How to choose cycling shoes

 How to choose cycling shoes

Everything you need to know to choose the ideal cycling shoes

Knowing how to choose suitable shoes for our feet and for the cycling discipline that we practice is as important as which bicycle to buy.

- How to choose cycling shoes and products

Now, what should I look at when buying cycling shoes? Many buyers when going to the store sin to focus on the colors of, the brand or whether it has one type of closure or another. The reality is that there are many more factors to consider. We go in parts.

Road cycling shoes

In general, cycling shoes are stiffer than street shoes so as not to lose power with each pedal stroke. Soft and flexible soles are not the most suitable for cycling.

But within cycling footwear, road cycling shoes are the most rigid, since they are designed solely for pedaling. The stiffer they are, the better they will transmit power when pedaling.

But let's not think that stiffness in the shoe will imply discomfort. What we have to do is try many and find the one that best suits our feet.

Due to their rigidity, these shoes do not give themselves like street shoes, so when you try them on they should be perfect, half a number more is recommended, since in summer the foot swells with the heat, and in winter we can put a fatter sock.

Road cycling shoes are not meant for walking, so the less you do it, the longer the cleats will last. Depending on the area in which we live we can look for them more or less ventilated.

Mountain, cyclocross and gravel shoes

Although stiffness is always important to be as efficient as possible, mountain bike shoes are usually less rigid than road shoes, since it is more common for us to walk on time.

In addition, the sole is accompanied by rubber studs, to allow you to walk without the cleat getting in the way.

When buying some mountain biking boots, we will check if they have reinforced toecaps and heels, which is always good to be protected from possible blows with rocks, stones, branches, etc.

Triathlon shoes

In triathlon, you are looking for shoes with maximum rigidity, aerodynamics and that have good ventilation, since the triathlon season is a hot season. In addition, our feet tend to be wet, since we come from the swimming sector.

Triathlon shoes have to be easy to take off and put on, so they have a heel strap to facilitate this and they usually have velcro closures.

Platform Pedal Shoes
In modalities such as enduro, freeride or downhill, where power transmission is not so important but comfort, technique and freedom of the foot are, shoes without cleats are used, with reinforcements and soles with good grip.

Winter cycling shoes

To combat the cold of winter and the rain, there are cycling shoes specifically indicated for winter that can combine high legs covering the ankle with fabrics to repel rain such as goretex.

For winter you can also combine the road shoe that is used during the rest of the year with some overboots.

Types of closures
Another important aspect to consider when choosing a cycling shoe is the type of closure. Depending on the system you wear, the footwear will more or less adjust to our feet.

Lace-up closure
The classic cord is still used in many disciplines such as BMX, enduro, urban, mountain bike, etc ... Even on the road with models like the Giro Empire. This type of closure has in its favor that it is cheaper and customizable, but on the other hand, it has the danger of the cord getting caught in some element of the bicycle or in some branch when passing through trails.

Velcro
They are quick closures to remove and put the shoes on. And they are also light. But they have the handicap that over time they can lose properties, especially if you practice mountain biking in muddy areas.

Millimeter ratchet or buckle closure
Despite the fact that until recently it was a type of closure for medium and high-end cycling shoes, with the arrival of the Boa closure it has been relegated to the background.

Boa closure

This closure system makes a rotor of a wire or Kevlar cable that adjusts the shoe to our foot in a very fine and precise way.

Actually the term Boa corresponds to a specific model of this type of closures, since there are more brands that have similar systems, but be careful, they are not so reliable anyway.

It is a fast and comfortable system, although it is important to distribute the cable and test if the shoe fits our feet well. Among its cons is the price: it is usually a more expensive shoe.

Cycling shoe materials
Depending on the climate of the area where we live, the discipline we practice and our level of demand, we will need shoes with some qualities or others. The type of material with which they are made will give us a different level of ventilation, comfort, protection, response capacity ...

Shoe body and fabrics
Cycling shoes are usually made of synthetic fabrics or leather, we have to find one that adapts well to the foot and does not stretch when pedaling so as not to lose power. If the shoe has silver mesh on the inside, that will help wick sweat away from the foot.

Sole
A sole with a stiffer material transmits power better, but if it does not adapt well to your foot it can be uncomfortable. The materials of the shoes range from rubber, plastic, nylon, to mixed with carbon grafts or full carbon fiber.

Sneakers with nylon soles will help us to walk, since they are more flexible, they are also cheaper. The carbon fiber ones will give us lightness and rigidity.

Regarding rigidity, it is not a matter of black or white, brands work with indices that determine this value. For example, Scott uses a stiffness index between 6 and 10, where we are informed that 6 is for cyclists, 7 and 8 for amateurs and 9 and 10 for professionals. At Bontrager its index ranges from 6 to 14.

Trouble finding a shoe that suits you?

Fortunately in today's market there are alternatives if we have trouble finding a shoe that suits us. The Spanish brand Luck works with made-to-measure shoes starting at around € 200.

We can also try special templates for ourselves. Another alternative is insoles or even thermoformable or thermoformable sneakers. What is done with them is to put them in the microwave or in the oven for a few minutes and then put them on so that they adapt to your foot.

Conclusions
To choose the perfect shoe, we will look beyond one type of closure or one color or another. The important thing is that it adapts well to your foot. And is that each brand and each shoe works with different lasts and not all of them can come in handy, so the recommendation is to try before buying, because an inappropriate shoe will make our output turn into hell.