New Shoes

 

The most important things you need to be comfortable when riding a bike long distances is good shorts, a good seat and good shoes. I've been lucky enough that the seats that came with my bikes fit me well. It took me a few years when I first starting riding to find the right type of shorts that work for me. Shorts continue to evolve so although I have a brand that I like I will always try a least one new type of short each year to see if I can find something equal or better. 

About 10 years ago I found the Specialized Torch 3 shoes that fit me well and are pretty durable. My feet use to get really hot during the summer. This shoe has a metatarsal button behind the balls of the feet that spread the metatarsal bones and are suppose to prevent the nerves and arteries from compressing to help improve circulation and reduce numbness. When the person at the bike store was explaining this whole body geometry metatarsal stuff is sounded like some hollow sales pitch but once I tried the shoes I found what he said was actually true. My feet definitely don't get as hot as they use to and the shoes in general are very comfortable. 

One of the things that annoy me about a lot of clothing and equipment companies is that they discontinue or change some of my favorite items so that they are no longer available or are not as good as they use to be. Luckily Specialized hasn't done any major changes to these shoes in the years I have been buying them. There has been some minor changes to the closure system and to the material on the upper part but for the most part the shoe is the same. For the new shoes that I just got, the upper material looks a little more durable and the toe part is a little wider which make the shoe a little better.  

I had to order the shoes online because very few bike stores carry shoes and the ones that do don't have the best selection. Of course this makes it hard to try before you buy and makes it harder if you have to return them but the shoes I got fit just fine. I have had a few rides with them they are almost broken in. This is my third pair of these shoes and they last about 5 years so I hope they keep making them because I would hate to have to find something new. 

The final ride to fully break in the new shoes was my ride this past Saturday from Etra to Farmingdale. Once again we had a problem parking at Etra. The park gate was closed but the parking lot across the way was open but crowded. It turns out there is a touch football league that meets there every Saturday. The gate to Etra was open a few minutes after I got there but I didn't want to move. I think for this summer I will avoid Etra as I don't want to have to deal these parking problems any more. 

It was a cloudy and some what cool day but we had a good ride to Farmingdale. The rest stop in Farmingdale isn't the best but the ride itself is a good mostly flat ride and a good test for any new shoes.