Pedal Play 2 with Lou: Biking in KSO fivefingers

By Justin Owings on Sep 21, 2009 | In User Stories | 4 comments »

I couldn't help but notice the theme: Lou has demonstrated "VFFed" driving and electric guitar playing with effects pedals; now he's pedaling on his bike through Austin bike trails. The above photo (with the bike) was taken before a two hour bike ride through Austin. The fivefingers-standard photo is the "after" shot. Here's what Lou had to say:

I had no problems with them. Actually going uphill I was able to wrap my toes around the front of the pedals for better grip. There were times that I figured the Treks would have been better for Mountain biking but over all it was good. I wasn't really riding in the mountains. Rode through Austin bike trails. Through the city and through creeks and the woods.

Good to hear the KSOs can function on platform bike pedals — I doubt we'll see any clipless fivefingers models anytime soon. However, having a pair of VFF Classics or KSOs on hand to switch into from cleated bike shoes is a major win for cyclists.

One concern I've heard voiced about biking in VFFs is the potential, particularly with mountain biking, of ramming your foot into an errant boulder, stump, or tree. VFFs may need a steel-toed option for that kind of use!

Anyway, it seems that whatever pedals are in play, Lou is making good use of his black fivefinger KSOs!

About the Author — I founded BirthdayShoes.com in April 2009 on realizing just how much I enjoyed having "free feet" - I mostly wanted to use them for weights, sprints, and plyometrics (I'm not much of a runner!). I'm a Googler by day and minimalist footwear aficionado by night; you can find me 'round Atlanta. If you want to catch up with what I'm doing outside of the site here, follow me on twitter @bdayshoes or @justinno or check out my personal site JustinOwings.com.
has written 754 articles and 302 comments.
Tags: black kso, cycling, kso

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Comment from: Paleo Dan [Visitor] Email
Paleo DanI've been thinking about making my own clipless adapters for when I'm rocking the VFFs... I'm thinking a toe clip/strap set and a set of SPD cleats.

Of course, I could just install the toe clips on my pedals, instead of bothering with the SPDs, but that's not as fun. :)
09/25/09 @ 17:25
Comment from: Jay [Visitor]
JayJust wanted to pass along a warning to everyone to keep your toes away from the outside of the bike pedal. I severely sprained my pinky toe when it got caught on a bridge railing as I was riding across the bridge. My KSO's are the still best shoe I have ever owned.
04/01/10 @ 08:46
Comment from: Ramon [Visitor] Email
RamonI jogged lightly and walked frequently is my KSOs for about a year before I started bike commuting to work. I've gone a full month of riding in my KSOs (4 mile round-trip commute plus weekly 15+ mile excursions) with only one incident to report: One time, after a long uphill ride, I got off my bike for a break and my left index toe felt like it was on the verge of cramping for about 20 minutes. This is likely due to my experimenting with using my toes to grip the pedal and pull up a little. I still do it from time to time (subconsciously), but haven't had a cramp or cramp-risk since the one incident.

Otherwise, I'm perfectly comfortable riding in them. I wear size 13 shoes normally and the ball of my foot fits neatly into my platform pedals. My one concern, which is yet to come to fruition, is that I will damage my KSOs by kicking my starting pedal to the 2 o'clock position while waiting for a green light. There's been no damage yet, but I bought a tube of Shoe Goo just in case.
05/02/11 @ 16:47
Comment from: Laurel Pumphrey [Visitor]
Laurel PumphreyI just started riding with my five fingers. LOVE IT! I've been running in them for over a year and now my work outfit is always black, with my black five fingers. Wanting to figure out a modification on the clips designed just for five fingers. Cheers
07/21/11 @ 18:24