TomD77

I'm retired, live in Florida and you can count the number of times a month that I wear shoes on the fingers of one hand with a couple of fingers left over (other than biking that is). Sandals and flip flops are pretty much it for me from March through October. Reason being they are more comfortable.

When I get back from a ride and peel the soaked socks from my steaming feet, it seems there must be a better way. Been researching biking sandals, seems the people who like them do so quite a bit.

Before I order, thought I would ask for some input from people who have actually worn the things. One negative that I discovered is that no one in my area (Pensacola, Fl) stocks them so I won't have the opportunity to fit them. Every time I've ordered shoes online (3 times), they didn't fit well.

The Shimano seems to be the only open toe design, the others are more like regular shoes. I tend to the Shimano for that reason.

PS: No relevance to my owl picture, just thought you might like it.

Shifty

Keen cycling sandals are the most popular, go to a shoe store that sells Keen shoes and try their regular sandals for size, then order cycling sandals from REI.
https://www.rei.com/product/812175/ke...e-sandals-mens

DnvrFox

I bet that owl has on sandals and so do I.

I've been riding on sandals (Shimano) for 10 years - the same shoes those 10 years - and love them. I use them all-year-round in Colorado.

They are cooler, your toes have more freedom.

Mine have fewer straps.

RonH

I too wear sandals from mid-March thru early October, but not on the bike.
I wore Lake cycling sandals when bike commuting my last 2 summers of employment. Very comfy. I usually wear size 45 cycling shoes so got size 45. A size 44 might have been a little better. The 45s seemed just a bit long.

bhchdh 

I wear the Shimano sandals for most of my rides. I use wool socks in the cooler months, and go to shoes when the temps get below 50 or so.

BluesDawg

I really like my Shimano sandals. I'll be wearing them tomorrow.

Louis

I don't have any sandal advice, but your owl picture is spectacular.

TejanoTrackie 

Keen makes very good SPD compatible cycling sandals that are also very good to walk in. They also have a tough toe cap to protect your toes. I got mine through Zappos.

Beverly

I have Shimano and Keen sandals. I like them both but prefer the Keen. The soles of my feet seem to burn after a couple hours in the Shimano and I don't have that problem with the Keens. The Keen seem to have a softer insole than the Shimano.

kerk

+1 on the Keens.

bassplyr

I have the Keens also. The only comment I have is the webbing has some give and stretch, so I feel like I have to make a pretty exaggerated effort to unclip sometimes.

Thanks,
Roger

TomD77

Think I'm leaning very heavily to the Shimano 66 because it is so open.

jockotobling

Just don't hit that owl with the Shimano sandals, or that beak will peel back your flesh like a can opener on an aluminum can. I didn't even know there were such things as biking sandals. I wear those mesh shoes meant to be worn in water or around water. I use rat-traps on my pedals.

akohekohe

Nashbar Sandals I have wide feet and these work for me. I know some people with wide feet find the Keens don't work. I got two pair when they were on sale for $19.99 - I wear them year round (I live in Hawaii after all). They are really good to walk in. I use them with the Crank Brothers Mallet which give a large platform which I think is more comfortable with a sole that is flexible enough to walk in easily. I find they are more comfortable to use when wearing sox but otherwise have no complaints.

TomD77

If the owl could cause damage, what about this?

stonefree

Teva makes a great pair of sandals that I use, but then I don't clip in either.

bigbadwullf

Try your cycling shoes without socks. Just did myself and I like it...............a lot.

chipcom 

For SPD sandals, I've had great luck with the Shimanos for years. If you have normal to narrow foot, you might consider the Keens too (I can't even get my wide-assed boats into those tho).

nkfrench 

My wide feet/duck toes/high arch love my Keen SPDs. Other women's shoes are too narrow.

I wear them with thin cycling socks on warm/hot days, I wear them with wool-e-ators on cool days. I don't like the feel of wearing them without socks, but then I like wearing socks with my other non-bike sandals.

The closed rubber toes keep my feet warmer than my other bike shoes on colder days. They dry quickly and have decent traction for walking. It's pretty easy to crank a few times unclipped with the arch of the foot on the pedal.

My longest ride is 80 miles and my feet were not bothering me.

I prefer sloppy loose shoes without arch support. I do find cycling socks much more comfortable than regular athletic socks, probably due to the compression keeping my feet from swelling and the wicking material.

YMMV.

Kurt Erlenbach

March through October? What kind of Floridian are you? January through December is more like it. I took my boy to an OSU football game in November a year or so ago, and he couldn't believe that people in Ohio had to wear actual shoes that time of year. He learned a lesson wearing flip flops that day.

Kip

I'll echo the previous endorsement of Keen sandals. I bought mine from REI last year and found them to be really comfortable.

az_cyclist

Most of my friends wear Keens cycling sandals, and the rest wear Shimano

Northwestrider

Up here in the Seattle area I wear sandals year round. Prefer Keen

sauerwald

I commute daily, and wear the Keen sandals for my commute. I find them comfortable both on and off the bike. I got mine at REI, and I remember that they were a different size from the other pairs of shoes that I have bought. One of the advantages of buying local is that you can be sure of the fit before you buy.

nmbikeboy

Keen Commuter !!, like their Newports, run a half size small (indeed, they openly admit this on their website). If you order through REI, return is certainly not a problem. I've got a pair and they're great.