Originally Posted by
daniell
I now prefer to ride with flat pedals. Is there a flat pedal shoe that has a stiff sole? I invested in Five Ten Free Rider shoes and found the sole to be very flexible. This caused pain in the ball of my foot. I switched to a cleated mountain bike shoe and did not install the cleat. There is no more pain in the ball of my foot. Ideally, I would want shoes that are made for flat pedals without the cleat.
I ride 90% of my miles on flats. I have found shoes like Vanns and Five Tens to be heavy and too flexy. I look for a shoe that doesn't have a heavily lugged outsole. I like an outsole that is flat, firm and stiff. Another thing to consider is that a lot of shoes have substantial flare (width increase) on the sole at the ball of the foot. That puts my feet too far outboard for my liking. I also don't like a lot of heel rise in a bicycling shoe.
I have arrived at Under Armor Charged Pursuit as my go to shoe for riding flats. Check some out next time you are in a store that sells UA. UA has some killer deals online on a frequent basis.