Barefoot cycling - what pedals to use?

I've started cycling to work and back (14 miles round trip) and cycle barefoot (of course!). However, I currently have hard, thin, plastic pedals which are not very comfortable to use. Does anyone have any recommendations for pedals which they use which are good for longish distance barefoot usage? Any links to e-bay or other websites would be appreciated!

 

The old, wide rubber pedals that we had on bikes when we were kids are pretty comfortable. I don't do much street cycling anymore, but I have an exercise bike that I pound the hell out of. It's got the older style pedals I described. I always ride it barefoot. Those clunky pedals are probably too out-of-style to be in a serious bicycle shop. I bet you could find a set at K-Mart, Walmart, or Target though.

 

mine are the same as these and they're comfortable

http://cgi.ebay.it/PEDALI-PER-BICIC...pt=Ricambi_per_biciclette&hash=item1c03e235ee

 

I use Electra Barefoot Pedals - very comfortable once you get used to them.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=19926

 

I customized these pedals with grip tape so my feet would not slip off while riding. It is not the sandy kind, but a highly textureized rubber tape. Got it at Ace Hardware... the picture on the package has woman's bare feet stepping onto a strip of the stuff on some stairs. Works great and feels even better!

 

Stick a thin layer of sponge to them, pretty much a free solution :cheers2:

 

When I was a kid there was this barefoot girl who lived up the street who had strips of carpet wrapped around the pedals of her bike. I remember those carpet strips always looked tattered and dirty.

 

I think you should be able to find foam pipe insulation that will work, ya might have to use duct tape but they will be comfortable

 

I found a site with several pedals that look like they might work well for bicycling barefoot. The pedals are intended for use on an indoor exercise bike, but should fit a normal outdoor bike. I like that they have straps to keep your foot from sliding off, plus allow you to use the up stroke as well. I'm going to try to find a pair at the local sporting good store before I order them online. Here is the link:
http://bodykorestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=85_148

 

Check these out lol

Be very careful, riding bike barefoot is a wonderful thing, but if your feet slip from the pedals or you happen to need to put a foot down at speed, it's prolly gonna be bad news...

 

Gongshaman, any idea where one can get pedals like that? So cool!!!

 

These are great!!!
But my inner OCD wants the left foot to be left.

 

I gotta say, barefoot biking is a fucking awful idea.

I've done it. It felt good (briefly, I was riding to get my shoes a few blocks away). It's still fucking stupid. There's a chain, sprockets, and if the rapidly rotating wheels, (capable of all sorts of ripping and crushing) are not bade enough, think about the spokes, which could literally amputate toes or large parts of feet. Think about the sheer speed, in combination with the asphault, and how in a crash, your feet hopefully absorb a lot of speed and force, even if you totally bite it. Think about even standard manuvering, or getting a flat, or one of those curbs or speedbumps that you don't see until right before you hit it. Think about losing your brakes and not being able to wedge a foot in the tire. Think about fucking ruining those feet you like so much. It's all good when everything is predictable and according to plan, but plans often fail and emergencies happen.

Don't do it. Biking shoes are better anyways, just find a comfortable breathable pair that slips on easily, and leave them with your helmet.

And if you don't wear a helmet, well if you don't care about your brains I don't care about your feets, so.... I hope you bite a curb, and love it

 

I agree with RooR, from a safety standpoint going barefoot on a bike is no bueno. If something were to happen you could fuck up your feet to the point where just walkin outside barefoot could become a thing of the past.

 

I guess the last post are somehow scare mongering. Cycling in bare feet should be no problem, as long as you don't go on difficult mountain bike trails, for example, and as long as you care for a good technical state of your bike (eg. functioning breaks). Just my two cents.

I do cycle with bare paws in summer if i feel like since i was a child and never had sincere injuries, not to mention the cut-off feet as some poster predict.

I don't say you should cycle barefoot (everyone has to decide for her/his own), but i'm a proof it isn't so terribly dangerous as some seem to think, probably through their lack of true own experience.

 

Oh jeez don't be such a kill-joy... while I generally agree about the shoes, a little liesurly biking on the boardwalk or in a park or something, you don't need a whole gob of safety equipment.

Don't even get me started on the helmet thing...

 

you consider shoes and a helmet to be 'a whole gob of safety equipment'?

anyone who cycles anywhere other than leisurely around a trail at a park should be wearing a helmet. all it takes is one slip or fall going at a decent speed, or one motorist not paying attention, and you have a brain injury that you're going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. even seemingly minor accidents can cause very serious brain injuries.

why would you not wear a helmet, other than not liking how it looks?

 

Ain't happened yet, must be safe.

 

I said everyone has to decide her/himself. I didn't say it's 100 % safe; but life is unsafe per se, isn't it? I feel free to decide to cycle barefoot if i feel like and think it's ok where i ride.

You can also say people shouldn't go swimming, as every year people drown while doing this (in the US 6.500 p.a. - 1 per 50.000 of population; in the UK 450 p.a. - 1 per 150.000 of population). I go swimming though.


... and thank you for giving me a bad reputation for having another view on the danger of barefoot cycling than you have. This is really open minded.

 

No, I gave you bad rep for calling legitimate concerns scare mongering.

As a barefooter, I rather like my feet. I can see select situations where it might not be very dangerous, but any serious cycling is obviously going to be a health and safety risk to your feet. I resent you calling my discussion of this risk scare mongering, simply because you personally have yet to hurt yourself.

It would make more sense to compare cycling to swimming, and barefoot cycling to swimming with a weight belt on. It's a matter of calculating risks and benefits.