No. of cycling shoes: obsessed?

[shootingstar]

How many prs. of cycling shoes do you have? I have 3 now. Maybe I'm abit obsessed:

pair 1- is nearly worn down at heel. But I keep it for days where it's light rain or rainy forecast. (Tossed out the truly worn-out, distorted pr. 4 months ago. I wore them for over 4 yrs.)

pair 2- wearing them for past 2 months. But I bought them 2 yrs. ago. because I liked them so much for all the features I needed. Same style as pair 1.

pair 3- bought today. Same style as pair 2(and1), but different colour combinations.

Maybe am paranoid/obsessed but as mentioned elsewhere today, I bought myself another pair of cycling shoes. am darn picky since I also ride with toeclips. Hence, I don't want cycling shoes that are chunky in style (besides chunky ones do look ..ugly on a small person like me), have a sole that is a stiff but not too stiff so that I can get off bike and walk around for shopping or light hiking/walking for several kms. Shoes must also accommodate my customized orthotic supports. I do wear them in cycling shoes. It makes a difference for me on bike and off when I walk around.

It took me a super long time to find a style that had all the features I wanted. Last time it was....a 2 year search. Another time, it was also another 2 year search. I need to try shoes in person, I will not order online since I wear customized orthotics inside cycling shoes..

[Mr. SR500]

You are fine, I cycle through 5 pairs during various parts of the year. 2 regular road, 1 Winter road boot, and 2 SPD type. Plus a couple old pairs I can never seem to throw away.

[Becky]

I'm with Mr. SR500 on this one. I have 4 pairs now- 1 road, 2 mountain (1 for commuting and 1 for getting muddy), and 1 winter pair- with a 5th pair on the way (to replace the nearly worn-out commuting ones).

[Cataboo]

Hrm. I've got 7 pairs. 1 pair of carbon fiber road shoes in case I ever go to road cycling. 1 pair of cycle shoes for my mountain bike. 1 pair that I leave at the bf's. 1 pair at my house. 1 pair of keen sandals. 1 pair that have a high ankle strap, so I never use them. 1 pair of winter shoes so I don't have to deal with shoe covers.

I'm not terribly picky about shoes, I always find them on sale in my size.

[Eden]

Just call me Imelda....
1 pair with crank bro's cleats for my commuter (my retired racing shoes)
1 pair with carbon soles & speedplays for racing
1 pair of touring shoes that are the ones I started with (and are handy to keep around as errand shoes - look like tennies and easily walkable)
1 pair with toe spikes for cross
1 pair of winter boots

I think thats all of them....

[OakLeaf]

Eh, I just wish I'd have had one spare dry pair to put on this morning.

[shootingstar]

Just call me Imelda....
1 pair with crank bro's cleats for my commuter (my retired racing shoes)
1 pair with carbon soles & speedplays for racing
1 pair of touring shoes that are the ones I started with (and are handy to keep around as errand shoes - look like tennies and easily walkable)
1 pair with toe spikes for cross
1 pair of winter boots

I think thats all of them....

I wasn't aware of cycling shoes with toe spikes.
Winter boots...specifically made for cycling? Please clue me in or just an ordinary boot reserved exclusively for cycling?

Ok, I do have a confession..I actually have a 4th pr...Shimano mtn bike shoes...which I don't like entirely but I will wear them if other prs. get too wet or I'm desperate.

After these cycling shoe fashionistas, I was humbled and had to 'fess up.

[ny biker]

I have 4 pairs but only wear two (mostly only one, really).

One pair of red Sidis that I wear for my road riding, which is most of the riding I do.

One pair of Shimano mtn bike shoes that I wear on the rare occasions that I use my mountain bike.

One pair of silver Sidis that are too small - they seemed okay when I bought them but are uncomfortable as my feet swell during long rides on hot days. I really don't know why I keep them, I just don't know what else to do with them and they were too expensive to just throw out.

One pair of Nike mountain bike shoes that were a free gift for my participation in the Wildflower Mountain Biking for Women video -- Nike was a a sponsor of the video. They're my backup shoes for mtn biking, but since I don't do much of that these days, I haven't needed them in a while.

I will keep the current Sidis until they wear out.

[Eden]

I wasn't aware of cycling shoes with toe spikes.
Winter boots...specifically made for cycling? Please clue me in or just an ordinary boot reserved exclusively for cycling?

Some mt bike shoes come with optional toe spikes - I put them on the shoes I intend to use for cross because they should help with run ups.

The winter shoes I have are specifically for cold wet weather. I have a pair of winter Sidis - they have no communication between the outer sole and the inner boot - so no water up through the cleat holes . They have a neoprene cuff around the ankle to keep water from going down the tops. I love, love, love them. As long as I'm careful keeping my socks tucked all the way in and pull my tights over the tops of the cuffs (and sometimes still add booties if its really pouring...) my feet not only stay warm, but also dry for hours, even in the pouring rain.

[kiwi girl]

I have 6

1 x road shoes(specialized)
1 x cheap exustar shoes that I use for lunchtime spin classes at the gym and keep in my locker
1 x didora touring shoes that are just a smidge small but I wear on my commute
1 x lake touring shoes that I use on my cycling holidays
1 x shimano sandals
1 x old road shoes (shimano) - I've put spd cleats on them have kept them on the basis that I'll use them on the spin bike at home - but I've been going at the gym so don't use it much

Put this in a context that normally I am so not a shoe person - I have two pairs of dress work shoes - one I keep at work to change into, one I keep at home for when I am travelling for work. I have four pairs of casual shoes (a pair of old running shoes, a pair of doc martens, jandals (flip flops) and a pair of crocs. Throw in a couple of pairs of running and gym shoes and the maths says more than a third of my total shoe collection is cycling shoes

[Becky]

IWinter boots...specifically made for cycling? Please clue me in or just an ordinary boot reserved exclusively for cycling?

Like Eden, mine are Sidi winter cycling shoes. SPD-compatible. I just bought them this summer, but I'm really hopeful that they'll keep my feet warm this winter. Booties (mostly) did the trick last year, but are a fuss when I'm trying to hurry out the door. The only potential problem that I see is that the neoprene cuff is a little bigger than my ankle, so I can't get it as tight as it should be.

[crazycanuck]

I only have one pair of cycling shoes-SIDI's...Am I still acceptable?

I'd love another pair & am keeping an eagle eye on the US-AUD exchange rate

[OakLeaf]

Oh, can I count my 1986 Duegi lace-up shoes, with the first-generation Mavic cleats - the ones that turned my feet black for days every single time it rained, for at least 1,500 miles in the rain?

They're still in my closet, although they're too small for me now. Truly they were a little bit too small for me then, but now they're a lot too small.

Fine Italian racing leather, size 39, nylon soles; well used but lots of life still in them. Should fit a modern three-hole bolt pattern, although I'm not 100% sure of that. You could have the pedals, too, for that matter - first generation Look compatible. Any takers?

[redrhodie]

I have 3, all with spd cleats. My old pair of Specialized are now my winter shoes. They're totally warm, even though they're just shoes. My new Specialized shoes have carbon soles and are too cute to wear in bad conditions. My Keen sandals are for rides to the beach. I have yet to wear either of my old shoes since I got my new ones, but I plan to.

I need a new storage solution for all this bike gear.

[Mr. SR500]

Like Eden, mine are Sidi winter cycling shoes. SPD-compatible. I just bought them this summer, but I'm really hopeful that they'll keep my feet warm this winter. Booties (mostly) did the trick last year, but are a fuss when I'm trying to hurry out the door. The only potential problem that I see is that the neoprene cuff is a little bigger than my ankle, so I can't get it as tight as it should be.

Yes and no, I bought some last year. They are much nicer and easier then booties, but I found my feet still getting cold on colder days and longer rides. The real answer are these: