For those wearing Keen sandals...

I, too, love my Keens. I have had them for three years, use cleats with no problems at all. I have had no odor problems, but I do hose them off from time to time. Definitely will try the washing machine trick :D . I wear them year round and in winter, wear Smartwool socks and in the coldest weather, wear a lightweight liner sock with neoprene socks over the liners.

When I was wearing Specialized shoes, I had terrible hot foot problems. On my cross country ride, I had to stop sometimes every ten to fifteen miles. That is a pain...literally and figuratively! I heard about the Keens the following spring (2008) and thought I would take a chance. I immediately left on another cross country trip with a century on the 2nd or third day! It was then that I became sold on them!! I have not put on another pair of cycling shoes since. The Keen sandals fit the bill for me from 10 mile commutes to metrics and full centuries. They show little wear even though I have over 12,000 miles of riding with them.

Am I a fan? You betcha!!!:)

For anyone with stinky Keens: just Google "stinky Keens" and you'll get all kinds of cleaning advice! I tried washing them first because it was the cheapest, easiest remedy, and it worked great for me, but if you need to take more aggressive action, there are lots of things to try :) Those anti-odor footbeds only go so far. This is probably more of a problem for those of us who don't always wear socks with our Keens.

It's good to turn them over first and use a knife tip to dig any accumulated gunk out of the treads and cleats before you throw them in the wash.

I have keens with frog pedals. On longer rides, my foot can get sore because the shoe flexes around the pedal. I've done about 70 miles at a time with them. On longer rides with my sidis, I get other pains, so I just alternate which shoe I wear and which pains I get :)

Keen Commuter sandals are my only bike shoes now. I wear them with or without socks (and with wool socks on cold-weather rides). I use cleats and Crank Brothers Candies pedals. No problems clipping in or out, and I didn't have to carve out any of the sole (I did have to do that on some previous Cannondale bike shoes I wore with the same pedals). Have worn the Keens on up to 50 mile rides, no problems there.

The only issue I have noticed is that occasionally I get a foot or toe cramp after rides. This may happen even if I wore stiff-soled cycling shoes, though, as I get foot cramps when I haven't ridden in days as well (usually if I've run that day instead). So, I can't really blame that on the Keens.

So far, I don't think they're too stinky...I should probably check just in case! :eek:

For those of you who wear wool socks in the "winter" with your Keen sandals--what is winter in your land? Here we ride in 35-ish degrees and I can't imagne Keens! I wear thick smartwool winter socks with a full shoe and also shoe covers that are waterproof and windproof.

Same here. My winter riding is with Woolie Boolie Smart Wool socks, shoes, toe covers AND booties. And, I have been known to put a chemical heater in there, too.
If I am riding my hybrid, I have winter riding boots with cleats, but I even find them a little cool with the same wool socks.
I mean, I like my Keens, but for riding or walking around in sporty- type clothes, going to the pond. Definitely not work attire for me.

I love my Keen commuter sandals and I do clip in with mine. They are perfect for commuting, running errands or easy rides. I don't like them for long rides or hills because the sole isn't stiff enough to get a good pedal stroke. I feel like my foot wraps around the pedal and standing to climb just doesn't work.

I've never washed my commuters but I have two other pair of Keen sandals and DH has a pair and I have washed all three in the washer with great success.

I love Keens. Period.

I have a set of waterproof windproof seirus socks (they might not be great for immersion) that I use with my keens (biking or not) so that I can use them in lower temps.

our winters are cold. Sometimes on my commute to work it will be in the teens or single digits. I wear two pair of wool socks and don't have too many cold foot issues. Of course, that's a 30 minute commute- much longer than that and my feet would probably freeze off!!

I have no personal experience, however, I have ridden with a guy who wears them, with cleats, and he says he's quite comfy in them. He wore them on a 4-day, 300 mile ride (highest mileage day was 80) and said they worked great. He is primarily a recreational rider.

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Originally Posted by deskrider

For those of you who wear wool socks in the "winter" with your Keen sandals--what is winter in your land? Here we ride in 35-ish degrees and I can't imagne Keens! I wear thick smartwool winter socks with a full shoe and also shoe covers that are waterproof and windproof.

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I live in North Carolina and don't ride if it's < 50 degrees. That's wintry enough for me. :D

I don't, but a couple of my riding buddies do, including a guy in his late 60s who rides any time it's over 20°F and not snowy/icy (with wool socks), and did the Great Divide tour in them last year. :eek:

Are there other sandals/"regular" shoes that have cleat spaces that anyone likes?