Suitable footwear? Help please...

Soilleir

Hi folks...looking for a bit of advice please...

Been mucking about on my bike for a couple of months now and am loving it 8) Had a bit of a slip and slide on a loose climb the other day and my foot got snagged on my pedal (wearing walking shoes) ...to cut a long story short, I fell full weight on my arm over my bars and I reckon I was lucky it only hurt.

So...it looks like I need to get some more suitable footwear for riding the bike...what would people suggest that doesn't break the bank? What am I looking for in a shoe?

Faye@BikeRadar

Walking shows don't give the kinda grip you need with pedals - you want something with a more flat sole - the big ridges in walking shoes actually hinder the grip you need.

In terms of something really affordable take a look at some old vans trainers, when I very very first started out I wore my adidas superstars and they gave good grip. But if you think you're going to be riding regularly the investment into something more mtb specific and that can take the abuse of lots of rides would be worth considering. Depending how much you want to spend you really can't go wrong with a pair of fiveten freeriders - amazingly good grip - might be worth looking to see if you can pick up a second hand pair maybe.

Also what pedals are you running? It may be worth investing in some pedals also - superstar nano tech are hard to fault and pair them with some fivetens and your feet won't be going anywhere!

I'm sure some of the other girls will be able to give you some more advice on what to look out for also.

MustGoFaster

A mountain bike specific flat shoe with a sticky sole is essential to preventing unwanted foot movement on the pedals.

My girlfriend loves her FiveTen FreeRider shoes.
http://fiveten.com/products/bike

Soilleir

Brilliant advice cheers folksmuch appreciated!

With my walking boots, I also found the tread would catch into the pedals (hence the fall)...

Was looking at some Fiveten Freeriders on Ebay this week, but was not convinced I needed that kinda spec at my level...but they went for £20...should've gone for 'em...ah well...live and learn...

Wasn't planning on worrying about pedals (or spending too much on upgrades) at the mo - I've got an second-hand, older, rigid frame Carrera Vulcan to see me through my learner bit. It's having a service at the local independant bike shop next week so it'll be running the best it can...as my skills and abilities grow I'll look at moving onto something better.

smithy220

I brought a pair of muddy fox biking shoes from sports direct,think they cost me £20.00 meant to be used with clips so had a none grip sole.Took an angle grinder to them and roughed up the soles for more grip.Quite possibly the best bike related 20 quid I've ever spent,Even survived being taken to snowdon.

flywheel88

I have Shimano Mountain Biking Shoes. You can usually find them on sale somewhere online at any given time. I paid less than $50 for mine.