Lets talk about it! Personally I have gone as fare as riding with thongs or for those of you who are not Australian, that means, ‘flip flops’. Well it is a sense of freedom and I can see why people like yourself would search online to learn more about it. When i think about doing this which I have only done a couple of times it feels like the most ultimate freedom. You are already free riding your bike, so to take the freedom measure off the richter scale, I mean why not?
Okay maybe there are quite a few things you should really know before just jumping on your bike a barefoot touring around the world. There is a little danger. And it seems rather not so popular with those of us folks from the bicycle touring and bikepacking community. We are going to look at all the pros and more importantly the cons to cycling barefoot. And have a look at some of the products that are available to make this experience al little more comfortable if you choose to go ahead with it.
If you are going to bicycle tour or cycle for the matter with bare feet, you might as well try bare arse bicycle touring and riding with one’s index finger in one’s ear. Okay all jokes aside, some bike tours hate this idea and as the question why? It seems there is a disproportionate amount of disadvantages to cycling barefoot then there is positive.
As I mentioned earlier I am all for cycling in thongs or flip flops if you really want to. I have ridden all up to east coast of Australia and on other tours completely in things that is probably over 6,000 Km’s.
Okay so there is quite a few things to really consider, one being hot pavement, you don’t want to have your feet on the hot asphalt for too long. That is super painful, and I should mention that a lot of these reasons to maybe not consider cycling barefoot relates to pain!
Then you have the potential for bug bites. If you are touring for example in the woods and you are barefoot you really would want to be careful. I guess from being in Australia we need to be more aware of not only bugs but other animals like snakes and all that. You don’t want a bug bite between the toes that can be a little uncomfortable.
It really comes down to how risky your are and the type of person you are? Do you like new experiences and up for new challenges then cycle barefoot. I am being serious do what you want and the end of the day it is your life. I personally think the world needs more free spirited people living life on their own terms. Okay I am going to stop before this becomes a oversized rant!
I did meet this guy when touring Australia, some would call him crazy. But he was walking, down the East cost along the road side barefoot. Walking on the hot road barefoot that is more crazy, I think them cycling barefoot. But again lets conform here that it is rather dangerous. if you are cycling barefoot your are risking serious injury, especially at high speed with your feet so close to the ground when pedalling that could be a disaster.
It will be quiet uncomfortable to cycle barefoot on traditional flat pedals, and something like gravel pedals with the large spikes with hurt there is no doubt about that. Which is why you can get around this by modifying your pedals. Some people use a sponge and zip tie it around your current pedals. Which is a quiet fix and is more then capable to sustain your for your barefoot cycling adventures. But then you have pedals that are actually designed for this. Yes! Barefoot pedals, most cruiser bikes come with these style of pedals as some people who ride on or near the beach don’t ride with shoes on. Below is some barefoot pedal options that might be worth looking into and possibility getting if you see yourself as a barefoot cyclist.
Barefoot Pedals
These few pedals are best suited for barefoot cycling if this is still something you are interested in.
MOTO Bicycles Safety Pedals
That platform of these pedals are designed with a friction tape that provides great grip for your feet and makes them slipping off very unlikely. They have no metal pins and the corners are round. They actually also won an award for the safest bicycle pedals in the world. They are rather lightweight at 336 grams. Priced at $79.99 on Amazon.
You can also pick up cruiser specific pedals and other pedals that generally have a super flat surface with some friction design to help grip your bare feet to the pedal is ideal.
Cycling Sandals
Cycling sandals can be really comfortable, offer protection and also still provide that sense of freedom, with your toes in the wind! They can be great for hike a bike sections too, as some have quality designed soles. Its not barefoot, but close!
If you want some ideas for cycling sandals, not quite a thong or flip flops, there are some cycling specific options on the market. I wrote a whole blog article all about them if you are interested. Go check out that article, my highest recommended sandal from the post is the Shimano SD5 Sandals.
If you want some barefoot bicycle touring inspiration, you should check out Rob Greenfield he has gone on bike tours completely barefoot.
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