Footwear for cycle touring?

Pompous

Hey folks,

I'm going on my first cycle tour. I have all my gear except for the shoes I'll be wearing on the bike.

I don't have clip on pedals and I don't want clip on pedals or shoes.

Is there such a thing as footwear for cycling or running that is waterproof? I'll be camping in the wild every night and I won't be able to dry out my footwear.

If waterproof is not an option, what should I get? Am I going to have to put up with wet feet in the morning?

smacl

You can put waterproof overshoes over trainers which work quite well. I've done a number of all day cycles with this combination. In heavy rain the shoes still got wet, just not as wet, but feet stayed warm.

cdaly_

Sandals and Sealskinz socks.

Actually, sandals alone will do fine.

Sandals and feet will dry very quickly once the rain stops and, if it's a bit cold, some merino socks will keep your feet warm if required.

On long, wet, cold rides, I use Sealskinz waterproof socks over the merino socks and stay pretty much dry and warm.

And when you do decide you want clipless pedals, you can get SPD sandals...

outfox

I found these to be the business:

http://yachtboot.com/sharx_bluegrey.htm

They are like a cross between runners and crocs. If you wear wool socks, the socks will get wet in the rain but still stay warmish. You can wear them in the evening without socks. So one pair of footwear will do for your trip.
The grip isn't great, so toe cages are advisable. I did a few fairly tough MTB courses with them in the past.

smacl

Socks and sandals in public? Might get pulled over by the fashion police

benneca1

Socks and sandals not a great look I have to say. Look are now doing cycling shoes with recessed cleats so you can use your normal pedals and walk around a bit when you need to. You could carry the sandals in your jersey pocket to have if you are walking a lot.
Personally I use shimano spds on bike when touring and specific touring shoes There are a few out there. The ones I have are gore-tex lined boots so provide as much protection as a pair of walking boots. The only issue is than water runs down my legs and wets the boots from the top.

aFlabbyPanda

Specialized do a range of shoes called RBX which are designed for this. They have a plug which covers the SPD holes so you can just wear them as shoes. But there are loads of MTB shoes which look more like normal shoes (both with & without SPD mounts).

Pompous

Thanks everyone for the replies. This is such a great community.

Considering my budget, everyone's suggestions, and a lengthy discussion I had today in town with an experienced tour-er; I have decided to go with a combination of trainers and overshoes.

I was trying to avoid having to start my day with wet footwear, but apparently it's not such a big deal once I keep my feet dry and snug at night. My trainers are very light material that shouldn't take too long to dry (especially with the added protection of the overshoes). It's not perfect, and I would like to try out those yacht boots suggested by outfox for next time, but I think I'll survive this one.

Thanks again folks!

cdaly_

One thing to be aware of is that trainers will usually have a flexible footbed which is good for walking and running but bad for cycling as you end up with all of your cycling work concentrated on a small part of your foot. Cycling shoes have a more rigid footbed so that the pressure is better distributed over your whole foot.

poochiem

There's a review halfway down the page here - http://ultralightcycling.blogspot.ie/p/equipment-reviews_12.html - Crocs or Crocs and sealskinz if you know it's gonna be wet & cold. A lot of long distance bikepackers swear by them. There's also an off-road version of crocs with a grippy sole, closed toes and heel strap.

gwakamoley

cdaly_ wrote: »

One thing to be aware of is that trainers will usually have a flexible footbed which is good for walking and running but bad for cycling as you end up with all of your cycling work concentrated on a small part of your foot. Cycling shoes have a more rigid footbed so that the pressure is better distributed over your whole foot.

I think the rigidity of the sole is a really important point which shouldn't be overlooked. Although I believe that the importance of the rigid sole as much to stop you pedaling in an "up on your tippy toes" style and putting pressure on your Achilles as it is to distribute the pressure. I wore Asics touring last year and got terrible pains in my Achilles from them which really affected me out there and kept me off the bike for a few weeks when I got back.

If you are going to wear shoes which aren't cycling specific then at least make sure the sole is as stiff as possible!

ustazjoseph

I did A week recently using aldi hiking shoes and flip flops for off the bike. Newspapers and towels can help dry wet kit. Best of luck.

OleRodrigo

I did a credit card tour of 1200 km over 8 days, in a pair of runners and clip pedals, on a fixie.

Upside down! *

* may not be true

JBokeh

I'm mainly a clipless pedal guy, but for a casual cycle, or if I'm using the bike for going into the city after work I'll use 5.10 free riders and BMX pedals, a really stiff sole that sticks to the pedal nearly as good as clipless, but you can walk around in them and they look like normal shoes. They're not waterproof, but they stay dry you're hitting puddles. I find the water will wick down the socks before it will seep through the stitching of the shoes.

Red Kev

We cycled from Awitzerland back to Ireland a couple of years ago, had one pair of trainers and one pair of sandals. Mostly wore the sandals with socks (fashion police my arse) as I'd have issues with the tender skin on my feet burning quickly in the sun.

Trainers might not be the best for a continuous 4 hour cycle, but I find touring that I'd stop a couple of times an hour to look at stuff and that eases the chance of pins and needles in the feet.