Ridecamp: RE: [RC] Tennis shoes no boots??

I believe I hold the record for the most shoes ever purchased with the
intent of being used for riding.  From my roping days, I used to wear Ariats
and they are a great shoe.  But way too hot and restricting for longer rides
(for me), especially since, unlike many women I know, I have excellent
circulation in my feet, i.e., they stay warm even when it's cold out.

But then I started into endurance and the Ariats weren't working for me, so
I switched to running shoes, and the hunt for the perfect shoe began.
HOWEVER, I always ride with safety cages on the stirrups.  Your concern
about being stuck and dragged is well-founded, so I wouldn't minimize that.
But with safety cages, it's very difficult to get your foot stuck.

I first tried lightweight running shoes...not enough support under the ball
of the foot.  Then I tried mid-ankle lightweight hiking books and they were
ok but really too much shoe.  Then I tried what's called Cross-Training
shoes, a nominal blend of a running shoe and an ultra-lightweight hiking
shoe, and knew I was on the right track.  I do not need ankle support and
this may be an issue for some riders.

The real problem - find a shoe with the right lug pattern (it can't be too
bold or knobby or your foot won't slide out of the stirrup easily, but you
need a certain amount of lugs for traction while walking or running), the
right toe and heel padding (if you get off and run, on downhills you need
toe padding and on everything you need heel padding), the right stiffness
under the ball of the foot, the right arch height AND the right width for my
wide feet.  And just when I find the perfect shoe, they discontinue it, so I
usually buy two pairs at a time (they do wear out faster than you might
imagine).

I've had great luck for my foot shape with the New Balance cross-trainers
(but they've just revised their entire line so now who knows?).  But I'm a
fan of the REI Outlet center (at rei.com) where they blow out shoes like
this all the time, so I've bought a dozen or so "experimental" models, most
of which didn't work out.  REI allows you to return everything, so this is a
decent way to try out many different shoes and if you find one that fits,
you've got a great price.  In this way, I've tried cross-trainers from
Salomon (great shoes, not quite wide enough), Nike (so-so), North Face (bad
fit), and others.

Is that enough info for you?  :-)

Mike Sofen
Santa Cruz (where foot comfort is more important than...surfing?)


-----Original Message-----
From: Char Antuzzi char_antuzzi@xxxxxx

Lets talk about the kind of shoes you wear? I was brought up that you don't
ever get on a horse without wearing proper boots, ie. something with a heel.
Have you ever seen a person dragged from slipping through a big ole
endurance stirrup? Not a pretty site. Everyone seems to ride in a tennis
type shoe, I know they are more comfortable and your off running, etc. But
isn't this really a dangerous thing to do?


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