Shoes: Experiment Number 1

What shoes to wear?  Thats something I've been wondering about as I train. To be perfectly honest I've never really had nice skateshoes. I figure, why do I want to buy something that I'm just going to quickly trash. I usually just buy a pair that fits nice from a thrift store. My last pair were given to me by my brother. Just a no-name brand pair.  They have been working pretty well.

When you're boarding you want a pair of shoes that has good grip. A good sole is important too because of footbraking. As you can tell from my pair, they are terribly worn down from braking. You can plainly see that I need a new pair of shoes. I also need to learn how to footbrake with my left foot too. That will double the life of my shoes.

The sad effects of footbraking.

My last pair of shoes.
Just a no name brand. They worked
well though.

Skate shoes are great for normal skating. For distance-skating thought, they are no bueno. They're too heavy. Have you ever heard the old hiking adage that a pound off your shoes is equal to five off your back? Skate shoes don't breathe at all. They are thick, they're padded, they're comfortable, but your feet roast in the summer heat. They also have practically no support. I need shoes that are breathable, light, Good support, with a tough sole.

I'm going to be experimenting with different types of shoes leading up to the trip. My recent pair is everything I've decided I need. I bought a shoe/sandal hiking shoes on sale, perfect for me to trash on my board. Here is a picture below.

As you can see these are very breathable, it is covered in holes. It is very light which helps a lot, especially for my knees. With a heavy skate shoe on the end of my leg it put a lot of strain on my joints when I would swing my foot to push. It is also interesting to ride with a hiking shoe sole as shown below.

The sole is tough. It provides a lot of forward push because hiking shoes get tons of traction. There is a thin layer of rubber though and then some softer material that the road will eat right up. I hope the rubber lasts for a while, or I'll be doing Shoes: Experiment #2 soon. I really do enjoy these quite a lot. I used them for my 6:00 am ride this morning and they are really nice.

Well, time to get out and trash them.