Are cycling shoes necessary , if so why ?

[slowmotion]

Can I be the first to admit that I have fallen off as a result of being unable to unclip in time?

Even with yellow cleats and the tension dialled right down.

Still, it was at low speed and only about half a dozen people saw, so I'll file that as a lesson learned...

Everybody does that. I lay on the tarmac giggling and horizontal, with both pedals still glued to my shoes. No harm done.

 

[raleighnut]

Even more of a certainty with SPD's if you use SH56 multi-release cleats as opposed to the more restrictive SH51's that seem to be the default option supplied by dealers.

Yep I found out by accident what 'multi-release' meant, first hill I 'tried' climbing with a new pair of shoes, the cleats are now somewhere in the back of the shed.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Everybody does that. I lay on the tarmac giggling and horizontal, with both pedals still glued to my shoes. No harm done.

I achieved that with commuter cages, several times...

 

[ianrauk]

Everybody does that. I lay on the tarmac giggling and horizontal, with both pedals still glued to my shoes. No harm done.

no they dont

 

[MarkF]

I wouldn't ever use them, i like footwear that is good for walking around in when i park the bike.
Trainers with shorts in summer, lightweight hiking boots with long trousers in winter.

All my cycling is for pleasure, it usually involves walking, socialising and often, a drink or two, so "normal" footwear for me. Maybe if I'd returned to cycling before 40 I would have tried them.

 

[Sharky]

If walking plays a significant part of your day out on a bike, then flats or recessed plates are probably best, but if cycling is the whole purpose, then clipless is best.
The old clips and straps did the same, but when the straps were tightened, it could restrict blood flow in the feet and cause cramping. Clipless ensures a firm grip all the time and once adjusted and comfortable gives you the same foot/leg position every time. Varying foot/leg positions, can cause knee problems.

 

[Dogtrousers]

In the the late 80s/early 90s I had a really nice pair of cycling shoes. These weren't clip-in or anything like that, as I rode with toeclips at the time. They were just stiff-soled trainers, very like the Bontrager SSR ones I wear for cycling now (except these days I have SPD recessed cleats in them). Super comfy and practical.

Anyway, around this time I moved house so I put all my various kinds of shoes and boots into a black bin bag ready for moving. I also filled several bin bags with rubbish (you can see where this is going). When I got to my new home I went to extract my shoes and found ... a load of rubbish. The bag with my cycling shoes, waking boots, random trainers, worn out Docs and so forth was on its way to landfill. I suppose it was one way to declutter.

So. Back to the present. Bontrager SSR shoes for the summer, Northwave Celsius boots for the winter.

Are they necessary? Meh. Who cares. For me, yes, because my bike has SPD pedals and my Brommie has flats so I want something that works with both.

 

[Smudge]

All my cycling is for pleasure, it usually involves walking, socialising and often, a drink or two, so "normal" footwear for me. Maybe if I'd returned to cycling before 40 I would have tried them.

Same here, although i returned to cycling long before i was 40. Cycling to me is just riding a bike, it isn't a sport or a way of life. Its just one of my many enjoyable pastimes.
I only wear specific gear on my motorcycles and that's more for protection than anything else.
Nothing wrong with cycling shoes, or lycra come to that.... but it wont ever be me dressed in those.

 

[Johnno260]

As usual there isn't a wrong or right answer, it's each to their own.

 

[Venod]

Maybe if I'd returned to cycling before 40 I would have tried them.

What happens after 40 to stop you trying them ?

 

[MarkF]

What happens after 40 to stop you trying them ?

Nothing. But if I'd started (again) younger, l may have been more interested in the sport/road side of things. Instead, l got fit and settled straight into plodding touring.

Now trainers suit my cycling lifestyle.

 

[icowden]

My two pennorth - I don't use clips or anything, but I did buy a pair of tough soled MTB shoes (Five Ten Freerider elements) as I found that my foldable pedals were so sharp with their grips that they were tearing trainers to bits. Plus the Five Tens are waterproof. I now swear by them.

 

[Threevok]

Apart from my SPD shoes - I previously rode (when using flat pedals) in trainers or plimsolls

But since using pedals with rather vicious spikes on them, I tend to buy specific shoes for the task, as the pedal pins take a rapid and heavy toll on the souls of normal footwear.

The strange thing is, I tend to wear these shoes off the bike too, as casual shoes.

I have a pair of DC Toniks that are so comfy - I have done far more miles on foot with them, than on the bike(s)

 

[Rusty Nails]

The shoes I wear are best for me and suit my riding.

I am right and every person who doesn't do the same is wrong.

 

[I like Skol]

The shoes I wear are best for me and suit my riding.

I am right and every person who doesn't do the same is wrong.

I think you will find you are mistaken, I am right and it is you that is wrong!