Clipless shoes
 

You should consult your physican before takin any bike forums , side effects may include : tire pressure paranoia , weight weenyism , elitearreah , vomitting , anal bleeding , upset ego , steel is real repeatative denile syndrome , derectile dis****ion , chronic headset , energy gel addiction , suicidal thoughts or depression , break leaver depression , loss of traction , HIVIS , low battery please charge , bike path racer disorder , mup denile , hi vis addiction disorder , helmet obsession , over active ejaculation , and nipple chaffing . ,:p

Don't get too wedded to any particular shoe until you have tried them on. Like all the contact points with the bicycle, fit rules. A shoe that really fits your foot will be a better shoe for you than a mediocre fit and the best of all the other right features.

For me, the Lake shoes have lasts that really fit my hard to please feet. I found them by trying on shoes at Performance years ago. The cheap house brands passed the fit test better than all the fancier shoes I tried there and elsewhere. After several pairs, I learned these were made by Lake and have been using the branded shoes since. (Still not very expensive.) The 4 Performance and Lake pairs have most of my miles since 2000. The Lakes are still going strong. (Edit: the earlier Performance shoes have been my year 'round commuting shoes, have many thousands of miles and been though many cleats. Lots of rain and wet rides. Officially dead but have served me very well.) Other shoes that I have and work for me are Serfas MTB and $100 Giro shoes. I have a pair of very light Nike shoes that climb like a dream but that I will not wear two days in a row. By contrast, a 500 mile week with 30,000' of climbing with the cheap Lakes = happy feet.

I"m not pushing Lake or downplaying those nice Nikes. Just saying - your feet matter! Let then have the last say. And give them choices. This a is a place where real bike shops rule. At least for your first pair.

Ben

So my excessive "crop dusting" is congenital?

I used to use clipless, but had trouble with hotspots and numb feet while riding, that continued despite fittings, different shoes, different pedals, etc.
I switched back to flats and after a few tries found shoes and pedals that made all of that go away and my feet are almost more comfortable on the bike they are when walking.

Many companies make bike shoes, what Five Tens do better than everyone else is keeping grip on pedals with metal pins. They use a special patented kind of rubber that grips metal (and rock) much better than regular rubber.

Five Ten Freeriders I use:
https://www.adidasoutdoor.com/five-t...shoe/FT07.html

With clipless the specific pedal you use doesn't matter so much as long as it's the same system. With flats the specific pedal you use has a huge impact on comfort level. I started with some not-cheap pedals from specialized and they were ok. I used some other flats I had and I hotspot again.

I bought some Dmr Vault's to try and they are the most comfortable pedal I've ever used ($125): (I wear size 11.5 shoes larger feet like larger pedals):
https://www.dmrbikes.com/Catalogue/P...lt-2/Vault-NEW

I see them on amazon as well but they're $160 (ugh) there:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN2ESSI/

I feel like there must be cheaper pedals out there that are just as comfortable but I didn't run across them before buying the DMR's so I stayed with these guys. They have a huge platform, a slight concave curve which I found my feet really like, and...well that's it. So that's what I recommend because they've worked so well for me if you can spend more money for more comfort.

Thanks!

They've done studies on racers using clipless vs racers using flats and they're the same speed with either one. You can google for specifics.

In racing, just a few seconds can be the difference between where you place. Some people argue that clipless still has some tiny advantages that matter in racing but are hard to test in lab. Arguments are that clipless allows you to expend a little more energy while all out sprinting and sprint a little faster. Some people claim clipless is a little more efficient (I'm personally extremely dubious on this one).

If your feet experience issues that would slow you down in any way with clipless, flats will probably make you faster vs clipless.