Sandals while riding
 

Does anyone wear sandals while they ride? Is this dangerous? I wouldn't mind, if i could find some good one's, they need to have stiff soles, does anyone have a recommendation? :beer:

I never wear sandals but I have a friend that DID. He ended up crashing and messing up his right foot so bad because there was zero protection. He was taking a corner and started to wipe out put his foot out to rebalance (an easy thing to do with shoes) and the sandle got caught got ripped off bend his foot in a funny way and he ended up crashing and hurting himself worse.

My recommendation...shoes.

Shimano makes an SPD compatible sandal.

I admit it. I did ride with sandals last year, but don’t get me wrong. I didn't go on the trail and it was really hot.

Chap at work wears these and he loves them. I imagine they would be OK for a short commute or doing some errands but I'm not sure I would cycle any great distance in them for the reasons mentioned by Maelstrom

I cycle all the time in georgia 's sultry, humid summers with spd compatable sandals by shimano. Some of my best road ride times were done with these! of course I usually use them mountain biking and haven't torn up my feet yet.

i tried in the neat of summer, but had traction issues of they got slightly oiled or wet.

I have Shimano SPD sandals I use with Egg Beaters on my road bike. I want to get another set of Egg Beaters for my MT bike. I love them. Lake makes a pair that are very much like the Shimano’s. It gets over 110 here in the summer and I wouldn't want to wear anything else. In the winter I wear socks with them. I had a pair of foam knock off Birkenstocks I bought from a drug store that weighed about one oz. each that I used with platform pedals before I got the Shimanos. I went into a LBS looking for sandals and the clerk thought sandals were weird, but I pointed out that he, and everyone else in the store was wearing sandals.
You will look like a Fred on group rides I suppose, but I consider that, for me, a plus.
I don’t think they are unsafe, It’s not like riding with out a helmet.
I do have two pairs of shoes that have Time cleats on them but I wear the sandals most of the time.
I wear them on long 55+ mile rides, next Sunday I'm going to wear them on the Grizzly Peak Century, a 107 mile ride with over 11000' gain that's two miles.
I get no loss of power on the up stroke, they are very well designed.

I ride with plain sandals on platforms around town on errands all the time. I love them on slow rides with my son, but for burning up the road I use regular shoes.
I will also admit that I eyed a pair of Shamino sandals in the bike store last week but I reasoned that I would hate to spend big bux and not like them for regular rides. When I can spend a little more and a get some really cool new road shoes. :p

Some of you who use the spd sandals, I'm interesting to know if you can ride hard in them or are they more of a social, spin around town type shoe?

I love my Shimano SPD sandals, and I'm itching for it to be warm enough in the morning for me to start wearing them on my commute. To me, that's when summer starts: I only have to pull on shorts, a jersey and my sandals and I'm dressed for the ride. Sometimes I wear my Shimaonos all day, they're so comfortable.

They're especially great in the summer rain, no worries about wet socks.

This is road riding/commuting, of course. Not sure I'd try sandals off-road, but I don't go there, so it's not an issue for me.

RichC

I ride hard in mine, they are as good as any shoe I ever used. On very hot days I fasten them a little loose and on the up stroke I can feel the air flow between my foot and the sandal, no hot spots with these.

I think there are no problems with riding in sandals. They are comfortable but they do not protect the entire foot unlike shoes.

Sandals are the way to go! I use mine in the summer and the winter. In fact, anytime I am on my touer or bent' they are on my feet. The most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. If you will look closely at the pic on the left, I think there are a pair of sandals in there somewhere! That pic was taken on a small 400 mile tour of Western Ky. The only down side to them is the funny tan you have on your feet!:lol:

Rick

I always use lots of sun block on my feet, did today before my ride. I knew someone who went to the beach and got severe sun burn on his feet, had to wear booties full of gel, for weeks.

Get a nice pair of Chacos or *bleh* tevas and you should be pretty comfy for a long ride.

Sandals are the bomb for touring!

Dave

I've seen hundreds of blooded up feet from riding with sandels. All were tourists that couldn't figure out coaster brakes.

Rookies! but we all have to start somewhere!

Rick

Gosh y'all have just about given me a feaver for a pair!:p

I have a pair of great soft leather sandals that I plan on long touring in . Keeps the foot cool and ventilated... Very dislike to wear socks in the summer.
Sadals can't significantly change your crash protection level. Helmet can though! ;) As well as precaution, habbit, good working adjusted brakes etc...

Wear sandals if you want. :)
here are mine

http://www.angelfire.com/al2/misha18...vc/sandals.jpg

:beer:

i wear sandals all the time. ordinary sandals that is... always ready for the beach!

i live in a tropical country.. always hot!

I wear sandals from April until the first snow flies. I hate the day I have to dig out the shoes, or worse, the boots.

I've never had a problem riding in sandals...but I don't have coaster brakes!

i rode flats with sandles once, i scraped all the skin off of my toes when my foot slipped off the pedal and got caught between the ground and the pedal, while moving.

Everybody is talking about plain sandals. I wouldn't ride in them at all! The sandals I wear are Shimano SPD compatible and I always clip in, that way my foot won't slip off and get torn up like all of you are talking about. The Shimano's are one of the most comfortable sandals I have ever worn simply for the fact that they are stiffer than others and give more support.

Rick

Lake makes a SPD sandel as well.