boat shoes
 

stiff grippy soles, light weight tops, water resistant, breathable

perfect for cycling :thumb:

Cheerios
 

Round, small, whole grain, soak up lots of milk.

Perfect for breakfast! :thumb:

If by "boat shoes" you're talking about something like a TopSider, I'll can't agree with you. Those have some of the softest most flexible soles of any shoe I've ever worn (to maximize contact with uneven deck surfaces and increase grip.)

I wear Vibram FiveFingers on my boat. Awesome on the water, not so much on the bike (but easy to pack for aprés-ride wear).

Is there a specific pair that anyone would recommend, or are people just guessing these are good as they are waterproof?

I'll agree with the fact they suck. Soles are too flexible. There's a reason the best cycling shoes are very rigid soled.

As far as boat shoes go, I like Sperry Top Siders. Not really for biking, but general wear. Sperry makes several different ones though.

Good to know.... Dexter. :twitchy: :lol:

Vans. Good old slip on vans. No laces to get caught in anything. Light and good to go.

The soles of the classic slip-on Vans are way too mushy for my tastes, as most of my pedal set-ups are the cage type.

I love my old Top Siders but I think they're terrible for riding more than a mile or two.

Whenever I wear my Dock Siders my shirt collar pops up and cans of PBR rain down upon me.

I ain't got no problems :D

hahahahaha

Um ... I'm just going to take your word for it on this one.

Now that is Dave Mathews funny :)

As a cyclist and a sailor I fully agree... I used to use Topsiders back in my toe clip days... before I tried Avocet cycling shoes. (these days I have gone well beyond all that with various clipless systems and various shoes)

But indeed back in the day I would have agreed with the OP... until I tried shoes made for cycling. I used to think running shorts were great for cycling... until I tried cycling shorts... but that's another story.

Actually few boat shoes ARE waterproof... boat boots are waterproof, but the shoes do get wet and leak... the best ones have drain holes and are washable.

I think boat shoes have very rigid soles. They're not the most rigid out there, but they're far more rigid than any other low ankle shoe made for outdoor use. Dress shoes are more rigid, but aren't as grippy, as breathable, or as light.

IMO boat shoes are a perfect compromise.

Cycling shoes are terrible with platform pedals and they make you look like a schlub. Clipless is ok for racing, but between the extra maintenance and the hassle in traffic they will only slow you down for the vast majority of practical cycling (I know the vast majority of cycling done isn't practical, but that's why I made this thread here in the commuter forum).

Boat shoes are the best all around shoes for cycling IMO. Dress shoes are the only other type that comes close, but they aren't as light or breathable or as grippy.

Also ski thermals are best for cycling. Running shorts and cycling shorts both suck.

P.S. I'm using rockport brand boat shoes and the main reason I bought them last year is because I specifically wanted a stiff sole for use with platform pedals. I don't notice a big difference in stiffness between them and my cycling shoes. Maybe topsiders aren't as stiff?

I'm with caloso on this one. I just about turned myself into a gelding slipping off a pedal with my Topsiders. Great on a boat deck, terrible on cheap plastic mtn. bike pedals.

That's very possible. All the Rockports I've owned were very sturdy, and somewhat heavy, shoes. Always very, very comfortable.

Actually the cycling shoes I was speaking of looked just like running shoes... so not much of a schlub. For commuting I still prefer cycling shoes and clipless pedals. For commuting, try something like these...

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...551_1085669_-1

Or these:
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._400009_400034

Not bad looking, work with various pedals, and work fine for just walking about. I don't have this specific shoe, but something similar, and I use SPD pedals, so the cleat is recessed into the shoe. The original Avocets I discussed also looked similar, but on the bottom had a series of ridges that ran the width of the foot, which worked great with the old cage and strap bike pedals... and were still quite "walkable."

Use them with pedals like this and you have the best of all worlds...
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._400009_400009

On my road bikes I use Look pedals... but that is a totally different discussion.

These shoes and pedal combinations will perform far better than "boat shoes."

Have some couth. Would you wear running shoes to a funeral? On a date? To a restaurant with an unknown dress code?

If your best attire is running shoes then you're a total schlub and if your bicycle is your primary vehicle like mine is then your cycling shoes are your best shoes (along with all your other shoes).

Not in my experience. That's why I made this thread because I prefer my boat shoes to my spds.

I wouldn't wear boat shoes to any of those either.

I have a feeling we are discussing totally different boat shoes. You mentioned Rockports... a quick web check shows that most of the line of Rockport boat shoes also look like "running shoes." Who is the "total schlub" now?
http://www.rockport.com/family/index...60397&view=all

Of course there are those leather upper boat shoes which are more appropriate in an office or some restaurants and maybe dates, and less appropriate on a deck.

But to be fully honest, if you are the owner of a nice 65 foot yacht and your crew does all your bow work, and your cycling consists of the occasional jaunt from the slip to the clubhouse, then yes indeed, "boat shoes" are probably more appropriate foot wear.

But if you, like me, regularly cycle commute 15-20 miles each way, and your boat is a J-105 or an Etchells, or something else similar, and occasionally wet... then I would tend to have "boat shoes" and "cycling shoes" that are each geared specifically for such purpose... just as I also have cycling gloves and sailing gloves, each with different characteristics and attributes.

Just for the record, I also have a diving wet suit and a swimming wet suit, each again with vastly different characteristics and attributes.

I prefer to use the right tool for the job. I do however wear the same shoes to funerals and job interviews. ;)

If I had any interest in racing I would probably still be riding clipless with cycling shoes. For the kind of utility cycling I do I have found that sneakers allow me to be off the bike without walking like a penguin. All my bikes wear platform pedals with PowerGrips. I wear Converse Hi-Tops.

Wear what you're comfortable with.