Riding a bike in bare feet or flip-flops?

Have you ever ridden a bike in bare feet or flip flops before?





Going with a couple of friends to a beach town this weekend (we%26#039;re in Australia so it%26#039;s summer now =p). We%26#039;re going to swim in the sea and bike around town for a while.





They told me to leave my shoes at home and go barefoot, or just wear flip-flops. That%26#039;s okay with me - we%26#039;re in the swimming club at school and are barefoot a lot. Just wondering what it%26#039;s like to bike in bare feet or flip flops, though... I%26#039;m not a very experienced biker and don%26#039;t know whether that%26#039;s safe.

Riding a bike in bare feet or flip-flops?
Well, I%26#039;m not sure if there will be a lot of hills, but if there are, then you should bring flip flops for when you pedal up them. You can always let them dangle off of your handle bars when you%26#039;re not.
Reply:You should wear shoes unless you dont care about having your feet amputated
Reply:Make sure the pedals don%26#039;t have the metal gripper spikes.
Reply:well I depends what type of pedals u have if they are pokey and sharp then use flip flops but if they aren%26#039;t go bare foot and you%26#039;ll have fun either way so it doesn%26#039;t really matter anyway
Reply:flip flops
Reply:oooo...that hurts...flip-flops might be better if you can keep them on your feet lol
Reply:I%26#039;m not sure if it%26#039;s very safe to do that.


If you misplace your foot and roll over it


it%26#039;s gonna hurt.


I%26#039;d know %26gt;.%26lt;
Reply:Id go barefoot but Id make sure you dont mess up with foot placement. That could lead to very serious injury and hurt like hell.





Have fun nonetheless
Reply:you should always wear proper %26quot;personal protection equipment%26quot;. and this goes with everything from riding a bike to being in bed with the ladies...
Reply:I lost a toe nail doing that. Ouch. That was with sandals. I recommend going barefoot.
Reply:flip-flops are the beter one but shoes are the best.if you were flip flops it well prtect you from foot fungust, it,s not safe for bare a feet,you can get hirt,
Reply:Umm....you definitely don%26#039;t want to go barefoot, unless of course you have maximal pain tolerance. If you have to make any effort at all, your feet will feel it for days (and if you have metal pedals as some rentals do, you may cut yourself). If you have to choose between the two, go with flip-flops - don%26#039;t even think about the barefoot idea.





If you do end up wearing flip-flops, be prepared for some frustration as they slip off the pedals very easily. They definitely don%26#039;t work well, especially if you have to exert force going up a hill or something of that nature.





With all of that said, I would recommend (from the aspect of safety) that you take along a pair of athletic shoes for your bicycle ride. Not only could your flip-flop slip and expose your foot to injury, but the possibility is also there that you might slip off the pedal and twist your ankle quite badly.





Have fun...bicycles are the greatest things ever invented.
Reply:Just casual biking you can do in flip flops, but I wouldn%26#039;t recommend bare feet, some pedals might hurt the bottom of your feet. For long distances or rough terrain I%26#039;d go with at least a shoe that covers your heel too.
Reply:Sure, you can be fine.





Not worth the risk, IMO.
Reply:Not a good idea to ride a bike without tennis shoes or the like. Flip flop or bare feet are asking for trouble. You can%26#039;t put much pressure on the toe piece of the flip flop before you have a blow out and the peddles will kill your bare feet--only two of many reasons to bring some kind of shoes for bike riding.
Reply:I PROMISE YOU THE FLOPS WILL COME OFF YOUR FEET A COUPLE OF TIMES LOL MIGHT LOOSE YOUR BALANCE
Reply:If I were you I would go barefoot as your friends suggest - I only need the slightest excuse to get my shoes off !


I%26#039;ve ridden my bike barefoot and it is better if you have rubber or plastic pedals not metal.


If you are not used to going barefoot and your soles are soft, remember not to put your feet down and use them as brakes !


I%26#039;d love to live in a place like Australia where you don%26#039;t get hassled for having bare feet !
Reply:ive ridden a bike in flip flops...bare footed hurts very bad!!!
Reply:I used to ride my bike in bare feet but after riding for a little while it started to hurt. I would opt for the flip-flops.
Reply:it hurts like heck!!!! DON%26#039;T TRY IT... i would suggest the flip flops..





i know out of experience that if you don%26#039;t have shoes while you bike... your gunna be hurting for certain.. hope this helps





have fun! =]]
Reply:Wear your tennis shoes if this is your first time out, and you%26#039;re not experienced. Or at least take them with you for the first time. Don%26#039;t ruin your holiday by getting hurt. Have a blast! It%26#039;s freezing here!
Reply:I haven%26#039;t worn footwear for ten years and I don%26#039;t own a car, so I ride my bicycle barefoot every day. Most bicycles here in Europe have rubber pedals -not that many people go barefoot, that%26#039;s just the kind of bicycle pedals we have, don%26#039;t know why- and they%26#039;re fine even for people who don%26#039;t go barefoot a lot. I%26#039;ve never had a problem with my feet slipping off the pedals; the only times I%26#039;ve slipped off the pedals was wearing smooth-soled shoes before I started to go barefoot, especially sometimes with loose footwear like slippers %26amp; flipflops. Never took a fall but they did slip off the pedals sometimes!





I *have* taken a fall a couple times from wearing shoes with laces; trainers are less likely to slip than flipflops but if the laces come undone or even if they%26#039;re very long when tied, they can tangle in the pedals. Plus, since your foot is tied to the pedal, you%26#039;ve a greater chance of breaking something than when you%26#039;re just falling on the ground with your legs free. It%26#039;s a rare occurance -I was on that bicycle for at least an hour a day ever since I was little so a couple times isn%26#039;t a huge risk- but when it happens it%26#039;s no fun.





If you%26#039;ve got metal pedals then it may be harsh on your feet, depending on how much you go barefoot %26amp; how much callouses you have. After ten years of barefooting I like riding my tour bicycle that does have these metal pedals with spikes, but then I enjoy walking or even running across gravel roads too! I like that better than all the soft grass which is nice but also a bit boring. And you do have a good grip on these pedals, better than the smooth rubber ones! But if you don%26#039;t think you%26#039;re gonna be comfortable barefoot on the pedals, some kind of sandal that can%26#039;t slip off your foot and doesn%26#039;t have too smooth a sole is probably the most secure choice. No loose footwear, no laces.
Reply:yes bare feet and it wasn%26#039;t a great idea. i tore my big toe nail off completely and had to go to the emergency room!!
Reply:LoL! when i was little i HATED wearing shoes, so i went EVERY where barefoot. and i actually think that riding with flip-flops would be better than bare feet because the place where you stick your feet on the bike usually have pointy things on them. BUT in your case, i think your best bet is bare foot becuase flip flops are VERY VERY VERY easy to loose your balance in. so, i would say either, go bare-foot (i do it ALOT still!), or just put on tennis shoes.





Hope I Helped!


Good Luck!
Reply:Not a good idea. OUCH!



performing arts network