My point was more there were lots of posts about wide shoes in general in this thread which may not be very helpful if its the toebox you care about.
Barefoot style shoes implies less padding when bike shoes normally don’t really have any padding, zero drop, but your feet are free to rotate around the pedal axle so this also doesn’t matter. The cyclic loading is very different from running. In running when your foot hits the ground energy is stored in your leg/foot by stretching tendons and muscles that is released when you take off (think of how much easier doing calf raises are when you go fast vs going slow) that doesn’t happen on the bike. There is no shock energy from landing to return and even if there was it would be returned when at the bottom of the pedal stroke so the energy returned isn’t going in the direction to move the pedal.
Pedalling Innovations’s pedals are actually very much the opposite of barefoot running. This might be a very good way to bike, I’m not sure, but the biomechanics are very very different from barefoot running. They work off the idea that moving the axel back takes stress off the arch of your foot, the calf muscles, and achilles tendon to better recruit hip muscles. (I’m not sure what this ultra wide pedal tripod is) Barefoot running increases the stress on those parts to take advantage of how the body can return that energy (that energy doesn’t exist in cycling) This will strengthen the muscles of the foot and the arch while the pedals will not. https://pedalinginnovations.com/
Its a platform pedal (so no need for bike shoes) that allows for mid foot placement of the pedal axel. This can be done with bike shoes and extenders to put the cleats further in the rear. For example: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/04/power-to-the-pedal-cleat-position/
Using true barefoot shoes on a platform pedal has the problem of how to keep your foot on the pedal. The pins used for grip on the pedal may be felt through the shoe can not be so comfortable on a longer ride.
A wider toe box makes sense, and knowing thats all you’re really looking for can make it easier to find what you want
Yup, and I talked about this specifically in two posts (my first reply with comments about thin BF style shoes vs others like my Altra’s with more midsole, and another discussing the long or short pin options that PI offers).
Thanks for the recommendation. I tried some Specialized Torch 2.0s on yesterday and they by far have the widest toe box yet that I’ve seen, but still not quite wide enough. I’ll have to see if the threes are wider.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Lake, I saw they even do an extra wide one which will hopefully be good for my toe box, my only issue is I’ll have to buy without trying
Perhaps I should have been clearer, I like the natural foot shape of barefoot style shoes. Compare that with traditionally cycling shoes, dress shoes, trainers etc, which are more designed to deform human feet, cause bunions etc.
My thinking was that with a very long pedal, I could create a tripod with my feet and transfer power through the entire foot, similar to squatting, rather than transferring it just through the forefoot of a narrow shoe. If I can try find a human foot shaped cycling shoe, I’ll go with that first.
I hope that makes sense.
Haha. If it comes to it, I might have to just do it. Custom shoes in theory should last an incredibly long time. My current pair of Specialized MTB shoes have lasted over 7 years now, it’s just my feet are growing bigger now. I’m leaning towards just getting the Pedalling Innovations ultra long pedal and using Vivobarefoots for now, if it’ll even work that is
Hi Guys,
I thought I’d let you know what I’ve decided to do. I found a UK seller of the Catalyst Pedals so I’ve bought them and saved a tonne on shipping. I’m going to try use Vivobarefoots with the pedal and see how I get on. It’ll be weird not being clipless but I only cycle indoor on a trainer using TrainerRoad, if my foot slides off the pedal, not at much risk. It’ll be an interesting experiment I think, either way. If it fails, then I’ll have to try find a foot shaped cycling shoe (wide toe box), if that fails, then I might need to consider custom shoes, should my wife go for it.
All the best to everyone and thanks so much for taking time to comment, it’s been very helpful. I’ve got a list of shoes to try pick from now should this experiment fail.
I know this is old, but the thin soles on Vivo’s more standard shoes (such as the Primus Lite III/IV) will get wrecked by the metal pins in the flat pedals (I rode with them quite a bit and before realizing how much damage they caused). I now only wear Vivo’s trail runners, which don’t seem to be impacted by the metal pins! Maybe you’ve already had the same experience, ha!
Another vote here for Vivo shoes with their FirmGround sole on flat pedals but also using a file to reduce the height of the pins because I just don’t need them for the extra grip when my foot is so close to the pedal.
Hello, I unfortunately had to give up cycling in the end, my legs are ruined. I couldn’t do more than a 100 watts for a sustained period of time without causing massive pain in my lower legs. I sadly live in a country with ‘universal healthcare’ that offers no basic testing for compartment pressure and they can’t perform a fasciotomy without knowing if there is an issue.
I used the Vivo trail running shoes and they were perfect, didn’t get messed up or anything
I had problems finding shoes for my wider feet, and found the fizik Infinito Knit Carbons.
They also started making a wide version of those too. They are stiff, they are cooler, they are sturdy, they are a little weird putting on, but I think the fit is phenomenal. I have 4 pairs (in different sizes) and really wouldn’t change unless fizik goes out of business or they drop these shoes. (I have a Movistar Team shoes, love the blue)
I was running a lot years ago, and switched to a more barefoot style shoes, and in months started having pain between my ‘pinky toe’ and the one next to it. I was able to run through the pain, until I couldn’t. I blew a Morton’s Neuroma, the largest one my podiatrist had ever seen, and it took a month and a half to get surgery, and about the same time to recover (in a wheel chair). So, anything ‘barefoot style’ gets a solid no from me and my podiatrist. I never returned to running, sadly, but sure wish I could have. Doing the barefoot was a really massively bad idea, for me. Proceed with caution at least?
And I had some rather large problems with my opposite foot because of a tight shoe, which wasn’t too tight but apparently tight enough to start causing issues…
I can relate because I also had a tough time when I switched to minimalist footwear. Initially, it seemed like a good idea for a more natural running experience, but I started feeling pain in my feet after a while. I didn’t realize the seriousness until it became unbearable. Thankfully, I sought advice from a podiatrist who advised against continuing with minimalist shoes to avoid further injury. It’s definitely taught me the importance of listening to professional advice when it comes to our feet
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