I love sandals for riding, speaking of cycling specific ones. The are pretty much shoes really. There is not a lot that is left uncovered. I always wear socks with them. I don't know where this anti socks thing comes from, but British people, and Japanese people don't seem to hold with it. It isn't a sexy look like flip flops on nice feet, but then neither do jeans compare to thongs, but both have their place. Sandals are like boots with only the technical component left in place. That actually frees things up for creative solutions to keeping warm, rather than having components integrated. It works better to have warm socks and goretex covers than trying to integrate goretex into a boot, which is a bit of a nightmare. I'd buy ice climbing boots and X-country ski boots in sandal form if they made them. For a while they made fly fishing shoes in sandal form, but I missed that craze.

I use sandals exclusively for touring, but I still carry crocs for the showers, and kicking around. It is too bad that crocs aren't fashionable any more, as understandable as it is that they aren't. Because having them accepted in restaurants was just a bonus.