I had not noticed nor had I paid much attention to the sole design of shoes over the years. Only that certain shoes felt discernibly different. For instance, Shimano shoes have never felt good to me, but Sidi has been perfect from one model to the next. Then yesterday at the LBS as the shoes were up on the display rack I noticed the huge difference in the amount of curve in the Shimano shoe from the arch forward compared to that of a Sidi which is ‘flatter’, not to say flat, but not as much curve as Shimano.
Hopefully the Rroof will chime in here, but I’m interested to know if that can and would be the reason why I feel such a ‘ahhhh’ with Sidi and ‘yuk’ with Shimano?
Of course - this is known as the “last” of the shoe (i.e. straight last, semi-curved last, curved or the infamous California last) on how it was designed from a mold (forget the term last in how the shoe is made such as slipper last, cardboard last, etc.)
Does the type of last curvature promote or lend itself to a particular pedaling style or is it a foot comfort thing? For instance…does a flat last tend to be better for a heel dropper? Toe pointer?
Does the type of last curvature promote or lend itself to a particular pedaling style or is it a foot comfort thing? For instance…does a flat last tend to be better for a heel dropper? Toe pointer?
Thanks
I’m unaware of any study regarding power/efficiency if that is what you are asking. The last of the shoe is primarily one of fit/comfort depending upon that shape of one’s foot (similar to choosing a bike helmet with Giro fitting oblong heads, Bell for more round, etc.)
I only realized a week or so ago that my cycling shoes were curved at the “last”. I had a bunionectomy six weeks ago, and am finding bending my big toe difficult. So I cut up an old pair of Specializeds so I could ride without bending the toe (all my shoes are Specialized).
Anyway, does anyone know if there are any rules of thumb as to which brands are particularly flat, and which are particularly curved (apart from those by the OP)?
