When should I throw away cycling shoes

DonDaddyD

And how do I clean them?

How do I clean my cycling shoes and what is an good indication that they need to be thrown away.

Basically, I've had my shoes since August, commuted in them almost everyday. They stink, no other way to describe it. Winter has not been kind.

So:

(i) How do I clean them, I can't just put them in the washing machine (or can I) I have a plastic sole.

(ii) What is a good indication that they need to be thrown away.

I can't imagine that every six months I need to throwing away my cycle shoes.

alfablue

stink could be caused by athletes foot, you can be pretty symptom free but the fungi love the cycling shoe environment. Maybe start afresh with new shoes and use something like Daktarin on your feet for two weeks and then periodically. I have had to give this advice to many of my students who tend to have dreadful trainer-odour :?

cee

I usually hose my shoes out when cleaning the bike....maybe a bit scrub with a brush.

Inside its just a hoseing.

I threw the last pair out when the disentegrated around my feet.

woodyonthebeach

Scrubbing brush and bucket of warm water and some sort of detergent will be fine. Maybe a spray with a proffer of some sort when they are dry.

News paper and a warm place to dry them. The smell doesn't really matter, only tends to the annoy the dog and/or the Mrs.

I have a pair a Shimano some things for the MTB they have suffered that fate a few times now and are still going strong. Doesn't hurt if you give a squirt of lube onto the cleat afterwards to prevent if from rusting (i like the smell really)

ride_whenever

I wash mine with a hose and water when they get muddy. The main thing is to keep them dry when you're not using them. Pack them with newspaper overnight to dry them out.

don_don

Nikwax do a footwear cleaning gel which works on all sorts of outdoor footwear. You should be able to get it from most outdoorsy type shops like Blacks. That's only for the outside of the shoe though.

I'm sure you can get special sprays to kill the smell from a chemist can't you?

I mean the spray is from the chemist, not the smell :roll:

Failing that, you could try putting the shoes (minus cleats) in a tied up pillowcase and put them in a short cold wash with a little non-bio detergent. I've done that with trainers - not bike shoes - but if you are going to chuck them anyway, it might be worth a try.

fatgrimpeur

(ii) What is a good indication that they need to be thrown away.


When they go out for a ride without you!

Mark_K

fatgrimpeur wrote:

(ii) What is a good indication that they need to be thrown away.


When they go out for a ride without you!

Lol i was goint to say when they walk out the back door on their own

itboffin

Last years wet spring, summer, autumn & winter really took its toll on my MTB SPD's - especially as I had several hours on the train each way so they sat on my feet wet, I considered throwing them out but in the end stuck them in an old pillowcase then in the washing machine, dried them completely on the radiator, repeated the process again.

Now they smell okay again and I make sure to wear overshoes every ride and dry them straight away.

I've bought new shoes for the summer so I can always have a dry / drying pair.

Hope that helps.

System_1

Once you get them clean, invest in some sneaker balls. You'll get them at sports shops for about £3-£4 and they're quite good at stopping those odours from building up in the first place.

richardvaltos

I've had my MTB SPDs for 11 years :shock: I commute every day and still they refuse to die. I just don't have the heart to chuck em. I think maybe shimano made them too well. Interestingly I think a replacement pair are the same price now as what I paid then. They've had fourteen pairs of laces mind you.

itboffin

System wrote:

Once you get them clean, invest in some sneaker balls. You'll get them at sports shops for about £3-£4 and they're quite good at stopping those odours from building up in the first place.

Oh yes I forgot I have those too, I bought them in Florida after my trainers which were outside started to smell inside :shock:

tardington

Nice!

I have that minty spray stuff that I skoosh in when I remember. Can't remember what its called though! Got it at my LBS.

fossyant

Never had issues with my bike shoes - make sure they dry out. I'd recommend trying overshoes, with the toe of the shoe covered with the edge of a plastic bag - to try and keep them dry as possible.

I suppose your issue is them getting wet a lot.

alfablue

fossyant wrote:

I suppose your issue is them getting wet a lot.

Wet and warm and sweaty is a great environment for fungi - which is incredibly persistent! Yet no one ever wants to believe it, favouring things to mask the smells!

desweller

I was once told to stick a load of bicarbonate of soda in my boots and shoes when they get smelly and leave 'em for 24 hours. It really works!

Des