Recently, I met some cute new acquaintances who purchased a car valued at 10,000 yuan and donned a cycling suit appropriate for the pros but walked on a pair of jogging or hiking shoes. You know it's not wise to wear these kinds of shoes. I'll thus give you some common sense science about the significance of bicycle shoes today.
Every sport typically includes specialized gear and attire created for the sport's safety and aesthetic. Cycling is a sport in which participants propel their bicycles by using their legs to propel the wheels through the use of pedals. Consequently, the interaction of our feet with the pedals becomes essential to the activity。
First, let's discuss standard flat pedal cycling shoes and set aside the sophisticated lock shoes. Imagine what happens when we abruptly take our feet off the pedals when intensely mountain biking or riding at high speeds on the road. The pedal lightly strikes the calf (some riders who have experienced it may feel a little pain in the calf now). Lose control of the crash and the center of gravity, endangering life. Therefore, there needs to be sufficient contact between our shoes and the pedals to assure safety.
How Can the Friction Between Shoes and Pedals Be Increased?
First and foremost, there needs to be a sufficient contact surface, which is why cycling shoes cannot be made from hiking boots. The soles of hiking shoes are typically made as undulating soles with more substantial protrusions to handle difficult rocky, muddy paths. It won't have an adequate contact area if it is worn as a cycling shoe, making it more likely to slip when riding.
After that, someone will inquire, "Aren't running shoes flat?"
Running shoes do have enough contact area, but they also have a weak soles.
Simple short-distance commuting may be manageable, but long-distance or high-intensity riding will significantly reduce pedaling efficiency and cause the pedal to continue pressing on the foot's arch, which could result in long-term damage to the foot's sole. The arch joints are harmed by grinding bubbles and even fatigue.
As a result, the second criterion for cycling shoes is that the sole is sufficiently hard.
Cycling shoes designed for flat pedals often have highly firm soles with regular flat protrusions. Because mountain bike flat pedals have screws on them to maximize friction, mountain riding shoes are typically more difficult. The toe cap is proportionately thicker to prevent running into objects at the same time. Perhaps some riders believe that simple, everyday riding workouts are not as important as they are.
The appropriate pair of bike shoes is the first step to guaranteeing your riding safety, and the life-threatening dangers stated above are most definitely not alarmist. Any rider with a certain level of experience will, in my opinion, only dare to perform feats like jumping and rocking on a bicycle while wearing cycling shoes. Get a good pair of riding shoes straight away if you don't already have one.
Cycling is, after all, a foot-based activity. Be sure to look after it!