Homemade cycling shoes

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try...tinkering is probably how cycling shoes were made in the first place. You do however, assume all risks that you'll take while experimenting. For instance, you wouldn't want those shoes to fall apart while sprinting at 35mph.

Other than the satisfaction you might get from making your own cycling shoes, I think you are just as likely to find a cheap set of used cycling shoes (either online, or at a used sporting good store), as you are to find a suitable set of used football or soccer cleats.

Maxmillimus said:

I was considering making my own cycling shoes. Is this a ridiculous idea? If one were to get a stiff pair of football/soccer cleats from a thrift store, trim off the studs and attach the plates(the LOOK kind) in a secure fashion....? Aside from the laces not being velcro, why else would this be a bad idea? Sorry... I like to bike and tinker!

FIRST, it was once very common for CX racers to use modified soccer shoes ...

BUT, the drawback (which can be overcome) is that a soccer shoe's sole is MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE than the sole of most cycling shoes.

While the matter of the sole's stiffness can be overcome (yes, I had thought about this in the past), as rschleicher has suggested, you are better off buying a used pair from eBay/etc. UNLESS you have a foot/shoe size that is really difficult to accommodate.

Agree they're not stiff enough to be worthwhile, and if they're not going to be stiff then why use cleats at all?

(For CX racing I understand the cleats are to provide traction while running)

All good points. I think if I was going to do it, I'd stiffen the sole with a bit of molded Dupont Corian (super cheap in the form of a cutting board from grocery store). I guess the trick would be making it light enough, yet strong enough. Thanks for the input. I'll check ebay.

Maxmillimus said:

All good points. I think if I was going to do it, I'd stiffen the sole with a bit of molded Dupont Corian (super cheap in the form of a cutting board from grocery store). I guess the trick would be making it light enough, yet strong enough. Thanks for the input. I'll check ebay.

I think you'll end up finding this quest futile. The thing about cycling shoes is that they're stiff, and assuming they fit correctly, they're also comfortable. You're going to be accumulating all sorts of stuff between foot and cleats, some of which won't do anything for comfort or will detract from comfort.

Post pictures of the completed shoes!

Dedicated cycling shoes have a threaded metal plate for securely attaching cleats with screws.

Football boots (whther they be for soccer/rugby/whatever) in general will not have metal screw threads in the right place.

If you screw cleats right into the nylon/rubber sole, the screws will very likely rip straight out again as soon as you start using the cleats for their intended purpose. The material will not be thick or strong enough.