The shoes you choose to wear when biking can make a huge difference in your comfort on the bicycle. I’m not a physicist, but I know that nearly all of the power you generate in your legs is translated into your bike through your feet, via your shoes. You’re going to want shoes that provide support, grip the pedals, and effectively translate your power into your pedal stroke.

Most traditional cycling blogs will tell you that the best way to do this is through clipping in. At its simplest, clipping in is essentially directly connecting your feet to the bike pedals through a mechanical device, typically a metal cleat. This connection allows your foot and leg to stay connected for the entire duration of the pedal stroke (both the up and down cycle), thus allowing you generate power through the entire stroke.

I don’t disagree - heck, I believe in science. But if you pay attention, I haven’t ridden clipped in since 2016.

I made this decision for a couple of reasons, but primarily, I wanted more flexibility in the shoes I was able to wear on my bike. I was using my bike for all of my transportation and was frankly sick of showing up to dates in bike shoes.

So what do I wear now and recommend to others? Well, just like clothing, it really depends on what kind of ride you plan to do.

For casual, shorter rides, I think any shoe that feels comfortable to you and provides support and protection is fine. I’ve been known to ride in Crocs, Chaco sandals, Converse, running shoes - basically anything. I avoid riding in my Rothy flats (which I LOVE btw - click this link for $20 off. Not sponsored, I just buy a lot of shoes from them) because they’re not stiff enough, but they’re small enough to put into a bike bag and throw on when I get where I’m going.

For longer rides, I have two recommendations. One of them is a specifically flat pedal shoe, intended to be used with flat pedals. The others is a convertible shoe that you can install cleats on and use clipped in.

Five Ten Freedrider Mountain Bike Shoes - These remind me a lot of the skate shoes we’d wear back in middle school. They’re very flat and cushy and grippy. I put my insoles in them to get arch support. These are simple lace up style, so nothing fancy.

Shimano MT5 Mountain Bike Shoes - These are my ‘fancy’ cycling shoes, for no reason other than I feel like they look like bike shoes. These also have the option to add cleats for clipping in. I really like the stiff sole on these and the deep heel cup. I also like the dual closure system - lace up and velcro!

Finally, please take these recommendations with a grain of salt! Everybody’s feet are different - I have hobbit feet - flat and square and kind of gross. I’ve broken multiple bones in both feet and use custom orthotics in all my shoes. I also still often take multiple pairs of shoes on long rides (especially overnighters) as my feet do weird things and sometimes they just need to be in different shoes. Do what works for you!