Urban shoes are similar to mountain bike shoes with a recessed cleat, more tread, and a lugged outer sole. This allows the rider to walk in the shoes with more flexibility and without walking on the cleats. When choosing shoes for cycling, it is important to understand how cleats and pedals work as both can change depending on the cycling style.
Pedals are the key contact point between your bike and your foot. There are three main types of pedals:. Instead, they are a flat platform that allows the rider to step on and start pedaling with any type of normal shoe. Pedals that are used for trail and gravity mountain bikes will have a slightly concave shape with pins that are for extra traction.
They are called clip pedals, but they actually do not have the clipping mechanism. Instead, they rely on a cage and strap that holds the foot in place. This type of pedal is typically seen on recreational road bikes and not really on performance bikes.
The benefit of the clip pedal is that they allow the foot to be attached to the pedal, but the downside is that your feet can be harder to remove from the pedal and get stuck.
Clipless pedals are the most popular type of pedals, especially on performance bikes. These pedals allow the rider to mechanically attach their foot to the pedal, locking the cleat into place easily while being able to unclip with a simple twist of the foot. Road and triathlon bikes usually have one or two sides with a larger surface that provides a greater power transfer. They also feature a shallow height that improves ground clearance while pedaling through corners.
Urban bike pedals are usually combination pedals, which has a platform style on one side and a clip in on the other. This is a good solution for riders who want to be able to ride in normal shoes, but also clip-in. The cleats are mounted onto the shoe and are what locks you into the pedal. This clip in setup is what allows the most efficient power transfer. The characteristics of cleats vary depending on the riding style of choice.
The three main characteristics are:. The float is the range your feet are allowed to move laterally without restriction on the pedal surface. This range is measured in degrees. You should give yourself more float if you are less flexible, less experienced, or more at risk of knee or leg injury.
Each cleat system will state the amount of movement that is available, usually in a color-coded system that allows the identification to be easier. Cleats can either be recessed into the sole of the shoe, which allows the rider to walk on the ground without stepping on the cleats.
These are typically on mountain and urban shoes. Cleats can also be external, which means they protrude from the shoe. These cleats are typically on road or triathlon shoes where they rarely have to be walked on.
Finding the Right Shoe There are three simple steps to determining the right cycling shoes for you: Determine which pedal system is on your indoor cycling bikes. Be sure to check with your facility to see what pedal system is on their indoor cycling bikes. Find the cycling shoe that fits you best. Read below for even more info on shoes, cleats and pedals, and how they all work together.
Put your shoes on and find the ball of your foot. The cycling cleat should be aligned just under the ball of the foot for maximum comfort, performance and natural movement in the ankles to create a fluid pedal stroke and help prevent injury. Find the right toe-in or toe-out. Make sure the cleats are mounted to allow for a natural toe-in or toe-out. These terms define how your feet are pointed when you attach your cycling shoes to the pedals.
While at least one good fan is essential for indoor riding, it is still very difficult to maintain temperature regulation. Your feet can be one area that really struggles when things start to heat up. Foot swelling can be a major issue for some, and as such extra ventilation in shoes is great for indoor riding. Keeping this in mind you will want to see an array of vents on the sole of the shoe to allow as much air in as possible. A lot of modern shoes come with multiple vents on the sole to increase air circulation around the foot, but quite often more vents correlate closely to more dollars at the checkout.
Some manufacturers are now creating venting channels running through the sole of their shoes which is another attempt to deliver much-needed cooling to more of the foot. While not always possible if shopping online, it is also a good idea to check the insole of the shoe. A well-vented outer sole can easily be rendered obsolete if the inner sole has very little breathability.
Some supermarket insoles with gel padding and other claimed comfort-increasing properties often do little for airflow and can end up resulting in quite a bit of heat build-up. Moving to the shoe upper and breathability is key here. Ideally, for indoor riding, you want a shoe with added breathability and lighter upper material. Outdoor shoes must provide some level of protection and robustness against the elements, even for warmer and drier climates.
With indoor shoes, manufacturers can strip back this protection. Look for lightweight mesh panels on the upper which should be designed to allow maximum ventilation. More durable-feeling, heavier materials are unlikely to provide the breathability needed here and if the ventilation resembles an empty pin cushion it is unlikely to provide the airflow needed to keep your feet breathing.
Sizing should be another consideration. While getting the right shoe size is always important, the likelihood your feet will swell in an indoor session is much higher and as such you should ensure your feet have space to grow into. This should also be a consideration for all shoes, especially if you live in an area with a warmer climate.
A lot of shoes used for indoor training tend to have simplified closure systems. Single Boa dials, velcro straps and laces are the most commonly used rendition systems indoors. While this does make for quicker setup when rushing to make the next event on Zwift, this is more likely a budget restraint rather than an actual tangible benefit for indoor riding.
For most riders, indoor training will supplement their outdoor activities. As such the budget for dedicated indoor shoes might be much less than they are willing to spend for their main outdoor kicks. Last but by no means least, we also need to consider style.
There is a good reason why Rapha has a range of indoor training clothing items because it is just as important to look the part indoors as it is outdoors. For those of us training alone at home, style is important, but for those choosing to train in gyms, style is paramount.
With MyFace likes and Snapstagram stories of as much or arguably more importance than the actual workout, having a shoe that looks the part can be crucial. Personally, I am a non-believer, at least for those who use indoor training to supplement their outdoor activities.
I have always used the same shoes for both my indoor and outdoor training. While it does mean some extra care after an indoor session to clean and air my shoes, it also means I am getting continuity in both cleat placement and shoe fit for indoors and out. Clipping in and out of the pedals comes with a sharp learning curve, especially if you ride outdoors. Practice near a patch of grass so if the process goes badly, you tip over onto a soft surface.
All cyclists -- mountain bikers, road riders and racers -- benefit from clipping in, however, so it's worth the lesson. If you never ride outside and only pop into a cycling class once every several months, you can stick to your tennis shoes. Novice cyclists also benefit from wearing shoes that don't clip into the pedals.
You'll have time to become accustomed to riding without having to worry about the added pressure, and possible danger, of clipping in and out. Even if you're just starting out in cycling classes, stick to tennis shoes at first.
If you buy cycling shoes and find out indoor cycling isn't for you, you will have just wasted your money on a pair of shoes that'll sit in your closet.
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