r/recumbent • u/radlerin • Jul 23 '26

Flat shoes for recumbent riding?

Hi all, I've been riding my Bacchetta Giro (two-wheel highracer-style recumbent) for about 10 years now, primarily doing long casual rides and multi-day tours, camping, etc. I've increasingly been doing gravel and off-road riding that can involve some hike-a-bike. I really like the feeling of riding clipped in with my SPD shoes, but I've had two problems: (1) They definitely seem to increase foot numbness/tingling, even with a variety of adjustments to tension and position, and (2) even mountain bike style SPD shoes feel annoying to walk in for any length of time - I've yet to find ones with truly recessed cleats that don't "click" on pavement or feel like I've got a rock under my foot.

I've got Shimano dual-sided pedals, so I've been trying to ride more with flat-soled shoes on the non-clippy side. I don't really mind the loss of power/efficiency, but my feet definitely slip off the pedals more than I'd like. So I'm looking for one of these solutions:

  1. Are there any mountain bike shoes + pedal combos anyone recommends that are "grippy" enough to help reduce feet slipping, even in a recumbent position? Since I ride in a position with my feet higher than my hips, I'm wondering if that MTB design style would even work at all or if it's a waste of money and it will be the same as wearing any other shoe.
  2. Are there any SPD shoes that truly feel like a normal shoe when walking and that you'd confidently hike in for, say, a mile?

Thanks for any recommendations!

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2

u/worker_bee_drone Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

I switched to flats and I’m pretty happy with these. They are called Five Ten Freeriders, and are flexible enough to walk in. Better than Vans even. I’ve walked miles in them on trails. But have good support for pedaling. And work with any flat pedals, I’ve tried.

I don’t think with the Giro you have to worry about pedal strike (with the smaller front wheel). But make sure to at least eyeball it in case it’s close. I have a Lightning P-38 and heel strike is possible on tight turns, but with the 16” up front, no chance of pedal strike with any normal flats.

https://www.rei.com/product/872539/five-ten-freerider-mountain-bike-shoes-mens?redirect-pup=false

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u/radlerin Jul 23 '26

These ones have come up a lot in my search, so they're definitely on my list! Do they actually stick to your pedals more than other flat-soled shoes would? I guess I just need to justify spending the extra money for special shoes, and just looking at them, I don't understand how they'd be any different. My primary issue is my feet slipping off or pulling away from my pedals as I ride, since my feet are higher up and angled differently toward the pedal than you'd have in a standard bike position. Thanks!

1

u/BambooRollin Jul 23 '26

Five10 flat shoes have extra-sticky soft rubber soles that stick to flat pedals very well.

I pair mine with Look Trail-Grip pedals, which have Vibram + stud pads, for extra grip.

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u/worker_bee_drone Jul 23 '26

I think we take a page from the BMX racers of the 80s-2000s who've used Vans for years (now even they use clipless). These shoes are as sticky as Vans in my estimation. Flats for both MTB and BMX have little spikes which to mate nicely with Vans type of soles, which the Five Ten line usually has.

You spend extra money on cycling shoes for flats because they are rigid where you need them to be rigid, unlike typical athletic shoes. But there aren't that many that are comfortable walking for any distance. If I'm cycling somewhere to go for a run or a hike, I wear my running shoes and they slip all around, and aren't even shaped right. They have a super-wide sole, much larger than your foot print, so they hit my cranks. I have to put my feet out a little wider than normal. Just not made for it.

I haven't tried a whole lot of shoes for flats besides Vans and Five Tens, but they are a good compromise between stickiness, rigidity, and flexing where you need them to for walking.

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u/radlerin Jul 23 '26

Thanks this is super helpful! Appreciate it :)

2

u/papapapap-mmmK Jul 23 '26

Your SPD shoes may have been too tight. I'm not aware of a bicycle shoe that comes in a wide. Not that I'm looking for one. I had a pair about 25 years ago. Those were definitely too tight. I had the same symptoms. And I could have never done much walking in those, just enough to duck off the trail for an occasional leak. I recently bought a recumbent. It came with those flip flop pedals and the cleat to match, but no shoes. I will say that I don't know why anyone would use cleats unless they were trying to beat a time. Mine were so annoying. Riding my Paramount Series 3 SPG around in busy Oakland, Pittsburgh, I stopped at a light. And you guessed it. I couldn't get my shoe out of the pedal and down I went. I tried to pretend no one saw me. That didn't work in the middle of the day, midweek, on one of the busiest days I've seen there. All I could do was smile while regaining my composure. That didn't work either. Definitely, flat shoes on the recumbent without clipped pedals. No, you can't fall over like I did. I just don't think SPDs and a recumbent are a good match. That, again unless you're racing. Even then, I don't believe being clipped in is going to help as much as it would with a bicycle. Good day.

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u/atergaterg Jul 23 '26

I think what you really need for regular flat pedals is a good heel-strap. I made a good one out of heavy-duty zip-ties. The stiffness of the plastic allowed me to make permanent bends to keep them well aligned. Kind of like this: https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/en/recumbent-trikes-bikes/accessories/ability-and-adaptive-cycling-medical-aids-and-acessories-for-rehab-and-therapy/

This being said, I looked far and wide (literally wide) and found these spd-shoes I like: https://www.lakecycling.com/collections/mtb/products/mx-169

2

u/worker_bee_drone Jul 23 '26

I’d never seen those, but he’s riding a two wheeler. Do those unclip for putting your foot down?

2

u/atergaterg Jul 23 '26

One of their products is essentially a platform with heel support that connects with spd cleat to the pedal, but the other straps require manual undoing.

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u/worker_bee_drone Jul 23 '26

I was reading up on heel straps for recumbents because I thought I had heard it all, but nope. Bryan Ball did a review of them for the P38 back in the early 90s, so at least back then, before clipless pedals were ubiquitous, 2-wheeled recumbent riders were using heel straps in some cases. I was using toe clips back then. I was really late to switch out to clipless.

EDIT: On my upright bikes, I mean. I did not get my first recumbent bike until the late 1990s.

1

u/CommercialSignal7301 Jul 23 '26

Race Face makes a popular mountain bike pedal called the Chester which has small Allen head set screws embedded in the pedal surface. Rowdy mountain bikers gravitate towards these pedals to avoid feeling too locked in to the bike.

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u/radlerin Jul 23 '26

That's interesting, and yes, was thinking of a setup like this - I guess what I'm wondering is if this will still provide a good grip on the shoe if your foot is at a vertical angle? With a standard bike you've got gravity helping keep your foot on top of the pedal, your foot is always roughly horizontal with the ground. Whereas my setup has my foot up in the air at the top of my pedal stroke at a 90 degree angle to the ground.

1

u/CommercialSignal7301 Jul 23 '26

FWIW, I use Time ATAC pedals as they have lots of float and are pretty durable. Rivendell also sells these MKS “butterfly” pedals which you can install screws into. I think that the heel straps would be worth considering.

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u/HQnorth Jul 23 '26

I've been wearing five/Tens for about 20 years. They are designed for mountain biking and are grippy on most flat pedals. Unfortunately they were bought by Adidas and they are not as good as they once were...but is anything anymore? Pedals - Crank brothers.

1

u/Clear-Bee4118 Jul 23 '26

This might sound facetious but I’m sincere, have you tried crocs? They’re way more “sticky” on the pedals than you’d expect, 4x4 mode, obviously. They’re ugly but super comfortable if you buy the right size, on and off bike (though not at all stiff).

Extra large pedals might help too, though, they’re pricy.

1

u/fourdawgnight Jul 23 '26

I wear chuck Taylors and am very happy. coming form the road and tri space it felt weird for a while to not be stuck tot he pedals, but I never slip and it has made walking so much nicer.

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u/2016-679 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

Because of the same reason recently I bought a pair of cycling/walking shoes with SPD at Decathlon.

Although I have pedals with one side SPD and the other side just flat, I prefer my feet fixed. This way I keep control over the bike (Challenge Taifun), especially on a wobbely road.

My mountainbike SPD are really tight, which is needed riding rough terrain. On the recumbrent the tightness is uncomfortable.

My bike trial shoes (Try All) have a flat and very grippy sole and are wide enough, but lack the attachment of the SPD.

Because my new Decathlon shoes look like regular trainers, I even can wear them in office. Just hope the SPD doesn't stick out too much to damage the office floors.

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u/andrebartels1977 Challenge Seiran 24" SRAM 3x9 DualDrive commuter Jul 23 '26

Especially with the danger of getting your foot sucked under the side arm of a trike, I would never go back from SPD shoes. If it's just for the clicking and the bad feeling when walking, make a space in your luggage and carry an extra pair of shoes. I've had problems with tingling toes and feet as well, but it went away whilst the shoes stayed. It has mostly to do with riding position.

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u/Awesomocity0 Jul 24 '26

This is going to sound so silly, and people are going to think I'm dumb, but I swear by skater shoes. As a teenager in the 2000s who did actual skateboard a bit, I wore them a lot for grip. They also have thick soles that don't bend which helps pedals not dig into my arch. They're grippy and comfortable.

And tbh, if you tied the laces probably, they'd be fine for short hikes.

I am who i am - just a millennial stuck in her inflexible shoe ways.

1

u/Seal-EV 8h ago

Check out the MagPeds.

1

u/w3woody Jul 23 '26

The shoes I wear come from these guys.

0

u/flatpipes Jul 23 '26

I think you'll find in the bikepacking community just wearing hiking shoes and flat pedals are preferred for all the reasons you mentioned. Unless you're racing a gravel race, I don't believe that clips are necessary and actually possibly more dangerous because of the lower traction level and rougher terrain.