Why approach shoes are a beginner mountain biker’s best friend.

I grew up biking like the average joe, but banana seats and training wheels don’t really compare to loose, rocky, downhills, grueling, technical uphills, and the intensity that saturates my beloved Jackson Hole. On a tight budget and just having picked up mountain biking, the thought of new pedals, new shoes and essentially strapping myself to my bike via clippless pedals was not something I was willing to commit to. At least while I was, literally, getting my feet off the ground. My solution? Approach shoes. Firstly, I already had them. And their stiff, flat soles emulate the basic structure of flat pedal bike shoes which in and of itself is enough to satisfy any beginner rider. Plus, throw in the traction of sticky vibram soles and EVA and PU midsoles to help with absorption. An approach shoe and a bike shoe in one… If that’s not killing two birds with one stone, I don’t know what is.