Shoes

Feet and therefore shoes are a main point of contact with your bike - grip on the pedals is important for control and stability as well as efficient power transfer.

Competition And Performance Shoes

On or off-road have one main thing in common, a rigid sole. A stiff sole will optimise the amount of power that makes it from your body into pushing the pedals. Competition shoes often have Velcro bindings or ski type bindings to give a tight even fit and prevent any loose laces catching in your chainset. Carbon is a particularly popular sole material as it offers unrivalled stiffness.

Road Shoes

Road shoes have no grip on their soles and are not designed for walking. They will keep your foot as close to the pedal axle as possible for maximum efficiency. Different manufacturers make the soles of their road shoes compatible with different clipless pedal systems, but most will take the leading formats.

Mountain Bike Shoes

Mountain Bike shoes - even performance shoes - feature a recessed cleat and solid aggressive sole for the times when you may have to get off and run.

Leisure Shoes

Leisure shoes are much less stiff so are more comfortable to walk in, recessed cleats and normal soles making them ideal for commuting. With cleats and stiffer soles they are better than ordinary fashion shoes but without being exclusively for use on the bike. Most leisure shoes look like ordinary shoes or trainers and would be perfectly respectable down your local without screaming cyclist.

Look out for shoes with Velcro or at the least straps to hold laces away from your chain. For those who favour flat pedals there is a wide range of stiff-soled chunky shoes specifically designed to stick to flats and give control without the clipless system.

As with clothing women have a whole range of female specific shoes to choose from; these are generally built around a narrower last with tighter heel cup to fit women's slimmer foot profile.