Cycling shoes for flat pedals

onlineweb

Hi

I bought a new set of Crankbrothers flat pedals for my road bike. (Not interested in clipless at this stage)

I’ve done some research on Cycling shoes for flat pedals. However, I did not like to look of any of them.

I’m considering buying a decent pair of Nike or Adidas runners/trainers which I can use for cycling.

My understanding is that the sole of the shoes would have to be relatively flat and grippy.

I was looking at Nike React
https://www.nike.com/ie/t/react-vision-shoe-mhp2XD/CD4373-004

Is there anything else I should consider besides, comfort, weatherproof, flat grip sole, breathable.

.red.

If your spending that much, have a look at a pair of five tens, by Adidas.
I had a pair when I did a bit of mountain biking and the grip is unreal.

Tony04

Why not clipless OP? I'd only use flats unless on a real budget, commuting which isnt really happening right now or mtb which you're not doing.

The only advantage of flat peddles is you can put your foot down quick, you can walk in clipless mtb shoes like
Also when using flats I just use cheapish grippy trainers from sports direct.

If you really want flats buy mtb shoes for flats loads of options outdoor.

Also dont see the point in paying the fashion tax for nike react and they dont even fit your bill of weatherproof.

And at that price point you have a pretty good choice of clipless shoes available to you.

fryup

whichever you choose make sure they're waterproof

DoraDelite

If you are doing any distance on flat pedals, runners won't cut it as I have found the sole is too flexible so your foot gets numb or cramps due to the flex of the foot. I use the specialized 2fo for longer pedally rides on my flat pedals, five tens for MTB for more grip.

onlineweb

Tony04 wrote: »

Why not clipless OP? I'd only use flats unless on a real budget, commuting which isnt really happening right now or mtb which you're not doing.

The only advantage of flat peddles is you can put your foot down quick, you can walk in clipless mtb shoes like
Also when using flats I just use cheapish grippy trainers from sports direct.

If you really want flats buy mtb shoes for flats loads of options outdoor.

Also dont see the point in paying the fashion tax for nike react and they dont even fit your bill of weatherproof.

And at that price point you have a pretty good choice of clipless shoes available to you.

Over the last few weeks, I got used to wearing the clipless shoes. However, my bike skidded yesterday at a busy roundabout, and I couldn't release my foot quick enough. I went down in front of a van. Thankfully I was not too severely injured. So I have decided to take a break from them for the time being.

onlineweb

.red. wrote: »

If your spending that much, have a look at a pair of five tens, by Adidas.
I had a pair when I did a bit of mountain biking and the grip is unreal.

Interesting, I don't want to buy them online until I try them on. Do any retail outlets in Dublin sell them?

.red.

onlineweb wrote: »

Interesting, I don't want to buy them online until I try them on. Do any retail outlets in Dublin sell them?

Dont know, I bought mine second hand years ago. Unfortunately I gave them away when I sold my mountain bike.

Tony04

onlineweb wrote: »

Over the last few weeks, I got used to wearing the clipless shoes. However, my bike skidded yesterday at a busy roundabout, and I couldn't release my foot quick enough. I went down in front of a van. Thankfully I was not too severely injured. So I have decided to take a break from them for the time being.

Thankfully your alright but like how much of that is down to clipless pedals compared to riding roundabouts in wet conditions. I mean yeh flat pedals give you a kind of safety net and that's why I'd use them for mtb and if I commuted aswell probably. But like at the same time clipless easily can add 5-10kph to your speed on flat sections so the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives imo.

You can loosen pedal spring tension if you want to make it easier to unclip

Biker79

OP, I did a bike tour a couple of years ago with a pair of Nike air max and flat SPD pedals - SHIMANO PD-EH500. About 120 km per day with no issues on my feet.

Quite enjoyed it actually.

DaveyDave

You'll want something with a stiff sole, running shoes are a no no as they're too soft and the pedals will tear them to shreds. Get a skate shoe or MTB shoes. Five Ten, Shimano or skate shoes from DC, Nike, Adidas etc.

The React is a foam shoe and very soft. It's surprisingly durable for running, moreso than the Lunarglide I had before them but as they're foam they'll get torn to shreds and they're especially soft.

I have some Stefan Janoski and Eric Koston Nike SB shoes and they're nice for cycling in.

smacl

Did ~800k on flat pedals with cheap enough runners last month on a mixture of road and gravel trails. No issues and used overshoes on a couple of the wet days, same as when using SPD shoes. I'm using pinned MTB pedals with a large platform, so no slipping and no noticeable loss of power. I find them handier than clipless on gnarly off-road and in traffic but would probably prefer the SPDs on the road.

onlineweb

This is interesting.


Clipless Pedals Vs Flat Pedals - Which Is Faster? | GCN Does Science


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMCYYNTWUY

Tony04

This guy in this video acctually looks at studies, interesting how it doesnt add to overall efficiency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEaN9FKGLE

tomasrojo

I favour the BMX-style pedals with rubber-soled footwear, but I don't do *very* long distances. I'm not that bothered about power or speed, but I don't want to have to keep changing my footwear as a utility cyclist, and though I do post here a lot, I spend more time walking than cycling.

smacl

onlineweb wrote: »

This is interesting.

Clipless Pedals Vs Flat Pedals - Which Is Faster? | GCN Does Science

Tony04 wrote: »

This guy in this video acctually looks at studies, interesting how it doesnt add to overall efficiency.

Two very interesting takes on it. I reckon, for me at least, for longer distances on the open road, clipless pedals with a bit of float are more comfortable than flats. Flat pedals are the winner if you're going to have to put a foot down regularly or unexpectedly. Helped a lad who had a classic clipless fall this morning on Cruagh road as a car towing a horsebox pulled out in front of him and his track-standing failed him at the last moment. No damage done other than his pride and I reckon it is an experience many of us can relate to (been there, done that). While I'm really enjoying the versatility of my current setup with flat pedals and gravel tyres, it was sup-optimal on a longer road spin today and I'm treading dangerously close to the n+1 zone.

Tony04

Horses for courses I think. On the road clipless without a doubt, from my experience of taking an mtb on a 100k majority road ride it is annoying losing grip pulling up by mistake on climbs, over bumps and bad shifts, but I guess I could get used to it and improve my technique.
Also theres the injury factor; a well adjusted set of cleats with float is pretty much nigh impossible to get injured. On flats it's very easy to put your foot in the wrong position. And as for toeclips I've heard of people going bike packing ,so cycling long distances and they have ended up injuring their toes from using them to cycle.
Only advantage of clipless imo on road bikes is, as above, saving oneself from the embarrassment of toppling from a track stand, you've got to remember also a mistake on flats with pins can absolutely destroy your shins.
If you think about the ability to stick your leg out quickly that flats give you while most likely at a higher speed might just mean you end up injuring your leg, when theres a dangerous situation ahead, if you like, I've learned to unclip aswell as brake when using clipless so I dont topple over.
Of course on an mtb it's a total different story the ability to stick a leg out especially on singeltrack where you could topple over in to gorse or a tree is not something I'd want to give up.
Also in my experience you can throw you weight around easier on flats so its easier to get a proper bunnyhop etc. And learn proper technique
And also for a casual spin or commuting where its not about pushing myself to average a certain speed or do a climb/sprint in a certain time it's much handier to just hop on a bike in trainers.
It's a personal preference though whatever works for you use it. You always see new riders compelled towards clipless which acctually mightnt be the best choice for some of them

site_owner

I cycle with flats

Shimano mt3 for warm weather
Lake mxz200 everything else

Fann Linn

On the subject of cycling shoes can anyone recommend some good sites. Thanks.

tomasrojo

Tony04 wrote: »

It's a personal preference though whatever works for you use it. You always see new riders compelled towards clipless which acctually mightnt be the best choice for some of them

Yes, exactly. It really depends what sort of cycling you're doing.

f1000

Fann Linn wrote: »

On the subject of cycling shoes can anyone recommend some good sites. Thanks.

for flat or clipless?

Fann Linn

f1000 wrote: »

for flat or clipless?

Sorry, I use the Shimano SPD m324 combination pedals, cleated on one side and flat on the other. I use the cleats 90% of the time for commuting/touring and just looking to change the shoes.

onlineweb

Today I switched my clipless pedals and Giro cycling shoes to flat pedals with a pair of Shimano MTB grippy soles.

To be honest, I didn’t notice any significant difference using my road bike, both options are comfortable.

I felt there was no lack of performance with the flat pedals. However, I am an amateur cyclist, doing approx 50km per trip at circa 25 kph.

Perhaps further down the line if I decide to enter cycling competitions, the clipless pedals will make a difference. But for now, I’m satisfied with the flat pedals and the extra split second they give you to put your foot down in the event of the unexpected.

onlineweb

Fann Linn wrote: »

On the subject of cycling shoes can anyone recommend some good sites. Thanks.

You could try these.
https://www.bikeinn.com

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com