference and not a necessity...The biggest problem with people is that they take their personal preferences and try to make it sound like it's a necessity for everybody....Thousands and thousands of people in this world ride bikes without bike specific shoes and clipless pedals, some even do loaded touring around the world with platform pedals and hiking shoes..

I'm ok with people coming to the conclusion that a particular kind of shoes is a necessity for them. I ride platforms with sneakers, but I think it would be highly obnoxious if I told someone else they're wrong for wanting/needing clipless.

By the way, you're wrong, it's not thousands and thousands, it's got to be millions and millions that ride platforms without "cycling" shoes. Don't undersell that important point.
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Old 04-29-22, 11:12 AM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
Your experience clashes with mine. Try riding your bike for 50 miles wearing shower flip-flops, just for an extreme demonstration that stiffness matters. The longer you ride or the harder you push the pedals, the more it matters to have stiff-soled shoes. Note this is a separate issue from clipping in or using toe clips. Not having stiff-enough shoes causes hotspots and other foot pain. Of course, ill-fitting cycling shoes can do the same.

Now, for the person who rides on the MUP at 10 mph, cycling shoes are overkill.

Just because shower flip flops would cause problems doesn't tell you whether the marginal difference between riding with sneakers with a decently stiff soles and cycling specific shoes would make any meaningful difference in foot comfort. I ride hundreds of relatively intense miles in my hard-soled NB sneakers, and I've never had a hot spot or foot pain, and I'm 61 with bad feet and ankles.

Some fraction (maybe about a 1/4) of my riding is on MUPs, but I'm going a lot closer to 20 mph than 10.
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Old 04-29-22, 11:28 AM
  #132  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I'm ok with people coming to the conclusion that a particular kind of shoes is a necessity for them. I ride platforms with sneakers, but I think it would be highly obnoxious if I told someone else they're wrong for wanting/needing clipless.
Yup, it's a pretty simple concept - people generally have a good idea of their own needs and wants. If one think that clipless is a waste of time, they're probably right... for them and the type of riding that they do. Same for those that think clipless is a necessity. The issue is that folks tend to see things from their own little bubble and it doesn't occur to them that riding a bike can be very different from riding a bike.
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Old 04-29-22, 12:00 PM
  #133  
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Originally Posted by WhyFi
Yup, it's a pretty simple concept - people generally have a good idea of their own needs and wants. If one think that clipless is a waste of time, they're probably right... for them and the type of riding that they do. Same for those that think clipless is a necessity. The issue is that folks tend to see things from their own little bubble and it doesn't occur to them that riding a bike can be very different from riding a bike.
I also think you could be doing the exact same kind of riding and differ on this--feet vary like crazy.

What drives me nuts in these threads is when people start listing things "you" can't do with or without the item in question. A couple of years ago, there was a thread where people were saying ridiculous things like "you can't stand safely on platform pedals." Friggin' news to me, I do that dozens of times per ride. It'd be as ridiculous as arguing that clipless is inherently unsafe because it takes you a fraction of a second longer to put your feet down or some such nonsense.

Basically, there's more than one way to spin a crank. Some work for you, others work for me.
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Old 04-29-22, 01:17 PM
  #134  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Basically, there's more than one way to spin a crank.
Family forum, mister.
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Old 04-29-22, 01:21 PM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
A couple of years ago, there was a thread where people were saying ridiculous things like "you can't stand safely on platform pedals."
When I mountain bike I spend more time standing on my platform pedals than I do sitting on my saddle...Never had any issue with slipping off the pedals.
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Old 04-29-22, 01:25 PM
  #136  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
When I mountain bike I spend more time standing on my platform pedals than I do sitting on my saddle...Never had any issue with slipping off the pedals.

To be honest, I was shocked anyone would make such a claim. Standing on the pedals didn't suddenly become a thing when clipless was introduced.
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Old 04-29-22, 01:37 PM
  #137  
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This topic is 6 pages long of excellent examples of argumentative fallacies. Geez. Usually that's expected in an opinion topic, but still, it's a bit much.
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Old 04-29-22, 01:53 PM
  #138  
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i can bunny hop better with clipless. Harder to GOTB if stayed clipped in too!
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Old 04-29-22, 01:56 PM
  #139  
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Originally Posted by burnthesheep
This topic is 6 pages long of excellent examples of argumentative fallacies. Geez. Usually that's expected in an opinion topic, but still, it's a bit much.
What fallacies ??
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Old 04-29-22, 02:04 PM
  #140  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
To be honest, I was shocked anyone would make such a claim. Standing on the pedals didn't suddenly become a thing when clipless was introduced.
The clipless crowd claims that platform pedals are too dangerous for riding standing up and that platform pedals are useless for any type of serious riding. Both of these claims are complete nonsense.
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Old 04-29-22, 02:05 PM
  #141  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
There is a huge difference between personal preference and necessity...Bike shoes and clipless pedals are personal preference and not a necessity...The biggest problem with people is that they take their personal preferences and try to make it sound like it's a necessity for everybody....Thousands and thousands of people in this world ride bikes without bike specific shoes and clipless pedals, some even do loaded touring around the world with platform pedals and hiking shoes..
Who exactly said bike shoes or clipless pedals were a necessity? Plenty of people have stated their personal preference, but I don't recall anyone saying bike shoes were a necessity to ride a bike. Maybe I missed it?
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Old 04-29-22, 02:08 PM
  #142  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
The clipless crowd claims that platform pedals are too dangerous for riding standing up and that platform pedals are useless for any type of serious riding. Both of these claims are complete nonsense.
And yet more reference to imaginary "them"
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Old 04-29-22, 02:23 PM
  #143  
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Originally Posted by mschwett
here’s my comparison:

fiveTens + stamp1 pedals: 431g + 166g = 597g

exos and speedplay cleats + speedplay pedals: 258g + 84g = 342g

pretty big difference of 255g per side, explains why it feels different. just the shoes and cleats are 346g heavier per pair. the fiveTens are definitely not quite as heavy as i thought, nor are the s-works exos as light as claimed (or the speedplay cleats are much heavier!)
I can't say I notice pedal weight as it's completely lost in the noise of the very different types of bike I'm riding with these different shoe/pedal combos. FWIW I have CB Stamp 7 pedals on my full-suss mtb and Shimano DuraAce pedals on my road bike. I would be more likely to notice the shoe weight while walking around off the bike, but can't say I do in reality. My FiveTen Pros are a fairly bulky shoe, but still reasonably light.

It's horses for courses. I love both these setups in their respective environments and IMHO they are both way better than regular trainers/sneakers, hiking boots, flip-flops or whatever else people choose to ride in!
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Old 04-29-22, 02:52 PM
  #144  
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
And yet more reference to imaginary "them"

I have seen people make such safety claims on BF. I would hardly describe them as being a "clipless crowd", more like a few outliers making absurd lack of safety claims. There was a whole thread that divided along these lines a few years ago, but I really don't want to dig it up. Suffice it to say that it's such a marginal opinion that I was surprised anyone actually believed it.

I do think a lot of people do believe that "serious" riding requires clipless. Obviously, I think that's poppycock.
This thread has been almost entirely devoid of such claims, so I'm not sure why Wolfie wants to stir it up. The guy accusing OP of being in a denial phase gets awfully close to the necessity language, though.
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Old 05-01-22, 10:44 AM
  #145  
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I had the Look keo 2 max blade pedals and as all cyclist, I didn't manage to unclip and fell down... Now, I use a pair of asics gell running shoes to ride the bike!!!
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Old 05-01-22, 01:12 PM
  #146  
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Bike shoes allow for using clip or clipless pedals and putting more power into moving the bike forward. Shoes like the Five Ten ones provide a very grippy sole much like that found on technical rock climbing shoes and these keep feet in place on flat pedals.

If you are riding around at 10 mph on flat ground for rides of less than an hour than the stiffer soles and added power transfer provided by specialized bike shoes are not needed. My preference is for clipless mountain bike style shoes which are good for walking around when off the bike as there is rubber sole material surrounding the metal cleat.

I have special shoes for road bikes, mountain bikes, racketball and tennis, kayaking, trail running, rock climbing, and other activities. I consider it part of the cost of engaging in these activities and like that at this point in time they are easy to find and buy. As a teenager I had ultra thin sole sneakers and logger style boots and this was quite a limitation. Later there were bike shoes being imported from Italy and technical climbing boots and running shoes from Germany and Austria and I did not hesitate to buy and use them.
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Old 05-01-22, 03:22 PM
  #147  
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Originally Posted by Dahon.Steve
I think they are worth it but I just had my first serious accident using them so be very careful. I haven't been on them since but will try it again because I estimate you're about 15% more efficient. I'm still looking for shoes where the cleat doesn't hit the street with every step. Does anyone know of a pair of SPDs that don't make noise every time you walk on the sidewalk?
Has anyone actually measured that claimed 15% improvement in efficiency? These numbers have been tossed around for at least 30 years, with no real evidence.
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Old 05-01-22, 03:51 PM
  #148  
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All one has to do is ride up a hill with standard pedals and realize how much less force one can put on the pedals while staying in the seat. It has been verified that riding a bike requires a fith the engery of walking the same distance and this is largely due to the bike supporting a person's weight and no energy is used to decelerate as when walking. If you need to stand up in the pedals then you are using a lot more energy to move the bike forward.

For me there is also a safety consideration as having a foot slip off a pedal on a steep hill is often going to result in some injury. Even more of a concern when out riding in the rain. Even with sneakers I have used clip pedals to keep my shoes in place.
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Old 05-01-22, 05:39 PM
  #149  
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I am an uncool rider, the only bike apparel I wear is a helmet and bike shorts if I am going out for a few hours or more. Some of the club riders just do not approve. I don't race, I don't time my rides and usually have no idea about the mileage, 2 hours is 2 hours I went from here the their, I ride for fun. I have a kick stand on my bike and some times my shoe hits it when I am peddling so I just peddle flat footed problem solved. I can ride this way for a long time so who cares. But that is me, you have to figure out what you are looking to achieve on your bike, if you are looking to ride fast, studying the numbers, want to improve your times then you do not need my advice you need to listen the the fast guys. For me it is a bike and all you have to do to ride a bike is get on it and start peddling, I will some times come home from work and go for a short ride around the neighborhood in my work boots, I would not wear work boots on a 25 mile ride. I wear tinny shoes, my feet never hurt I do not worry about pulling up and pushing down at the same time I am a masher. You may pass me but I don't care I am going to get there soon enough.
It is a bike, don't over thing every thing just do it.
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Old 05-01-22, 05:52 PM
  #150  
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We have a new one, folks.
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