I Don’t Get It – Cycling Shoes
by lumpylambrecht
Not to sound too much like the prick in the movie “Big”, but “I Don’t Get It” when it comes to cycling shoes. Was feet slipping off the pedals a huge problem? My primary mode of wheeled-transporation from the age of five to 16 was a bicycle and I just don’t remember to many times thinking to myself, if only I was somehow attached to this bike. There are certain athletic endeavors that I understand the need to lock yourself into the equipment. Skiing, both on snow & water, would be very difficult if you had to worry about keeping your feet in place so for those sports I understand the need for bindings. I’ve seen people wreck because they’ve come to a stop and couldn’t get their feet out. Maybe some sort of magnetic hold would be better suited for this task.
This all came to me yesterday as I was coming into work. I was met in the elevator lobby by a co-worker who bikes in to work everyday. He had on all of the normal biking gear. I understand that if you’re competing in the Tour de France the need to be as aerodynamic as possible, but if you’re commuting from south Minneapolis, I don’t see the need for all the spandex. This guy was standing in his socks waiting for the elevator. His cycling shoes were in hand. Even ski boots can be walked in, can’t we make a cycling shoe that could be walked in. My softball cletes defintely make a little extra noise but they are usable on non-softball diamond surfaces. So the socks were weird enough but to make matters worse, he had an iced coffee from Starbucks in the other hand. Really? I’m guessing I would’ve gotten clothed upstairs and come back down to get the java especially considering the Starbucks is in our building’s lobby!
Maybe I shouldn’t get into this now, but what the hell. Our office has a private bathroom with a shower across from our kitchen. Our biking friend in this story has access to it so that he can shower after biking in. I think it’s great but I get irritated at times that only one person has that luxury in our office. Actually women who have returned after having a kid our given access so that they can pump in privacy. It’s probably better that there’s only one person in our company who routinely takes his clothes off at the office, and even better that said person isn’t me.
Okay, as a former bike commuter, I have to weigh in. Clip in shoes ROCK. You get a lot more power because (start snickering) you get a solid upstroke and downstroke. And the spandex is way more comfortable in heat than wearing work clothes, plus that extra ass padding makes a difference. And the metal on the bottom of the shoes scratches things, more than typical hard-molded cleats – so he’s being nice by carrying them. I got nothing for the iced latte, though. He’s on his own for that.