Gear Update - June 20, 2026

In this blog post I discuss changes to my gear since I published Gear Update - May 10, 2026.

Cycling shoes and pedals

Leviathan cycling shoes from Strong Feet Athletics

In Health Report - May 21, 2023 I wrote about trouble with my toes and how I thought my cycling shoes were contributing to the problem. In Gear Update - June 26, 2023, I wrote about how I experimented with wearing shoes with flexible soles and Catalyst pedals with an extra-long platform, and why I eventually reverted to wearing the cycling shoes I had worn for years. Recently I learned about Leviathan cycling shoes from Strong Feet Athletics. These shoes appealed to me because of their wide toe box and flat sole. In contrast, the Sidi cycling shoes I've worn for years, like all stand ard cycling shoes, have a narrow toe box and a stiff sole shaped to keep the metatarsal-phalangeal joints flexed. So I bought a pair of Leviathans to try them out. I would have been able to return the shoes for a full refund within 30 days provided I did not install cleats on them.

Because of my prominent big toes and my hammer toes, I needed to remove the insoles in order to give my toes enough vertical space. And because the middle of my foot is not so large, I needed to add a pad on the outside top of each foot (under the dials shown in the picture above). That arrangement felt comfortable and secure.

I quickly discovered that the walking pads on the back and front of each shoe provide no friction on a wooden floor, so I walked only on a rug. I then noticed that because of the heel pads in the front of the shoes I needed to pick my feet straight up when I walked. There was no feeling of rolling through my feet as with regular shoes or even my Sidi cycling shoes. The experience of walking was somewhat better when I attached (but did not install) cleats on the shoes. I decided that if I were to keep the shoes I would cut off the forward walking pads. But the lack of friction between the rear walking pads and a wooden floor would still present a serious hazard. My Sidi shoes, on the other hand, have a rubber pad at the heel that does provide friction with a wooden floor.

I wanted to experience the shoes while riding, so I installed cleats and went for a ride. Riding in traffic I almost immediately need to stop. I attempted to unclip as I've done successfully thousands of times but initially was not able to do so. I thought I would fall, but somehow managed to unclip. That was the end of my test ride.

Back home I attached the left shoe to the left pedal without my foot in the shoe. I found that unclipping was not so easy. I did the same thing with my left Sidi shoe and had no such difficulty. I have not been able to determine why I have the difficulty with the Leviathan shoe.

I will put the Leviathan shoes up for sale on eBay.

Shoes with flexible soles on platform pedals

In Gear Update - June 26, 2023 I wrote the following:

In addition to testing the Catalyst pedals with my arches over the pedals, I also tested them placing my metatarsal-phalangeal joints over the pedal axles. It was interesting to feel my metatarsal-phalangeal joints articulate as I pedaled, which is not possible when wearing my Sidi Genius 5 shoes because of their stiff soles.

My Sidi shoes keep my metatarsal-phalangeal joints flexed, while the Leviathan shoes keep my metatarsal-phalangeal joints neutral. Neither shoe lets those joints alternately flex and extend as in walking or running. So that I could try that option, which is what I had back in the day when I wore gym shoes and used pedals with toe clips, I bought three pairs of Shimano pedals (PDEF-202, PDEF-205, and Composite Flat) to use with my Softstar Dash RunAmocs which I use as my off-bike shoes.

I placed one of each of the three models of pedals on the floor and stood on the pedals while wearing my Softstar Dash RunAmocs. I quickly determined that I preferred the PDEF-202 pedals because of their slightly concave surface, so I installed them on my bike.

On my first ride with the PDEF-202 pedals and my Softstar shoes I was much more aware of my toes than when wearing my Sidi shoes, including a feeling of my toes reaching down over the front of the pedals. The sensation of my metatarsal-phalangeal joints flexing and straightening was not obvious. I had the thought that I might prefer a shoe a little snugger and with a stiffer sole.

The slots in the PDEF-202 pedals are not wide enough to accept the 20mm straps of Power Grips Fat Straps, so I widened the eight slots with a file.

After a lot of filing I was able to install the Fat Straps.

I found that I could not adjust the Fat Straps to be both tight enough that I would be secure on the pedals and loose enough that I could easily remove my feet. I therefore decided that I would never use them.

I will put the PDEF-202 pedals and the straps up for sale on eBay. I will return the PDEF-205 and the Composite Flat pedals to REI.

Conclusion

After a lot of experimenting, I'm sticking with the Sidi Genius 5 shoes I've worn since November of 2010.

Dog spray

As I wrote in Day 81: September 24, 2024 - Murphy, NC, to Cherokee, NC, the PetSafe SprayShield I bought in Chattanooga was useless against a dog that came at me. For my trip from Denver to Washington, D.C., I planned to carry Halt II in the handlebar mount in which I carried SprayShield.

Lights

I have two Cygolite Streak 450 front lights and two Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 rear lights. (I only use one of each but I have backups.) I've often found that the rear light, unlike the front light, does not last the full length of a day's ride. The Cygolite website says that the Streak 450 runs for 10 hours on the lowest setting (the one I almost always use). The website does not have corresponding information about the Hotshot Pro 150, so I wrote Cygolite to ask for it. Eric of Cygolite told me the Hotshot Pro 150 runs for only 2 hours on the highest setting (the one I've always used) so no wonder it hasn't lasted the full length of a day's ride. He also told me on the lowest setting it lasts 210 hours. Yes, 210 hours!

I fully charged all four lights and then ran the Streak 450s on the lowest setting and the the Hotshot Pro 150s on the lowest setting, which is quite bright. The older Streak 450 was still bright after 10 hours, and the newer one was bright for 15 hours. Both Hotshot Pro 150s were bright for 24 hours, at which time I stopped the test. I'm now using the Hotshot Pro 150 at an intermediate setting on which I expect the light to last the full length of long day's ride.

Thank you, Eric!

Air pumps

In preparation for my trip from Denver to Washington, D.C., I had been practicing using my new Prestaflator GO Lite electric pump so that I would be sure to know how to operate it. I had planned to also carry my Lezyne hand pump as a backup. My experience with the Lezyne pump has been that it drains the battery even when it is turned off. André of Lezyne sent me a new board which I installed in the pump. The problem persisted, so I decided that I would no longer keep the battery in the pump but rather install it only when I needed to use the pump. On a recent bike ride the plastic cover that secures the battery fell off while I was riding. André of Lezyne sent me a new battery cover.

Thank you, André!

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