moses388

Has anyone tried bicycling in the rain with water shoes? They are normally used for hiking and kayaking, but I was wondering if they would work for bicycling in the rain. If you haven't heard of water shoes, then Google "salomon techamphibian water shoe."

Water shoes do not have clips like bicycling shoes. My pedals do not have clips. Normally I wear ASICS sneakers.

AEO

We have, what is commonly referred to as, "booties"
For clipless use, they're darn good.
But if you just have platforms, you can try those out and tell us what you think.
To me, it looks like they're sandals with high grip soles for use in water and don't offer much water proofing.

BrooklynRider

Water shoe soles are really flimsy. Perfect for treading water or protecting your feet from the river rocks, but they are pretty close to bare feet, IME. Do you have a link of the type of shoe you are refering to more specifically?

As for biking in the rain, everything gets wet anyway (except your precious "Brooks under-the-baggie") A wind-breaker, which you sweat like a pig under, can still keep you warm, even when your soaking from the rain and sweat.

But I digress... Water shoes for surfing and white watering are $3 at Wally World and need big platform peddles. Wet or dry.

lil brown bat

Why would you want to wear watersport shoes? They're not even a little bit waterproof, not intended to be, so what would be the point of wearing them to ride in the rain?

cdotbois

I wear water socks, which I believe are what BrooklynRider is referring to. They're the cheap slippers you can get at department stores for under $10.

They aren't "waterproof" at all, just constructed for the intention of getting wet. I wear aqua socks barefooted in toe clips on my 20 mile RT commute. When I get to work I slip them into a ziploc bag (the water socks are very low profile as to be able to be easily stowed, which is why I use them) and put my work shoes and socks on.

The soles are very flimsy and don't provide any support. However, they do grip the pedal pretty well. I happen to be able to get by fine without a rigid sole, so they work for me. If you're able to do that and also able to bring along shoes and socks or keep a pair at work, then water socks are a good low budget solution.

Water shoes, on the other hand, look to be over $50, in which case, I'd probably buy some booties or come up with a more elegant solution. That's not to say that my water socks way is a hassle by any means, but if I was out to spend some more dollars on footwear for the rain, I wouldn't go buy six or seven pairs of aqua socks.

Also, water socks dry pretty quickly, and since I wear them barefooted, it's not absolutely necessary that I change my shoes when I'm done riding. If I'm out running errands or something other than work that doesn't require specific shoes, I don't mind keeping them on.

urban_assault

I don't see why they would be any better or worse than the shoes you currently use, unless you are looking for a shoe that might dry faster.

thirdin77

I've seen people (recreationally) ride in flip flops and all kinds of mushy athletic shoes. I think that a lot of people are fine with little to no support.

I want support, though, so if wanted to let the water out easily, I'd wear cycling sandals. Keen makes one, as do Lake and Shimano. They're clipless-compatible, of course.

lil brown bat

Here's another consideration: booties stink. Watersports shoes stink. Neoprene socks stink. Put feet in a warm, wet environment, and before you know it, you've created a truly world-class funk. I'm pretty hygienic with my kayaking footwear, but it still gets pretty smelly -- not something I'd necessarily want in my workplace. Shoes plus socks equals less stink.

Marylandnewbie

I commute in water shoes during the warm months mainly because they are cool in the heat and dry fairly fast. They do not have rigid soles, but that isn't too crucial for me since I ride touring pedals and toe clips. I commute about 24 miles 5 days a week and have completed several metric and full centuries wearing water shoes. The water shoes dry well during the day while I'm at work. Also they were about $25 so when they wear out (which is actually right about now after about 2 years of wear) its not a big deal to replace them. Sandals could also work, but I like having some toe protection and something that passes for a "real" shoe when I go into some place on a ride.