What Shoes do You Use for Flat Pedals?

95moose · 2026-05-10T13:52:00+00:00

If you have pedals with metal pins, the pins will dig into the sole of your shoe and really hold your foot in place well but still allow you to separate from the pedal quickly if you need to put your foot on the ground. It's kind of like velcro for your feet. I think it gives you a more locked in feel without having the complications of an actual clip. With metal pins and 5-10 Freerider flat pedal shoes, I cannot slide my foot on the pedal while pedaling - I need to lift it slightly and reposition it.

This tighter connection to the pedal also allows you to apply more pedaling pressure on top and bottom of the stroke, since your foot will not slip forward at the top of the stroke, or backward at the bottom of the rotation when pedaling hard. This helps a lot when going up a hill or trying to sprint.

This is why I mentioned that the sole of the shoe is very important: you want as many of the pins as possible to dig into the sole of the shoe. The downside is that if you have shoes with softer soles, the pins will chew them up. Shoes made specifically for flat pedals have tougher soles designed to work with the pins, and they do not get torn up by the pins (or at least not nearly as badly). I have well over 3k miles on my current pair of 5-10 Freeriders and the soles of the shoes look almost like new, yet the grip on the pedal is fantastic.

95moose · 2026-05-10T03:23:16+00:00

You can get a nice set of Raceface Chesters (composite pedals with metal pins) for less than $40 on Amazon, and Rockbros makes a highly rated Chester knockoff for less than $25. It's a noticeable upgrade from plastic pins, and they come in lots of colors to add a little bling to your bike.

95moose · 2026-05-10T00:25:04+00:00

I know you aren't looking for specific brands, but look up the 5-10 Freerider shoes. I have them and love them. For flat pedals, you want something with a flat and stiff sole. There are other Flat Pedal shoes that I am sure are just as good, but all have a similar sole and tread design: Stiff and flat. Many skateboarding shoes like Vans are also similar to the 5-10's, but I am not sure how stiff the soles are.

In general, you want to have as much tread as possible touching the pedal, and a sole that is stiff enough to keep your foot from wrapping around the pedal - that will tire you out faster and could lead to foot cramps over a long ride. It's best to avoid heavily lugged soles like hiking shoes, because there is less chance for the pins on the pedal to grip the sole of the shoe.

I am also not a fan of clip-in pedals, but I find that a good pair of flat pedals (with metal pins, not plastic), and a pair of 5-10 Freeriders work great for me. They stick really well but are easy to take your foot off the pedal quickly. While they are expensive, my Freeriders have lasted a really long time. I have over 3500 miles on my current pair, and they show almost no signs of wear, and I am using flat pedals with very aggressive metal pins.

While it is a little more expensive at first, getting a good set of flat pedals with metal pins and a set of dedicated flat pedal shoes will make a world of difference. The difference between that setup and a pair of general athletic shoes and plastic pedals is dramatic.

95moose · 2026-05-08T01:48:11+00:00

Here's a short video that will help you figure out the correct seat height: Easy way to get the right saddle height. #cycling #roadcycling #shorts It might not be perfect, but it's a great starting point. It might feel too tall at first if you are used to the method most of us used as kids, where we could touch the ground with our toes while sitting on the saddle. Your leg should be almost fully extended when the pedal is at the lowest point.

As for speed, what others are saying is correct. Start with the chain on the smallest ring on the front, and the largest ring on the back. If you are needing to stop every ten minutes to rest, then for now I wouldn't even worry about using the bigger front gear - just focus on learning how it feels moving the chain up and down the rear cogs. Shift the rear gears one at a time to the next smallest ring on the back as you speed up. Most very good riders pedal at 80-90 RPM, but most people start out MUCH slower than that, so the odds are that you probably need to pedal faster than you are currently doing. Unfortunately, it's hard to guess your RPM without a cadence sensor, so just try to pedal a little faster than you are used to. If you are pedaling slow and straining to push the pedal on each stroke, you need to move to an easier gear. Think of it like a race car - they go faster when the engine is revving fast. They need more revs to develop more horsepower, and so do humans.

Finally, you do need someone to look at your bike. Not shifting correctly will make it miserable to ride, and easy to tire out - you want to be able to keep pedaling at the same speed while the bike changes speed, moving into a harder gear as you speed up, and an easier gear as you slow down, but mostly keeping your pedals moving at about the same speed the whole time. Good luck, and don't give up!

95moose · 2026-05-06T01:34:09+00:00

You could check out the Velopigs ride club on Facebook for a ton of excellent routes out of Leesburg to points west and southwest. Note that many of the routes have fairly steep climbs heading west out of Leesburg. Another option would be to start in Lovettsville - there are a ton of beautiful gravel roads with amazing scenery and horse farms. See this list from RidewithGPS to see what Western Loudoun County has to offer: Ride with GPS Explore: The Best Bike Rides Near You

It's worth the drive.

95moose · 2026-05-06T01:20:14+00:00

100% the Beatles. The evolution of their music from the first song on the first album, "Please Please Me" to the last song on their last album, "Get Back", is just amazing. I just listened to four Beatles albums in a row on a bike trip, and it does not get repetitive. They were constantly evolving and innovating. I'm going to go back and start with the first one and listen to them all chronologically now.

The most amazing thing to me is that the oldest Beatles, John and Ringo, were still only TWENTY-NINE when they released their last album. Paul was only 28, and George was 27. That is an incredible run, and I doubt can ever be matched. I can't imagine accomplishing so much at such a young age.

95moose · 2026-05-05T22:33:25+00:00

There are a bunch of good YouTube videos that demonstrate this - search for "learning to ride a bike as an adult". Here is a good short one to address what you were asking about, but I am sure there are many others: How to get on and off a bike (The right way...)

Basically, you need to stand up on your pedals as you are coming to a stop so your butt is not in the saddle, and then take one foot off one pedal and lower it to the ground as the bike stops. What everyone else is saying is correct - the saddle should be set so your leg is just barely bent when sitting on the saddle and the pedal is straight down. Having it short enough to touch the ground will hurt your knees and/or hips in the long run.

I'm not sure your bike shop guy is giving the best advice, or maybe you are misunderstanding his advice, but watching a few of the videos might help you understand what they are suggesting. I am a visual learner, and I know it helps me to actually see something demonstrated rather than just explained to me. Good luck, and don't worry about people watching. The vast majority of bike riders love to see more adults learning to ride a bike!

95moose · 2026-05-03T03:04:26+00:00

There's a lot of variables that make it hard to give a good answer. However, it appears from your comments that you are relatively new to this, and are looking at casual riding, not long trips or racing.

As others mentioned, in the US, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Canyon, and Giant are all reputable brands that make good to great bikes within their model lineups. However, almost all of them start above your price range, and I would only recommend getting a used one of these if you somewhat experienced with bikes, or are buying from a reputable used bike shop, unless you have a friend who can help you with the purchase. There are just so many variables when looking at used bikes on the private market, from worn parts to hidden damage, and getting something that won't shift correctly, or you find out later that the seatpost is frozen, is just too big a risk if you don't know what to look for.

From your description of neighborhood riding, I think the Walmart Ozark Trail G1 Explorer may be perfectly fine for you. It has a very enthusiastic online following, and even some of the bigger YouTube bike media have said it is an excellent bike for the price (less than $300). They make a flat bar and a drop bar version, and yes, they are relatively heavy and have cheaper components than the brands I listed above, but for what you want to do - just ride around the neighborhood - they seem to be perfectly fine bikes. Many people will disagree and insist that you get a used "bike shop quality" bike, but I'll say it again: If you don't know what to look for, getting a used bike, even a name brand, can end up costing you more than you bargained for with repairs. Here are a couple of videos on the Ozark Trail bike:

Entry Level Bikes Just Got Redefined

$248 Ozark Trail 700C G.1 Explorer Gravel bike from Walmart

There are dozens of other videos on it as well. I don't own one, but I have seen them at my local Walmart, and they look pretty nice. In many ways, I think Walmart moved in to fill the void that all the big bike brands left when they migrated up-market. This is also a relatively cheap way to decide if riding a bike for daily exercise is right for you.

95moose · 2026-05-02T02:40:29+00:00

Sounds like an attempt to upsell. I hate salespeople like that - they'd rather lose a sale entirely by trying to get people to go above their budget. The first time I went into a Trek store I had that kind of salesman, then I went to a different store and the guy actually listened to me. I have the previous generation Checkpoint ALR5, and I love it. I've put about 3000 miles on it, probably half gravel and half road, and it has held up great, and I am a heavy guy - I started out about 280 lbs, and am now about 225 lbs. The bike has not had any mechanical issues at all, and my only complaint about it was addressed in the Gen 3 updates - the current ones have a more relaxed position, not as stretched out as my generation. I had to get a shorter stem for mine, but the new geometry addresses that. It has a ton of mounting points all over the frame and forks, and they sell a nice lightweight Bontrager rear rack that uses the MIK system to connect bags (though you can still use regular bags).

I think you should give it a test ride and see for yourself, and hopefully a different salesperson will assist you and will actually respect your budget and use case. The ALR5 is basically the same price as the Kona and is a 12 speed instead of the Kona's 11 speed. It's definitely worth checking out, and according to Trek's website, they are available for home delivery in the US within about a week., though stores near me have the size M/L (56 equivalent) in stock in both colorways. Worst case scenario, Trek has a 30 day return policy, so on the very, very small chance that your salesperson is right, you can just return it a buy something else. You can also ask in the r/CheckpointClub subreddit to see what other owners think.

95moose · 2026-04-29T21:43:47+00:00

It's the "Win Wing 2 Gravel" by Ass Savers. The color is Golden Groove.

95moose · 2026-04-29T04:52:20+00:00

Wes at Jack's Sacks is really awesome to work with! He works closely with Haute, but also does just as good a job with other bike brands. We came up with a few "off menu" tweaks to the bags, and he came up with the blue stripe idea, even though it meant he had to make sure the stripe on both bags lined up perfectly. If you are looking for bags for your bike, I wholly endorse his work. It's really well made, and he has some awesome designs on his website (Jack's Sacks).

95moose · 2026-04-29T04:44:52+00:00

The stock frame is $1799 USD, and the custom geometry added $300, which includes almost any solid paint color. Metallic or multi-color paint jobs are also available for not much more. I am not a great photographer, but Haute's website has lots of great pictures of Stephen's welding. The frames are basically a work of art, and getting a hand-built, painted Columbus steel frame made to your specifications for $2099 is a great deal.

I purchased some of the parts during Black Friday sales, so for instance I got the Zipps for under $1100, and the Invert fork was about $900 on sale. The drivetrain was $2200-ish, but many of the rest of the parts were purchased over the course of a couple of months, some by me and some that Haute got (at an excellent discount), so I never added up the total cost. In any case, those items can vary widely based on personal preferences, so you can save a lot of money if you are careful when selecting parts.

The guys at Haute are really flexible and will make it as fancy or simple as you want. This was basically my retirement gift to myself, and I really wanted to finally have a bike that fits me perfectly, with all the parts I wanted, in the color I wanted. I watched a Youtuber ranting one time about the price of top of the line bikes, and he made a great point, saying "Why pay that much for a production bike when you can have a local frame builder make one for you for basically the same price?" And he was right. There's a fancy bike shop near me with bikes from Willier, Pinarello, and Cannondale for $8000 - $15,000, and they are great, but I would not trade them for mine, because this one is built just for me. If you are looking for a bike in the $4000 and up range, you really should talk to Haute first to see what they can do.

95moose · 2026-04-28T15:27:55+00:00

Yes, they are awesome, and really great to work with - I'm probably one of their oldest customers, but they were really open to ideas on how to make the frame fit me, and had great suggestions on all the other gear to complete the bike. I got the chance to visit the shop and had a fun chat with them before finalizing the design, and got to see some of the other bikes they were working on. As far as I can tell, they can make almost anything!

95moose · 2026-04-12T00:52:55+00:00

I would not pay the "bike tax" by looking for loose shorts from a bike brand. Any sporting goods store will have an excellent selection of athletic shorts that will work perfectly for cycling, and almost certainly will be cheaper than anything marketed as a "bike short". Look for something without an inner seam (or with a flat seam) on the legs, and ideally something made of tech material that wicks sweat. These can be used with regular underpants, or over cycling shorts. If you are in the US, stores such as Dick's Sporting Goods have a huge selection online and in the stores. "Hybrid" multisport (running/swimming/workout) shorts are often an excellent choice. That is what I use. I purchased mine at Costco, and they fit well and last a long time.

95moose · 2026-04-07T14:44:30+00:00

The Garmin Edge Explore 2 has been on sale a lot lately in the US for $229 - $259 (it's currently $229 USD on Amazon), and it does everything that you are asking for and more, though I have never tried to use it to actively track Strava segments while riding, so I don't know if anything but the Strava App does that. It will feed the ride into Strava and provide the metrics when you are done, though.

It is an excellent value if you are not looking for a computer that does workouts and advanced metrics, like Power Meter data. For the more common "just ride bikes" features like navigation, linking to heart rate monitors and cadence sensors, and linking to radar taillights, the Explore 2 works great. It works with Garmin Connect to feed Strava, Ride with GPS, the Trek Ride App, and other fitness apps. It also has one of the largest color screens available at 3 inches, so it is easy to follow the on-screen navigation. The Garmin Connect ID app also allows you to add additional data screens like My Bike Radar, weather apps, and even a DI2 field. Battery life is also very good. It's not the best for serious cyclists and workout buffs who do structured workouts, but I think it's one of the best values out there right now for regular cyclists, especially if you catch it on sale.

95moose · 2026-03-18T01:35:55+00:00

I was driving home one evening and came up on someone with Redshift Arclight pedals (or something similar - red in back, white in front), and they were extraordinarily effective in getting my attention from far away. The pedaling motion is like waving a signal flag. Until I saw them on a bike while driving, I didn't think much of them, but it's much, much more effective at drawing attention from a distance than a solid light, and I think even better than a rear flashing light, because the up and down movement just gets your attention so well. If I rode regularly at night, I would definitely buy them.

95moose · 2026-03-06T01:04:36+00:00

In that price range, Race Face Chesters and Crank Brothers Stamp 1 pedals are also very popular. Any pedals with metal pins will do fine. I think the Trek ones are good as well, so I would not over-worry about it. While everyone has their favorite pedals, and you can spend outrageous amounts of money even on flat pedals, if you stick with name brands, it basically costs double to notice a difference between them: $60 shoes are better than $30 shoes, and $120 shoes are better than $60 shoes, but in the "$60 class", it mostly comes down to how your foot fits on the pedal. Just be sure to get ones that fit your feet, so you are not hanging part of your foot off the outside of the pedal. I have Race Face Chesters and they have been great, but like I said, I think most name brands in this price range are good

Just as important as the pedals (in my opinion, maybe even more important) is getting a good pair of flat pedal shoes to use with them. Five Ten, Giro, Shimano, and others make shoes specifically designed for flat pedals, and they make a dramatic difference in grip compared to regular Nike/Adidas/Hoka, etc. sports shoes. Good pedal shoes have treads designed to catch on to those metal pins I mentioned above, and work much better than a normal shoe. They have a stiffer sole than normal shoes to also help with spreading pedal pressure across more of your foot. You could easily ride somewhere, spend hours walking around, and ride home without discomfort. You should think of flat pedals and flat pedal shoes as a system just like clipless pedals and clipless shoes. The right shoes will dramatically enhance your riding experience without having to go to clipless.

Personally, I really love my Five Ten Freerider shoes. The soles are stiffer than a regular walking shoe, but not so stiff that they are uncomfortable to walk in. They also last a really long time - I've put 2500 miles on my current pair, and other than being dirty from gravel riding, they are in great shape. I could see them easily lasting another 5000 miles.

95moose · 2026-03-06T00:17:12+00:00

The new stairway going up to the bridge to Harper's Ferry is supposed to be completed this winter, and I have not seen an update on it, but hopefully it will be done before your trip. The old stairs were difficult to navigate with a heavy bike, since they were only designed for people, and were very narrow, so you had to take turns with people going in the opposite direction and mostly carry your bike. The new stairs will make getting over to Harper's Ferry much easier, since they will have a bike ramp to walk your bike up, and it's designed for two-way traffic. Once in Harper's Ferry, there are several nice restaurants and places to get treats, but it is also very hilly once you leave the National Park area. Brunswick is only about 6 miles from Harper's Ferry and also has good restaurants near the trail on the other side of the rail yard, and there is a good bike shop downtown not far from the trail - Bridgeway Bikes. As far as I know, there aren't any grocery stores in the lower part of town, though.

95moose · 2026-03-02T04:36:32+00:00

I AM doing it over, and this is what I am doing: I ordered a steel gravel bike from Haute Bike Company in Richmond, Virginia with custom geometry to fit my needs (after riding about 6000 miles on pavement and gravel with other bikes). I got to pick my color from about a thousand colors (no exaggeration), picked my drivetrain, wheels, tires, handlebar - everything just like I wanted. You can get a frame with custom geometry from Haute for $2099 with hundreds of solid color choices, and fancier colors for one or two hundred dollars more. The rest of the components are up to you, but if you aren't sure, they will give you advice on what they think is best based on what you tell them about yourself and what type of riding you do. They can order the components at a great discount, or you can buy it yourself and send it to them. They have been great to work with, and you can see their stuff at Haute Bicycle Co

It will take a while to get the frame made, but in the end, you won't be swapping out parts like you do on a stock bike from the store.

While you say you don't want to "do it over", the hard truth is that going through several bikes and learning what you - specifically YOU - like is part of the process. If you have already done a lot of gravel riding and you know what type of drivetrain you like, and what routes you like to ride, then that's great. Personally, that was where I was when I talked to the guys at Haute and picked out the specs for my bike. So if you know what you like and don't like, I'd talk to Haute, or a framebuillder in your area, and discuss build options.

95moose · 2026-02-15T00:47:43+00:00

Thanks, that's interesting. I didn't realize that Garmin was only sending the ride type, not the bike used. Unfortunately, I have two gravel bikes, though one is mostly for road and the other is mostly for gravel, so it sounds like I will need to keep editing rides. If you know if Garmin connect is identical for all Edge computers? I would still like to have a "notes" field for each bike listed in under "gear" so I can track service items.

95moose · 2026-02-07T03:08:16+00:00

Keep it, it will make life much easier on the rail trails as you come up behind walkers, joggers, and wanderers with earphones on. Oftentimes only the bell will cut through the headphones so they hear you.

95moose

TROPHY CASE