Mens Cycling Shoes
From the casual road bicycle rider to the competitive racer, proper footwear is essential to a comfortable and safe ride. The bottom of proper bike shoes will feature carbon fiber in order to be stiff, avoiding leg cramps, and the rigid top keeps your feet secure. In addition, cycling shoes feature cleats, or clips, for keeping the shoes attached to the pedals, preventing slippage.
What type of cycling shoes should you use?
- Two Bolt - If your bike uses pedals with two-bolt compatibility, youll want shoes with the same clip type. These pedal and shoe styles are known as either SPD, Time, or Crankbrothers.
- Three Bolt - If your pedals are designed for three-bolt cleats, youll want to look for pedal and shoe styles Look, Time, or SPD-SL. Since the Time style is available in both two-bolt and three-bolt shoes, make sure you pick the proper pair to match your pedals.
- Four Bolt - While not as common, some shoes will feature a four-bolt pattern. Compatible styles will be SpeedPlay, DMT, and Sidi.
What types of fasteners are available for cycling shoes?
- Lace up - As with traditional sneakers, some bike shoes designed for biking will lace up. Benefits include increased comfort and smaller shoes due to improved aerodynamics.
- Hook and loop - Hook straps are designed to improve stability and foot security. They are designed to be safe, since there are no concerns about laces or fasteners becoming loose while on the road.
- Slip on - Designed for bike riders wanting to minimize preparation time, these cycling shoes will simply slide onto your foot.
Are cycling shoes available in different widths?
- Wide - Riders with wider feet will want to look for the letter designation E.
- Medium - Medium-width or regular-sized shoes will feature the designations D and M.
- Narrow - Riders with narrow feet will have cycling shoes with the designations C and B.
What cycling styles are the cycling shoes used for?
In addition to casual riders, the shoes are recommended for road, racing, triathlon, winter, and mountain bikers. If youre attending a spin class, you may find that the shoes give you a better workout. Since less effort is required to pedal the bike, you can apply increased amounts of resistance. You can even target certain muscles since you wont need to use forearm muscles as well as other muscles not required for the cycling class.
What brands of bike shoes are available?
Commonly worn brands of bike shoes include Shimano, Giro, Pearl Izumi, Venzo, and Vittoria. In addition, you can also find many types of unbranded shoes as well as specialized brands. All of the brands have a variety of sizes and widths available.