Vibrams and bikes.

[Barefoot Yeti]

Anyone commute/travel/adventure on a bike with VFFs? I am thinking they might slip off my plastic pedals (bike is being shipped from Connecticut as we speak). Anyone? I was thinking maybe I could put some grip tape on my pedals...

[chiapasfixed]

when I ride my fixed gear bike, i find it a bit tricky to get my feet into the toeclips, my little toe keeps getting caught! without the toeclips, it is no problem. In fact, being able to "grip" the pedals with my toes is a big plus!
I recommend biking in VFFs!

[nothingfuture]

I dislike riding in VFF's.

The pedals on a bike don't provide enough support for your foot in a shoe as flexible as a VFF, and as a result there's little advantage and lots of disadvantage.

The good news is that the VFF's pack small enough that you can bring them with you...

[orlin03]

I ride my cummuter bike in Vibrams often. I used to ride on regular pedals that had spiked grips on them; they were very uncomfortable. Now I have Crank Brother Mallet pedals, which are big flat platforms that also allow you to clip in. In the Vibrams, I grip the clips with my toes instead of riding on the balls of my feet like I do with other shoes; this makes up for both the lack of stiffness and the lack of thickness (my seat would be too high with the thin soled Vibrams if I rode normally). I have no problems and actually enjoy it, but my commutes are short and fast through the city.

[Barefoot Yeti]

I will be commuting 20+ miles regularly, so my mountain bike is in need of upgrades. So it looks I will be making a few other modifications to my Iron Horse mountain bike for urban commuting.
-Bar ends
-Flat pedals
-Clips
-Fenders
-Lights
-New helmet

[orlin03]

Sounds like a good list for a commuter. They end up looking like tanks, but they make riding through any condition better and safer.

[gb]

Crank Brother Mallet pedals... will have to get 'em!  My bike came with those tiny Shimano clipless pedals; they really don't mix well with VFFs

[Barefoot Yeti]

Oh, and I need to swap out my knobby tires with slicks, or semi slicks. I think my front wheel was 1.54", and my rear wheel was 1.74", I might get something thinner. Doesn't rain much here in San Diego, so I don't need to worry about traction. When I get my bike I might also look at less wide handle bars, I think the ones I have are wide...but if I do swap bars I might go with a road bike bar. I also need a water bottle cage...and a new cable lock.

Shoot, I need a job.

[poindextrose]

Oh, and I need to swap out my knobby tires with slicks, or semi slicks. I think my front wheel was 1.54", and my rear wheel was 1.74", I might get something thinner. Doesn't rain much here in San Diego, so I don't need to worry about traction.

For bicycles, slicks get better traction than knobs (even in the rain).  The only time knobs are better is when the surface is softer than the tire compound (mud or snow).  However, I commute year round in Ohio and my 23mm road tires do perfectly fine on packed snow much to my amazement!

[xz123]

My current solution to riding barefoot or in five fingers on my normal bike and my road bike are some cheap platform pedals with those:
http://www.aurora-collective.com/aurora-velcro-straps/

Those, plus the ability to "grab" the pedals, work nicely.

I can't stand "normal" cycling shoes anymore, but it's ok, because I don't feel like using five fingers or cycling barefoot makes me slower.

[nothingfuture]

It's interesting that as much as I like VFF's, I can't stand them on bikes.

Maybe it's because I've been wearing cycling cleats since I was 9 or 10, but they still feel completely natural.
Different needs, different shoes.

t.