Off the bike shoes

[gloomyandy]

I've found my crocs to be very good. I agree that the soles are not super great. I once walked through a load of thorn cuttings and then had to spend a lot of time removing the thorns that had lodged in the soles and had worked their way in and were irritating my feet! As others have mentioned I like them for moving around camp (so my cycling shoes don't get wet from damp grass), good for shower blocks, walking on beaches etc. but you can also use them for a trip to the pub or other places. I wonder if any of the shoes designed for "wet" activities like paddle boarding etc. would be an alternative?

[Navrig]

I wonder if any of the shoes designed for "wet" activities like paddle boarding etc. would be an alternative?

I love my crocs for all the reasons in the previous posts - light, don't absorb water etc - but they are also comfortable and provide a reasonable amount of arch support. I don't think other wet activity shoes would provide that support.

I'm on my 5th or 6th pair of crocs and last winter moved to the fleece lined model for the house. Just fantastic comfort and warmth.

[pjclinch]

I wonder if any of the shoes designed for "wet" activities like paddle boarding etc. would be an alternative?

I love my crocs for all the reasons in the previous posts - light, don't absorb water etc - but they are also comfortable and provide a reasonable amount of arch support. I don't think other wet activity shoes would provide that support.

I tend to do wet activities in sandals and those come with plenty of options for arch support varying between none and plenty according to brand and model.

It's fairly typical to use wetsuit boots for such activities, but I wouldn't want to use them as general shoes: much too sweaty!

Pete.

[Cyclewala]

Pool sliders. Waterproof and light and can be strapped to top of rack. Good for showering and evening wear.

SPD shoes for on bike use.

[pwa]

I have a pair of Crocalikes, bought as "own brand" from a supermarket. They cost me about £6 and are as good to wear as the real thing. They stay on my feet, so can be worn for walking around a small town. The one slight flaw with them is that some thorns get embedded and have to be dug out when they start pricking your foot, but us cyclists are used to digging thorns out. And they weight next to nothing.

[st599_uk]

Pair of dark Xero trainers and a pair of Xero sandals.

Allows you in to tourist locations like churches and equally importantly in to decent restaurants to meet friends en route.

[simonhill]

I use what would be called trekking sandals, but they are cheapo Thai ones, so less chunky and lighter. They are very comfortable for all day walking. Thick soles, but the straps lie flat when packed so not too bulky.

For me the bottom line is something I can walk comfortably in. I spend a lot of time off bike on my long tours. Also as it's normally the tropics, sandals are the best for me.

I have a pair of croc-alikes (Aldi) which I use in my campervan, but I couldn't walk more than a short distance in them. They are too loose and flop around my feet. Please don't suggest socks.

[andrew_s]

I use Shimano SPD sandals, and no separate off the bike footwear.

Much the same as trekking sandals for walking, except that the metal cleat itself doesn't grip well, so on rougher rocky surfaces your foot can occasionally slip half an inch or so.

[pjclinch]

I use Shimano SPD sandals, and no separate off the bike footwear.

Same here, at least for bigger tours which tend to be summer for us. If the weather's not so warm I combine them with some Sealskinz waterproof socks, but that's quite unusual. I tend to live in sandals/no socks or bare feet at least 6 months of the year so my feet are used to not having extra insulation.

Normally Shimano footwear is too narrow for me, but as you can effectively expand the uppers, such as they are, on SD5s by just having the straps looser it's not a problem on those. That does mean they're not as comfortable as the sandals I use specifically for walking if I'm on foot, but for the sort of walks I'll be doing on a typical bike tour they're fine.

Pete.

[simonineaston]

…and last winter moved to the fleece lined model for the house. Just fantastic comfort and warmth.

Nice! Promptly ordered.

[simonineaston]

As an aside, we’re all used to watching the ebb & flow of fashion, but shoes in particular seem to draw particularly vitriolic reactions that defy logic and can turn unnecessarily unpleasant. Recently I’ve seen references to Ugg boots, which we’ll recall started life in the ‘60s, as modest utilitarian footwear, often favoured by surfers for their post-ocean cosyness. Nowadays, they seem to have become the focus of dislike and irritation, such that I’ve seen an A board outside a pub advising customers they wont be served if guilty of the crime of wearing said footwear. What funny animals we are, sometimes.

[Sweep]

I've found my crocs to be very good. I agree that the soles are not super great. I once walked through a load of thorn cuttings and then had to spend a lot of time removing the thorns that had lodged in the soles and had worked their way in and were irritating my feet! As others have mentioned I like them for moving around camp (so my cycling shoes don't get wet from damp grass), good for shower blocks, walking on beaches etc. but you can also use them for a trip to the pub or other places. I wonder if any of the shoes designed for "wet" activities like paddle boarding etc. would be an alternative?

Crocs have become somewhat fashionable. Have seen folks wearing them on the London tube.
(For camp i tend to wear some cheap lidl gardening shoes. Kinda croclike but not up to cavorting on the tube in)

[Navrig]

I've found my crocs to be very good. I agree that the soles are not super great. I once walked through a load of thorn cuttings and then had to spend a lot of time removing the thorns that had lodged in the soles and had worked their way in and were irritating my feet! As others have mentioned I like them for moving around camp (so my cycling shoes don't get wet from damp grass), good for shower blocks, walking on beaches etc. but you can also use them for a trip to the pub or other places. I wonder if any of the shoes designed for "wet" activities like paddle boarding etc. would be an alternative?

Crocs have become somewhat fashionable. Have seen folks wearing them on the London tube.
(For camp i tend to wear some cheap lidl gardening shoes. Kinda croclike but not up to cavorting on the tube in)

I wear my crocs as slippers even wearing them to go to the local Asda.