What to consider when choosing cycling shoes

 What to consider when choosing cycling shoes

Once we are clear that we are going to switch to clipless pedals, it is time to buy cycling shoes. They are one of the most important accessories for a cyclist. Let's see what needs to be taken into account according to the type of cycling that we practice.

Depending on the type of cycling we practice, we will have to opt for shoes that have certain characteristics.

- What to consider when choosing cycling shoes and products

Specific mtb shoes
The first thing to consider are the characteristics of a mountain bike. These are designed to be able to circulate almost on any type of terrain. For this reason they have suspension and a wide range of developments.

It is not the same to choose a mountain bike to travel on simple roads and rollers, than a bicycle that we are going to use to make difficult descents or ascents. For this reason, it is interesting to study a wide range of these types of bicycles well to decide which one best suits our interests. In this link you will find all kinds of mountain bikes of different ranges. From 29-inch rigid to 27.5 stunt bikes to fat bikes.

It is also very common on routes with this type of bicycle to have to walk somewhere where it is practically impossible to pedal. For this reason, when choosing shoes, they have to allow us to walk without problems.

For this, the mtb shoes on the sole have rubber studs. Obviously they are not going to be as comfortable as street sports, but they serve perfectly to get out of trouble.

Another concept that must be taken into account when choosing them is the sole. The stiffer the sole, the better the transmission of power from our legs to the pedals, but they will be more uncomfortable to walk on. On the contrary, if the sole is soft, they will be more comfortable to walk but we will lose power when transmitting force in each pedal stroke.

Finally, the fit to the foot must also be taken into account. The tighter the shoe is on the foot, the more comfortable it is to ride on the bike. If the foot is moving inside the shoe it will be very uncomfortable, and also the repetitive gesture of the pedal could cause injuries to the feet.

There are different types of closures for cycling shoes. There are those that go with laces, which are the simplest and the ones that fit the worst, those with velcro and micrometric closures, which fit the foot much better.

Obviously, depending on the range of shoes, the price will vary. We can find mtb shoes that range from approximately 30 euros to high-end shoes that even exceed 200 euros. In this link you will find a wide range of mountain shoes.

Road specific shoes
In road bikes, unlike mountain bikes, aerodynamics and efficiency are much more important. They are bicycles designed to devour miles and miles. As with mountain bikes, with road bikes we will also have to choose one or the other depending on the routes we are going to take.

Among road bikes we can find bikes that are climbers, long distance, aero or time trial. Cyclocross and touring bikes would also be included within road bikes. Here you can see a wide range of all of them.


Sneakers
On a road route, it is very rare to have to get off the bicycle to walk. For this reason, the specific shoes of this modality do not have studs on the sole, but the sole is smooth.

As the most important thing is pedaling efficiency, they are shoes with a rigid sole, in order to effectively transmit all the power of our legs to the pedals.

As in the mountain ones, it is very important to also take into consideration the closure of the shoe. It is very important that it fits well to the foot through a good closure. The better the closure and the harder the sole, the higher the price of these shoes.


It is important to emphasize that when buying any product related to cycling we have many options. There is the classic option of the physical store and the option of the online store. Physical stores have the advantage that they have the products and you can see and touch them, and online stores usually have very competitive prices and many more products.

One of the reference online stores in Spain is Bikestocks. They have a very wide range of products related to cycling, from bicycles of all types and ranges, nutrition products, products related to bicycle maintenance and also a specific triathlon section, among many other sections.