Clipless shoes + water = ???
 

A couple weekends ago, I planned to cross a small network of ped bridges over a few islands in Lake Wash, which would take me to a real bridge on my way home. Before long, it was part submerged; a jogger wisely turned back, but I used my bike to help balance while I walked on the edges of my feet. Pretty soon, the trail was seriously flooded. A gorgeous runner came up, stopped in front of me, bent down to pull her leggings up, and ran through the muck. I was a bit distracted by her tenacity, and well developed leg muscles :D, so I thought "if she can do it ..."

I got soaked to my knees. After I got home, I hand-washed the shoes in the tub, dried them carefully, which took two days, and they seem good as new. But I'm sure it was a bad idea, and I shouldn't repeat it.

So, yesterday, the weather was gorgeous, especially in the morning. I put about 40 miles on the bike, some of them on a peninsula loop in Seward Park. A tree trunk went from a beach out into the water, and I managed to dunk my head in without getting the shoes wet.

Already, the water is getting warm, and it will be time to go swimming before long. Traffic and parking are nightmares at the swimming beaches in Seattle, so biking is the way to go. ( But then cycling is usually the way to go... ) So I'm wondering if I really do need to keep my shoes dry? I'm trying to weigh the pain of drying them, against the other things I could do with the $100 a pair of clipless flip flops will cost... Do you get yours wet?

These are mine: http://www.rei.com/product/796189?pr...:referralID=NA

Huh...I've never really thought about shoe-care. I've had my Shimano shoes for ages, I must have gotten those things wet/submerged/muddy/dirty a hundred times or more.

I don't really think it's an issue. Greasing the fasteners that hold the cleats is a good idea, as always.

I don't worry to much about getting mine wet.

I can't say 100% what the effects are of getting your bike shoes (or any shoes) wet, and not only wet but wet in a stream or river that probably has a bunch of crap floating around in it (for example, my boundary water shoes which I wear in and out of the water all day on trips always start to smell).

But - mountain bike shoes *are* designed with crap like this in mind:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=151112

So it shouldn't be a problem regarding issues like the shoes falling apart from coming into contact with water.

In my one experience with biking shoes that have the "semi-rigid" soles I wasn't pleased, but other people do seem to like them. Along those lines, there are sandals available that seem to be specifically designed to be ok getting wet:
http://www.rei.com/product/765247

Keen Commuter Bike Sandals - Men's
http://media.rei.com/media/x/1407418.jpg

Thanks, folks! I'm getting ready to head up to another lake shore park today ... I tend to worry a bit more than I should, and it sounds like wading around in the water, and then getting back into the shoes with damp feet, isn't something to think twice about.

I "went clipless" about a month ago, so I'm still getting used to it. I don't have a rack or panniers, and those Keens might wind up being useful in the summer. But it's good to hear that other peoples' bike shoes have been fine, long term, even after getting wet.

LOL! I make no promises about how well they'll work if you step into water in the winter at -5 degrees. At that point, I suspect that theoretical damage to your shoes will be the *least* of your concerns, though...haha :-)

Do make sure to leave them sitting with nothing in them so they have a chance to dry out between rides, though. If they get wet daily, might want to keep them in front of a fan or something. Big thing is just make sure you don't stuff your socks in them after the ride or something that would keep them from drying out completely.

Shove some newspaper in them. It pulls out the moisture. As far as how well your shoes will hold up if they frequently get wet, a lot probably depends on the shoe. There are all different kinds.

Tri shoes for example are meant to have wet feet stuck into them.

I have been swimming in mine before, made for squishy ride back home but no other problems from that

Clipless shoes + Water = broken pelvis in my case. I went down hard when I tried to stop for a car backing out from a tire shop. Next to it was a car wash and the street was wet. And soapy/waxy. Ouch.

That doesn't answer your question, but that's what I thought you would be asking. I never give mine a thought. If they're wet, they're wet. NBD.

My first pair of clipless shoes were 661's, the basic model. The month after I got them, I rode through a rain-flooded street, that made my Pearl Izumi socks bleed black onto my feet, my drivetrain to seize up an hour later, and added an extra week to disc brake break-in. Those shoes lasted three years.

I just wash them in the basement sink and dry them overnight with a fan. Almost seven years and lots of muddy races on them.

Those Keen sandals look awesome. I guess it is the closed toes & yellow splashes that make them commuter sandals?

No...they're commuter sandles because they have the little screw attachment on the bottom for the bike cleat. :-D

(I'm not actually sure if you're joking or serious, so I'll assume you're serious because it's more amusing that way :-))