afrowheels

I'm heading into northern Colombia now and temperatures are regularly above 35C - hit a max of 43C on the bike today according to my bike computer. My bike shoes are getting really hot, especially the one on the more predominantly sunny side. Almost intolerably so. They are black which probably contributes. Anyone have success with keeping shoes/feet cool in these kinds of conditions? (Aside from wearing SPD sandals, which I wasn't able to get hold of before my trip)

PedalingWalrus

you can wear regular sandals and flat pedals

afrowheels

Yeah, that's an option: I do have sandals and pedals with flats on the one side. But I like the stability and efficiency of cleats, and the ability to alternate a little between downward pushing and upward pulling. So I was wondering if anyone had ideas for keeping cool while still wearing cleated shoes. Anyway, today was a little cooler but when I'm next in the really high temperatures I'll experiment a bit.

PedalingWalrus

also, I would like to say that Crocs are awesome too and they can get wet and be dry in seconds and they are lightweight :-)

somewhere I saw someone made crocs with spd's

Calsun

I have ridden without socks and used thin Dr. Scholls inserts which keep my sweaty feet from sticking to the inside bottom of the shoe. The Specialized Trivent triathon shoes are made for triathalons and for ridding without socks and provide above average ventilation.

I often see local riders in Latin America going up steep grades in full sun and wearing with full sleeve jerseys and doing very well. It is tough for a gringo to make the adjustment to a hotter and more humid climate.

afrowheels

Tried using ordinary sandals (and socks)with the flat side of the pedals for my last 20km today: somewhat cooler but did miss the cleats.

Funnily enough met a guy on the road who had the SPD sandals but wasn't using the cleats 😂

I won't be an easy convert to Crocs ;P but if I saw some with SPD's I'd be tempted.

Unfortunately I probably won't be able to get either of those products where I am now, but thanks.

As for locals vs gringos: not so sure about your impression. Sun != heat: sun in the Andes can be at 5C, cloud up here can be 35C with high humidity. But 45C with no cloud. Most locals seem to think I'm crazy for 'voluntarily' cycling a heavily loaded bike between 10am and 3pm. The midday siesta is a real thing here for a reason. And when I stopped up my first horrible hot climb a month back there was a local pro rider on a super light road bike resting in the shade with his support crew...