Mold in cycling shoes??

[buffybike]

I paid about $80 for the shoes...they're Specialized brand. I've read NOT to use bleach as it will break down the shoes (glues/threads/etc.). I think I may take them to a cobbler today to see if they can rip out the foam and replace it. Because it rains a lot in North Florida and the humidity hovers around 90%, my shoes have definately been wet. And then I usually just take them off and leave them in my garage. Apparently, that turns them into a petri dish for mold and mildew. Lesson learned. Right now they're drying in the sun after another ride in the rain. I will probably keep them as my "rain shoes" and buy another pair for "dry rides".

[OakLeaf]

Oh, yeah, forget about the garage (at least, if it doesn't have AC, and please tell me it doesn't!). We try not to keep anything that's not 100% hard plastic, glass or metal in the garage. But we do park the motorcycles there ... and the seats get moldy.

[miamibiker]

For the past month, my shoes have been smelling worse and worse, so I decided to soak them in Woolite and then air dry them thinking that would take care of it. Upon removing the sole, I noticed that the footbed which is made of some squishy foamy stuff (and it's glued to the bottom) is covered in black spots. Soaking and drying didn't help at all. I also put them in the freezer for 24 hours. No change. Vinegar did not work. Lysol did not work. I wouldn't care except that they REALLY REEK. I mean, they stink up a room. Are they done for? Or is there some way to get rid of the mold (or at least the smell)

It's a Florida sweat thing. We have problems in Miami with sweat eating the clearcoat finish off bikes, rusting out bottom brackets & ruining shoes in a matter of months. My husband is a serious sweater and this is the only thing that helps us keep his shoes "mildly offensive".

Determine where the sweat is coming from--for us it is running down our legs into shoes. Wearing higher socks also allows more of the sweat to dissipate before it gets to your shoes. For some their feet actually sweat more. Try spray-on antiperspirant made for feet.

As soon as we get home we remove the insoles and wash with soap and water & let dry in the sun. Then the shoes get wiped with a damp sponge on the outside just to remove dirt/sweat. They get stuffed with newspaper & set outside for a few hours in the sun. Then I replace the newspaper with cedar from stuffitts.com & I put them in an airtight box with a container of "Damp Rid" that removes the moisture in the container. They sit in that box for a few days until the next use. We rotate between three pairs of shoes to give each a chance to thoroughly dry. I do spray then w/ Lysol occassionally. They still only last 9 mos or so but we ride 250 miles a week so each pair is worn 1x per week.

[batsheva]

make a mix of miconazole or other antifungal powder and baking soda and put thick thick layer in there and leave a few days... works for my toxic birkenstocks and they never ever smell nasty again after that treatment

[buffybike]

UPDATE: I called Specialized and told them about the problem. The guy said, "Whoa. That's a bummer." (silence)

So much for that.

The cobbler cannot take the foam out b/c it's part of the shoe. Leaving them on my front porch where they get sun every day has maybe helped. If anything i don't have to smell them every time I walk past my laundry room. When I get some $, I'm just going to buy another pair.