Shoes
Shoes
When you’re working hard and your feet heat up, they expand, which is why finding the best fit with cycling shoes can occasionally be a difficult task.
And shoes are difficult in the sense that it’s hard to find one set that’ll do everything, especially in the UK. Anything that’s warm enough to be adequate in the winter almost certainly won’t cut it in 30-degree heat
The key features to look for in shoes for summer are a perforated or mesh upper, or alternatively a shoe that has plenty of mesh panels inserted into an upper made from more traditional materials. Similarly, vents on the sole, like those found on Bontrager’s top-end XXX Road shoes, also aid airflow, and these can vary from tiny openings to really rather large vents on shoes purpose made for the heat. Speaking of which, Rapha’s Climber’s shoes are, as the name suggested, designed with climbing in mind, which means they’re light, but they’re also designed for hot weather, with a highly perforated upper and mesh lining.
Speaking of which, on the inside, the less padding there is, the less insulation there will be as well. Obviously you don’t want to completely sacrifice comfort in the pursuit of ventilation but there’s a definitely trade off between the two and you need to find a point on that proverbial spectrum that suits you best.