Best foot wear for touring?

[Mongoeric]

I used Crocks on my last tour. Hard to get lighter, drying not a problem, and certain not to get confused with someone who cars about fashion!

[dkoloko]

I gave up cycling shoes when they got wet and stayed wet. Switched to bicycling sandals with clipless cleats. Only footwear.

[staehpj1]

I gave up cycling shoes when they got wet and stayed wet. Switched to bicycling sandals with clipless cleats. Only footwear.

That is a point that many people miss.  My solution isn't sandals though.  Unlike most other bike shoes I have owned, I find that my sidis soak up almost no water.  They soak little enough water that if I change socks I have dry feet, but I usually do not bother because I wear socks that aren't too bad when wet and dry quickly as long as the shoes have a lot of mesh.  So it has become an non issue for me, but I do remember having shoes that seemed to never dry.

[SlowAndSlower]

I gave up cycling shoes when they got wet and stayed wet. Switched to bicycling sandals with clipless cleats. Only footwear.

+1 For my wider feet I can adjust the fit better. Also easy to use waterproof liners like SealSkinz.

[RussSeaton]

Cycling shoes have been some kind of plastic for about a decade or two now.  Wet cycling shoes is not really an issue.  If you wear socks, the socks will get wet from sweat or rain.  But plastic shoes getting wet is not a problem.

[dkoloko]

Cycling shoes have been some kind of plastic for about a decade or two now.  Wet cycling shoes is not really an issue.  If you wear socks, the socks will get wet from sweat or rain.  But plastic shoes getting wet is not a problem.

I suspect this is true only for some shoes. Shoes I wore and am wearing around town are usual mix of synthetics found in low end mountain bike shoes; what I found a good choice for touring (if not get wet) and around town.

[sanuk]

For all those eager advocates of SPD clips, or any other mechanical method of attaching your feet to the pedals, here's something few of the clip using fraturnity rarely tell you.  Unless you aquaint yourself at an early stage in your cycling life and feel very comfortable getting in and out of clips at split-second notice without having time to think you might end up as I did a few years back, running out of momentum on a steep hill and quite suddenly face down on the black-top. Luckily nothing was coming up behind.  I ended up with a swollen wrist, multiple cuts and scratches in the middle of nowhere.  I got the wrist x-rayed and fortunately it wasn't fractured but it put me out of action for several weeks before I could get back on the bike and complete my tour.  Even then it hurt on and off resulting a few months later in a very painful and restrictive frozen shoulder which after an MRI scan showed a partially torn rotator cuff.  A sports medicine doctor said the only cure was surgery costing around $3000.  I decided to see a physio first.  After looking at the MRI he said a partially torn rotator cuff could be at least 90 percent fixed without surgery. Six months of physio and massage later I was fully functional.  The clipped cycling shoes went in the bin.  Unless you're a serious road racer I see very little justification for any kind of clips.

[dkoloko]

For all those eager advocates of SPD clips, or any other mechanical method of attaching your feet to the pedals, here's something few of the clip using fraturnity rarely tell you.  Unless you aquaint yourself at an early stage in your cycling life and feel very comfortable getting in and out of clips at split-second notice without having time to think you might end up as I did a few years back, running out of momentum on a steep hill and quite suddenly face down on the black-top.

Unless you're a serious road racer I see very little justification for any kind of clips.

Definitely not true for me. Went from no retention to toe clips to clipless. Moderate learning curve each upgrade. Not having to think is what should be. I suspect your settings were too tight. I set my clipless pedals at lowest release setting. Unless you are a very vigorous pedaler for a recreational cyclist, lowest setting should be sufficient. While the choice it is a matter of preference, I use clipless pedals for fast recreational cycling and touring, and experience the advantages. I suspect a perusal of the archives will find other such pronouncements when clipless first came on the market. I will say now what I said then, if you try clipless you'll probably like them; most did.

[Pat Lamb]

For all those eager advocates of SPD clips, or any other mechanical method of attaching your feet to the pedals, here's something few of the clip using fraturnity rarely tell you.  Unless you aquaint yourself at an early stage in your cycling life and feel very comfortable getting in and out of clips at split-second notice without having time to think you might end up as I did a few years back, running out of momentum on a steep hill and quite suddenly face down on the black-top.

I think most people would say it is rather foolish to start any kind of major tour with new equipment that you are not completely familiar with.  Sorry to hear about your troubles, but what were you thinking?

The flip side, of course, is that clipless (or even toe clips and straps) allows a cyclist with adequate low gears to spin up many grades and save his or her knees from pushing too hard, and the problems that come with that.  "Attaching" feet to pedals prevents a foot from slipping off and forcibly acquainting one's crotch with the top tube.

It boils down to a personal choice, of course.  If a rider has put in some training time with bike (including pedals) before starting off on tour, either clipless or rattrap/flat pedals can get you where you're going.

[DaveB]

For all those eager advocates of SPD clips, or any other mechanical method of attaching your feet to the pedals, here's something few of the clip using fraturnity rarely tell you.  Unless you aquaint yourself at an early stage in your cycling life and feel very comfortable getting in and out of clips at split-second notice without having time to think you might end up as I did a few years back, running out of momentum on a steep hill and quite suddenly face down on the black-top.

Your experience was unfortunate but was the result of unfamiliarity, and not an inherent problem with clipless pedals, and your generalized warning is completely wrong  The learning curve is fast and easy and it doesn't take long to get familiar to the point that the release motion is instinctive.    A few rides and some practice will make you competent and a few weeks will make fast release a complete non-issue.  Clipless pedals are much more secure and faster to get out of in an emergency than any clip and strap system.

[DarrenBnYYC]

For all those eager advocates of SPD clips, or any other mechanical method of attaching your feet to the pedals, here's something few of the clip using fraturnity rarely tell you.  Unless you aquaint yourself at an early stage in your cycling life and feel very comfortable getting in and out of clips at split-second notice without having time to think you might end up as I did a few years back, running out of momentum on a steep hill and quite suddenly face down on the black-top...

... Unless you're a serious road racer I see very little justification for any kind of clips.

I think cautions like this have their place, as there are definitely times for many of us when we prefer not to be clipped in (such as this example, on a sketchy road surface, like gravel or ice, etc.). It is also nice sometimes to have the comfort and freedom of a plain-old platform pedal.

Why not have both? I love hybrid pedals like these ones below -- why not have the best of both worlds?
http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/road/product.-code-PD-A530.-type-pd_road.html

[staehpj1]

there are definitely times for many of us when we prefer not to be clipped in (such as this example, on a sketchy road surface, like gravel or ice, etc.). It is also nice sometimes to have the comfort and freedom of a plain-old platform pedal.

Different strokes, but...   Those are the times when I most want a secure connection to my pedals.

There is one reason why I might want "a plain-old platform pedal", that is times and places where I might want to not bother with bike shoes.  For me that is usually only around town at home for short errands.

Not knocking it if others find platforms comforting, but all of us do not.

Why not have both? I love hybrid pedals like these ones below -- why not have the best of both worlds?
http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/road/product.-code-PD-A530.-type-pd_road.html

Not the same pedals, but my daughter used a pair of "campus pedals" on the Trans America.  I asked her if she would make the same choice again for a long tour.  Her response was "probably not".  She said that it was more trouble clipping in, which she did very nearly every time she got on the bike on the TA.  The only exceptions were when she hopped on the bike with her Crocs to go a few hundred yards max to the shower or someplace else very close to camp.  For that short of a distance we found we could manage the Crocs with two sided SPD pedals. (or walk)

She did say she really liked the campus pedals for around the campus at college or around town at home.

I like them for my folding bike, but I never use it for more than a few miles at a time and often with running shoes.  So they are great for that.

[DarrenBnYYC]

Not the same pedals, but my daughter used a pair of "campus pedals" on the Trans America.  I asked her if she would make the same choice again for a long tour.  Her response was "probably not".  She said that it was more trouble clipping in

YMMV, but with a decent set of hybrid pedals, you get used to clipping in very quickly. People often imagine they are hard if they haven't used them before (or perhaps if they use cheap pedals), but I have been using different hybrids for years and they work very, very well for me. I would never substitute for one or the other again, from my very positive experience.

[staehpj1]

YMMV, but with a decent set of hybrid pedals, you get used to clipping in very quickly. People often imagine they are hard if they haven't used them before (or perhaps if they use cheap pedals), but I have been using different hybrids for years and they work very, very well for me. I would never substitute for one or the other again, from my very positive experience.

Yes I admit that it is a very minor annoyance and I would consider hybrid pedals myself if I didn't find being clipped in more secure regardless of the surface conditions.  That may be at least in part because I spent quite a few years riding and racing on technical single track with clipless pedals.  I know that many riders do not share my preference.  So I am not knocking hybrid pedals like the ones that you recommended, they are certainly a plus for a lot of riders.  Anyone who wants the option of riding clipped out is likely to find them to be a good choice.

[teamcinzano]

After years of riding only with clipless pedals (since 1992), this past year I put VP pinned flat pedals on my commuter/tourer.  I wear goretex or regular hiking shoes by Merrell on tour, and most any shoe while commuting, including flip flops and sandals. The goretex shoes work great, especially with gators, at keeping my feet dry in bad rain.

As long as the soles of the show are a little soft, the pins really grip well, and I tend to be a spinner. I rode these pedals on a four day trip up and down the C&O this past May, including some long days of 100 miles. No problems. I don't like straps and cages, which I used from 1987 till the switch to Looks in 1992. They almost guarantee numb toes.

waterproof merrels: http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/32157M/78590/Mens/Proterra-Sport-GORE-TEX?dimensions=0

vp pedals: http://www.vp-usa.com/vp-001/