How To Choose The Right Bike Shoes For Your Riding Style

Riding is one thing you want to do with the right accessories so as not to overstress yourself unnecessarily. You can ride a bicycle in any shoe, but anyone who rides regularly can benefit from shoes designed specifically for cycling. Bike shoes are designed with stiffer soles for more efficient energy transfer as you pedal. The type of riding you do will guide your choice, whether road cycling, mountain biking, or commuting and running errands around town.

Shoes meant for cycling are usually paired with a compatible pedal to hold your feet securely on the bicycle. Many bike shoes have 2-hole or 3-hole cleats that you clip into clipless pedals, allowing you to pedal more efficiently.

Cycling shoes work the best for cycling because they are very light and have stiff soles, which eliminates any energy loss through sole amortization. That is why all cyclists who are serious about cycling and upgrading their cycling goals need to use bicycle shoes. These shoes allow for a much better transfer of energy between the leg and the pedal as they work in symphony with the pedals that are equipped with special cleats that the shoe hooks on, thereby allowing the rider to have better stability and control their power output much more efficiently.

If you cycle in regular shoes, you can only exert power on the pedal on the way down when you push, but when you cycle with cycling shoes, you can exert power on the pedal on the way up as well when you pull.

When deciding to switch from regular shoes to clipless shoes, it is important to pay attention to your riding style to enable you to choose better bike shoes that will work for you.

Here are some tips on how you can choose the right bike shoes for your riding style;

1. Road Cycling

Road cycling shoes are designed in such a way that road cyclists who want maximum pedaling efficiency can also use them for extended walks if they want to. The road cycling shoes have the stiffest soles and use three-hole protruding cleats that connect shoes to clipless pedals. They come with stiff nylon, composite, or carbon-fiber soles with no rubber outsole over the top, so the cleats sit externally.

2. Mountain Cycling

Mountain bike shoes have grippy soles for added traction on rugged trails and are of two types: shoes that clip into clipless pedals have two-hole cleats that are recessed into the sole, making walking easier; and shoes that work with flat pedals have sticky rubber sole but no cleats. Because mountain cycling often involves riding and walking, these shoes have become popular for that too, leading to the creation of stiff-soled but still walkable shoes.

3. Casual Cycling

Casual cycling shoes look like sneakers and are a good option for recreational riders or commuters who want some of the features of bike shoes but prefer more comfortable, stylish kicks. Casual bike shoes that work with clipless pedals have cleats that are recessed into the sole, making walking easier. They’re not as stiff as road or mountain biking shoes so you may lose a bit of pedal power efficiency.

4. Winter Cycling

Winter cycling shoes are an amazing invention for cyclists who love cycling during the winter. They are shoes designed to keep your feet warm and dry and are designed for three-bolt (road-style) cleats and two-bolt (mountain bike-style) cleats.

5. Triathlon Cycling

Triathlon cycling shoes are specifically designed to be clipped to your pedals before you get on your bike. These cycling shoes come with heel loops that help you get your feet inside on the fly, and with large straps that are easy to do up and undo while you’re moving. These shoes also have a lot of ventilation because your feet are still likely to be wet from the swim when you put them on. Many triathletes use triathlon shoes for general road riding as they come with holes for three-bolt or four-bolt cleats.

6. Indoor Cycling

If you would rather cycle indoors, then you need to get spin shoes. Spin shoes are shoes made just for indoor cycling. They have a special clip that will attach to the pedal of an indoor cycling bike when you apply pressure and are formatted in a way that improves the overall safety of indoor cycling and makes the overall workout smoother.

7. Recreational Cycling

Recreational cycling shoes are designed for urban cycling, indoor cycling, or leisurely riding. They are sort of a hybrid between everyday casual shoes and dedicated cycling footwear, hitting a sweet spot between familiar comforts, versatility, and pedaling efficiency. They are not as stiff as dedicated road cycling or mountain bike shoes, so they are easier to walk in.

They are also designed with a supportive and durable upper to stabilize the foot while pedaling, and shrugging off rocks and dirt, and will avoid wearing out as quickly as your normal kicks. And finally, they feature a gripper sole, intended to help provide traction when you’re not pedaling.

Bearing all these in mind, some other things to look out for when shopping for the right bike shoes include;

Your Weight

Having a lightweight bike shoe will make pedaling a lot easier for you.

Stiffness

Stiff bike shoes make power transfer more efficient and help dampen impacts from rough terrain, but if too stiff, your shoe will feel less comfortable and versatile. Road bike shoes tend to be stiffer since power transfer is key and road riders don’t need as much walkability.

Breathability

Ensure to choose a breathable shoe for warm weather or an insulated shoe for low temps.

Walkability

While choosing cycle-able shoes, ensure to also choose that will allow you to walk when you decide to hop off your bike for a while.