I have been asking around for a while for Road Cycling shoes that are designed for people with flat feet. I have had this problem for years at this point, and I figured I would ask here: Does anyone have experience solving these problems? I have gotten a lot of recommendations from Reddit, friends and the like and I have visited cycling shops to try them on. None of them fit quite as snug as I would like. I have wide flat feet so I know it's a tall order, but I would prefer to not have to dish out 400 potential dollars for completely custom shoes...
These shoes would be more for touring than anything, rides in the 50-60 mile range, possibly more. As such comfort is a pretty serious consideration, though I don't like the idea of cycling sandals. Any help would be much appreciated.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
My feet are wide (I'm a chick, but even men's standard D width are a little snug on me sometimes. I really need a men's wide, which is = women's extra wide) and pretty flat. I have had good luck with Louis Garneau shoes. I have their CFS-300 road shoes and really like them.
Bont (an Aussie company that makes crazy looking shoes for people with duck feet, like me) would be something to check, too, but they are $$ and their quality control and customer service lack, from things I've been told.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
There is no law that says you have to wear cycling shoes aka "clipless".
I run platform pedals on my commuter. They have pins in them and grip very well to my casual shoes. I may not be able to pull upright but they have plenty of grip at the pull on the bottom of my stroke.
From the sounds of it, it doesn't sound like your racing, just casual rides...a set of old fashoined straps, toe straps or platforms with shoes that you are perfectly comfy in seems fine to me.
BTW, I love my sandals for casula touring rides.
@ Slo_Hand,
You're correct, I'm not as serious as most other people, as far as racing 'have to be the fastest.' Having said that, I would like to continually improve my fitness, and right now a not insignificant part of it is my shoe set. I actually raced on my collegiate cycling team for a couple years (wasn't very good at all unfortunately). As it is right now this is a pair of tennis shoes (that I also use when I play tennis, fairly often) put in a set of cages. By moving my feet around though and pushing it forward in the cage very far, I can feel a part of what I'm missing, a solid power transfer that's both satisfying and healthy in the joint sense. If I had proper shoes, I wouldn't have to worry about consciously putting my feet in the right position and I would be able to enjoy more the ride. That's for me at least, I enjoy most when performing well.
For some reason I don't like the idea of sandals when riding a bike. Just personal taste? Not sure, but they would not be one of my first choices honestly, though thank you for the input.
I currently have 7 rideable bikes and 5 pairs of cycling shoes. At one time it seemed that I also had as many different cleats.
I've greatly simplified my life and went to SPD's on everything. (Except my commuter which I mentioned has a set of platforms)
My sandals...I wear these on RAGBRAI and on casual events where we will be spending a good deal of time off the bike. The sandals do not transmit the power the way a hard stiff sole does on a road shoe but they are comfortable and very easy to walk in. I'm doing a century ride this weekend that has 7500 ft of climb...as much as I'd like to wear my sandals, I'm opting for the little bit of extra power for the climbs.
Cycling shoes are narrow. Period. As far as Flat Feet...I don't know much about what flat feet require but I do have a insert I use on my road shoes for arch support. (I don't have flat feet). Depending on the shoe the arch support most definitely makes the shoe snugger.
Hey, I actually took part in Ragbrai 4 years ago. That was a fun trip I enjoyed that, even with the 24 hours of driving there...