Cycling Footwear Overview

So how important is your soul? As you would not neglect your inward soul, neither would you neglect the outward sole, the sole of your shoe that is. Like any other action sport, cycling requires its athletes to meet the demands of the sport in every way. There is nothing worse than engaging in an action sport and having to worry about how much your feet hurt. Most action sports have something unique to their footwear: mountain climbing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, mountain bike and road cycling. All of these sports require a unique shoe or boot to be worn. In snowboarding the riders strap their snowboard boots into bindings. The boots are comfortable, yet sturdy enough to give great ankle support and protection from the elements.

Similar to the snowboard boot, cycling footwear is an essential part of the sport. Most road bikes and mountain bikes have what are called ‘clipless’ pedals. These pedals require the shoes to have special cleats on the bottom of the shoe in order for the shoe to attach to the show without the use of toe-clips, which can be extremely dangerous. These pedals and shoes can lead people into thinking that riding clipped in is not safe. However, the opposite is true. By using these specialized shoes and pedals the rider is in more control of the overall speed and direction of the bike. Automatically people worry about how to escape the pedals before falling over. There is no need for pause, for these shoes have been specifically geared for quick and easy entry and exit.

The clip-in cleat bearing shoe may be the most popular in cycling, however there is a shoe that is different that is used in other types of cycling. We would be remised if we did not briefly discuss the current trends in trial, BMX, and mountain biking. The genres of cycling have morphed into new and trendy cycling sports. In BMX cycling, the name of the game is tricks. Aside from BMX racing the majority of the sport takes place in bike parks and along the urban street. Therefore the cleats found on road cycling and mountain biking riders will not stand up to the abuse. The riders are constantly pulling ‘airs’ and other aerial maneuvers that require the rider to have complete mobility on the pedals.

Trials riding, which is a hybrid sport between mountain biking and BMX, uses much of the same trick techniques of BMX with a rigid mountain bike frame. In addition to these genres, downhill mountain biking and freeride mountain biking demand similar techniques from their riders. The ‘on again – off again’ style of riding, with serious aerial maneuvers demand that these cycling sport have a shoe that will be protective, comfortable and durable. This is what Sidi has to say about the importance or your riding shoes sole:

The sole is more than the shoe’s foundation; it anchors your pedal stroke. It must be rigid for power transfer, yet flexible for comfort on long rides. It must have just the right shape, supporting the whole foot with a position that encourages perfectly smooth circles, just like our Millennium II sole. The sole is key, and nobody is more experienced in the science of sole than Sidi.

There are different kinds of cycling and just as many types of cycling shoes. The sport of cycling has branched out in recent years and become multifaceted, requiring many different styles of shoes. Depending upon your specific genre of cycling you could be wearing anything from Vans to Sidi’s.