Cycling Shoes

Cycling can be as simple as shoving a helmet on, jumping on your bike and riding away, or as sophisticated as aerodynamic helmets, cycling shorts and cycling shoes with clipless pedals. Cycling shoes will help improve your pedaling action and increase energy efficiency making you faster on your bike.

Anyone who rides a bike can use cycling shoes. Whether you are into, road riding, racing, triathlons, mountain biking, touring, BMX racing or just recreational cycling, there is a shoe out there that is suitable. Unlike a normal shoe that you wear for running cycling shoes have little to no cushioning in them at all. Running shoes are designed to absorb impact and energy each time the foot hits the ground. When you are cycling, this is the last thing you want to happen. Each time you push down on the pedal of your bike, the shoe is absorbing some of that energy. Cycling shoes are made to be stiff and rigid so all of that power your legs are creating goes straight into the pedal.

All of these shoes have cleats attached to the sole. Cleats are the part of the pedal system that allows the shoes to “click into” your pedals. The cleats are what keep the shoes attached to the pedals. Having your feet clipped into a pedal dramatically increases the efficiency of pedaling as you can push and pull the crank around. It is also considered safer (once you know how to use them) as there is no chance of your feet slipping off the pedals.

Learning how to use Bike Shoes can be pretty scary at first, but with a little bit of practice it becomes second nature. If you are learning with a MTB shoe, you can buy Clipless pedals that have a dual platform, so one side clips in, while the other can rest on the other side of the pedal freely. With road bike shoes, it is best to practice clipping in and out of your pedals before you go out onto a busy road. Try using a home trainer where you don’t have to worry about balancing, or go for a ride down a quiet street and clip in and out as many times as you like until you feel confident. When you do venture out onto the road, unclip one foot when you approach traffic lights or a junction in case you need to stop.

If you have any questions about Cycling Shoes, Clipless Pedals or Cleats, give us a call, or come on down to one of our Bums on Bikes stores and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Mens Cycling Shoes
Ladies Cycling Shoes