Cycling in heels! Experiences please...

[heeladdict]

I had quite a recent outing in my favourite heels on my bike that I would like to share and also ask for any other people's similar experiences. I decided to take a ride on my bike, about 3 miles both ways at night, wearing my 6-inch heeled stiletto pumps with a pair of long black dressy trousers. The trousers managed to reach down concealing about half of the massive heel. Of course, it was still obvious that I was wearing heels, you could still see from the side the steep arch of my heel and half of the heel itself as well as the gorgeous semi-pointy toed front part of the shoe. But that 'discreet' look was much more obvious when I was cycling of course, because of my bent legs on my bike, the pumps were almost entirely visible. The idea was that I would be cycling for the most part but also doing some walking, click-clacking in my stilettos when in less busy areas. Using the bike to move about quickly (but also making my heels much more obvious) and walk in other areas, with my trousers partly concealing my heels (there was nothing I could do with the sound, at ten-ish at night, walking on the pavement in heels still makes a tremendously loud and distinctive noise), many times outside housing blocks! I looked pretty much like the lady in the picture attached, except my trousers reached noticeably lower than hers. (By the way, I have HUGE respect for girls who actually cycle in their high heels. I have not seen any in person but know a few of them sometimes do. Cycling does not have to be in sports gear!)

The trousers also managed to conceal - almost entirely when standing up and partly when cycling - the chains and padlocks that I had locked my heels on my feet with. Although hesitating at first, I decided to set off for this 3-mile ride having left the keys to these padlocks at home. I stopped a few times to walk in my heels, reeling my bike when I was in quieter areas. About half-way through my cycle ride, when I was as far from home as I would go, I sat down on a park bench for 10 minutes to relax in the still of the night. Playfully moving my pantyhose-clad foot about, left and right, as I was sitting cross-legged, but not being able to play shoe dangle! I realised just how strict these chains were at keeping my pumps practically stuck to my soles and my feet, I could not even separate them from the soles of my feet for more than half a centimeter. The chain-padlock ensemble was not just for the looks, it was remarkably effective at making sure that, even if I was tempted to take my heels off and cycle barefoot, it would be completely impossible to do so.

I had an awesome time during this ride. Cycling in heels, although it took a bit of getting used to, proved perfectly fine and safe as you are only pedalling with the front part of the shoe which is flat. Although, feeling a bit anxious, worried and self-conscious at first - I felt wonderful throughout the ride, thinking I was riding in such stylish and elegant shoes that were truly stuck to my feet until I got back home. I was noticed by a man and, later, by a woman walking her dog as I was walking with the bike on my side and also as I was cycling along, by a couple of cars that happened to be coming from behind me. Though I was cycling on the pavement and was no hazard of them hurting me, both cars slowed down considerably when going past me! No comments or wolf-whistling though! 

Anybody had any similar experiences cycling in their heels? What kind of heels were they? Were you noticed a lot? What sort of places did you cycle to and what kind of comments (if any) did you receive?

[Thighbootguy]

It has been a couple years since I have been riding, but I used to ride a lot and most of the time in a skirt and heels.  Here is a link to an early post.  I've  even taken on several bike trails wearing thigh boots with 5" stilettos.  That turned a few heads, but it was fun.  The only time it didn't turn heads was a ride I took in a light rain and there was no one else on the trail.  The only down sides were I had to ride without my glasses, because I couldn't see through them when they were wet, and my boots filled with water, which I hadn't realized until I got back to my car and took them off and the water poured out.

From your picture, I'd suggest the frame of the bicycle is too small for you.  You should almost be able to straighten you leg when the peddle is at the bottom of the cycle.

Also from your picture, great heels.

[mlroseplant]

10 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

 

From your picture, I'd suggest the frame of the bicycle is too small for you.  You should almost be able to straighten you leg when the peddle is at the bottom of the cycle.

Also from your picture, great heels.

I do not think, TBG, that this picture is meant to depict him, heeladdict, but is rather a depiction of a bicycle and something like the shoes he was wearing. I am guessing that the photographer and model were not too concerned about frame size, haha. 

As for me, wearing heels while bicycling is not something I've really tried. Although one can see women riding bicycles anytime in Vietnam, I've yet to see one here in the U.S. If even the girls don't do it, I don't do it. Still, I will never say never. 

[Bubba136]

That particular picture has been around for a couple of decades along with the picture o the black patent pump with the 7 inch heel going through a pool ball.  There used to be a magazine, "The Patent Letter" I think.  Great pictures and stories about high heels.  The guy that produced it used to chat with a lot of us in Jenny's chat room many years ago.

[inquisitor]

Rode in some wedges once. Got caught by some college age kids in a car. Lots of laughing, though. Exhilarating, but hard to pedal in.

[Steve63130]

I often wear heels to the local fitness center, and use the stationary bicycles and the recumbent cross trainer. Both are fine in heels. I never wear stilettos, so the broader heels are stable. Nobody has ever said anything to me. I don't wear heels on the treadmill, though. If I'm going to do the treadmill, I'll wear athletic shoes.

Steve

 

[aristoc]

Hmmm! Piccie in heeladdict's post looks rather deja vu. Thanks

Hey Thighbootguy, thanks for comment. Seat height is set up for riding in flatties I'm afraid.

Can often be found pedaling in heels as it's such a blast. Have had few comments while cycling as  generally I don't think people take much notice of bikes. Much more noticeable when off the bike!

Anyway, here's a more recent pic of me 'out and about' on the same utility bike. Sorry about the baggy top, but at least I'm colour co-ordinated!

Have fun out there guys!

 

 

 

[Jkrenzer]

Seat height is the same whether in flats or heels as no matter what shoe you use, you pedal with the front of your foot. The picture above either way is great.

[chrism]

I cycle to work each day.  Well, my cycle is electric so there's not actually all that much pedaling involved; should I say "I sit on a bicycle to work each day"? <smile>

And I do so in heels, if heels I am wearing.

But frankly my bike is so attention getting, and coupled with the fact that I dislike the wind in my eyes so I wear steampunk motoring goggles, I suspect that passersby are looking at anything BUT my shoes!

Ah, the privileges of being a mad scientist!

[aristoc]

16 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Seat height is the same whether in flats or heels as no matter what shoe you use, you pedal with the front of your foot. The picture above either way is great.

Thanks for kind comment re. pic.

I think if I pedaled exclusively in 5" plus heels, I would certainly raise saddle height by an inch or two, just to make life a little easier.

[Shyheels]

I do an awful lot of cycling - touring mainly, and have ridden around 300,000 miles all told thus far - and from what I understand the ideal saddle height should have your knees bent at about 25 degrees or slightly more at the bottom of the pedal stroke. So Aristoc looks about right to me. 

Not so sure of the wisdom in riding in stilettos, though. It would seem awfully easy to me for the spike heel to find its way into, or onto, the whirring chain, or into the front derailleur, or getting caught on the port side of the big chain ring.

[Thighbootguy]

45 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

It would seem awfully easy to me for the spike heel to find its way into, or onto, the whirring chain, or into the front derailleur

When I was riding with stiletto heeled boots, I didn't have any issues with the bike, rather, stopping and placing my foot on the ground as the bike was coming to a halt.  That was always a little tough on the heel.  Also, getting off the bike was sometimes awkward in heels.  I was riding a 27" touring bike with the seat fairly high and it took a high leg swing to get on and off the bike.  Adding to that, I wasn't always on the best surface when I stopped (gravel, grass, dirt, ...).

[Shyheels]

I have seen, in London, women commuters, dressed for the office, cycling very elegantly in heels - not as high as the ones Aristoc is wearing, but 3-4" stilettos, high enough to matter. Obviously people do it and do it regularly without coming to grief.   I have never worn stilettos in my life, let alone cycled in them, so I may be talking through my hat, but I do know bicycles and it would not take much of a lateral shift in your foot or ankle to send the heel into the chain. It would worry me.

But then perhaps I have too much imagination and ability to visualise. It is what makes me a very cautious descender on high mountain passes!

 

 

[pebblesf]

Looking great guys!  I guess I am wondering if the soles have enough grip to lock onto those pedals, seem like you foot would slip forward and the pedals would slip into the arch/heel of the shoe/boot.   Needless to say, have never tried it though.

[Thighbootguy]

4 hours ago, pebblesf said:

Looking great guys!  I guess I am wondering if the soles have enough grip to lock onto those pedals, seem like you foot would slip forward and the pedals would slip into the arch/heel of the shoe/boot.   Needless to say, have never tried it though.

Depends on the pedal.  Some are made of rubber which is designed to be a non slip surface, so your foot stays put.  Mine, however, are metal but I have a metal band that loops up over the toe of my shoe.  It serves the purpose of keeping my foot from going forward and also allows me to exert an upward pressure on the pedal so I can actually pull one pedal up while pushing the other one down (I don't do that very often).

[Shyheels]

I am a fan of the old-style quill touring pedal, either with or without the Christophe toe clips. They are metal but with ridged tops that give you quite good 'footing', at least with regular shoes. I am guessing that most stilettos, being dress shoes (or boots) would have rather smoother leather soles. They would probably get traction on a quill pedal, but rather uncertain traction, and at any rate the gripping surface of pedal would probably scuff up the sole of the shoe more than you might want. 

I have never gone over to the more modern clipless pedal, where your cleated cycling shoe is clicked onto the pedal. But for those (the majority of cyclists these days) who have I have actually seen high-heeled cycling shoes, something that would seem to redefine the notion of impracticality in footwear. Being clipless, and locked onto the pedal, they would certainly prevent your heel from straying into the drive train, but they were tremendously ugly and obviously designed to prove a point.

 

   

[chrism]

IF I've done this right, here are the shoes that I have just worn cycling to work...

[Thighbootguy]

I found a video on how not to ride a bike in thigh boots with stiletto heels.  Things seem to go badly around 3:00

Biking in thigh boots

[Shyheels]

The link doesn't work, Thighbootguy, although I suspect, with a decent amount of imagination I can work out the scene. 

These kinds of activities - whether it is attempting human-powered flight off the garage roof or trying to ride a bicycle in stiletto-heeled thigh boots - probably ought to make one think ahead and work out what the story is going to be when it all goes pear-shaped and you're asked how you injured yourself by the admitting nurse at A&E (or the ER in American-speak).  My feeling for such things has always been that if you can't come up with a story that won't make you look like a right goose, perhaps the proposed hey!-hold-my-beer-and-watch-this activity should remain on the drawing board.  

[Thighbootguy]

Opps  (Tested them this time)

Biking in Thigh Boots

Biking in 6" heels

By the way, I wore a pair of thigh boots with 4" stilettos to the ER for a hand injury many years ago.  No one mentioned or asked about my footwear, their whole concentration was on my hand.

[Shyheels]

I don't doubt it. For one thing, you would carry it off with such aplomb nobody would think twice and, two, I doubt your boots and heels would have had anything to do with your injury.

No, I am thinking of a young galloot with a dislocated knee and shoulder being asked "how did you hurt yourself?" and the injured party goes all wide-eyed and says "well, there I was, out of the saddle, on my Pinarello Dogma F8, in 53x11, trying to beat my Strava record around Richmond Park and damned if my stilettos didn't get jammed in the drivetrain..."

And they roll their eyes and mutter "Darwin Award..."

 

[softmover]

Whenever I ride my bike in high heels and my kids notice I would get comments like 'Dad, cycling in heels is dangerous, don't do it' and the like.
 I must admit that they are right, so I try to limit it to my less high block heeled boots and only relatively short rides.

[P08C]

On 3/24/2016 at 8:57 AM, chrism said:

IF I've done this right, here are the shoes that I have just worn cycling to work...

Those shoes are awesome! What are they and where did you get them?

[Chorlini]

On 27-4-2016 at 8:15 AM, softmover said:

Whenever I ride my bike in high heels and my kids notice I would get comments like 'Dad, cycling in heels is dangerous, don't do it' and the like.
 I must admit that they are right, so I try to limit it to my less high block heeled boots and only relatively short rides.

Why would it be dangerous? On the odd chance you might slip?

 

Listening to music while cycling is infinitely more likely to get you killed in traffic. Chatting with your fellow cyclists is infinitely more likely to get you killed in traffic. Browsing social media is INFINITELY MORE LIKELY to get you killed in traffic. Considering that kids are the biggest offenders in that last category I'd tell your kids they should stop worrying about their dad wearing heels on his bike and put away their smart phones somewhere where they can't access them whilst cycling.

[Shyheels]

I cycle a hell of a lot, thousands of miles a year, and the presence of traffic has nothing to do with the dangers of riding in heels - it's the chance of having your heel slip into the drivetrain on your bicycle. You could have tgat happen on the quietest country road or bike path.

i take your point on the listening to music whilst riding, though. That to me would be a much bigger risk than riding in heels, especially in traffic. It astounds me when I see cyclists coccooned in their headsets, oblivious to everything around them. Not only is it dangerous but it detracts from one of the great joys of cycling - the immersion into the landscape, and the immediacy with your surroundings

[Chorlini]

3 hours ago, Shyheels said:

I cycle a hell of a lot, thousands of miles a year, and the presence of traffic has nothing to do with the dangers of riding in heels - it's the chance of having your heel slip into the drivetrain on your bicycle. You could have tgat happen on the quietest country road or bike path.

I have zero risk of that happening, as the average Dutch bike always comes with a cover for the drivetrain. Only bikes built for speed or off road come with exposed drive trains. That and really, really, really old derelict clunkers used by students.

3 hours ago, Shyheels said:

i take your point on the listening to music whilst riding, though. That to me would be a much bigger risk than riding in heels, especially in traffic. It astounds me when I see cyclists coccooned in their headsets, oblivious to everything around them. Not only is it dangerous but it detracts from one of the great joys of cycling - the immersion into the landscape, and the immediacy with your surroundings

To be honest I'm guilty of doing it myself. Music helps me to maintain a good tempo. But I always try to be aware of my surroundings. I leave room for others to overtake me and I always look around when I have to make a crossing.

[Shyheels]

Good point on the Dutch bikes with the covers on the drivetrain!

I am not at all into racing bikes myself, all of mine are custom built classic tourers, but the drivetrain is still exposed. Believe me, it is not just racing and MBT bikes and really, really old derelict clunkers that have exposed drivetrains. 

With your Dutch bikes of course, you'd be perfectly safe in heels. Didn't think if them when I wrote. Nice serviceable bikes they are too!  Now that I think of it, the women I have seen cycling in heels in London were ridng Dutch-style commuters - and looking very regal and elegant too!

Edited May 2, 2016 by Shyheels

[heeladdict]

I didn't know the likelihood of high heels getting caught in the drivetrain is substantial. Thanks to all who shared such stories. And, having a mountain bike with an exposed drivetrain, I would believe it could as well happen to me if I am not careful!

P.S. To the few people who cycle listening to music, isolating themselves from their surroundings but still insisting they cycle as carefully as possible, my brother's acquaintance from the university suffered a gruesome death while doing so. He could have definitely swerved away to safety had he kept his ears free to listen to a few key ambient sounds...

[aristoc]

2 hours ago, heeladdict said:

I didn't know the likelihood of high heels getting caught in the drivetrain is substantial. Thanks to all who shared such stories. And, having a mountain bike with an exposed drivetrain, I would believe it could as well happen to me if I am not careful!

Well as both a keen racing cyclist (road, track and cross) and an often to be found leisure cyclist in heels, I can honestly say it is probably virtually impossible to get your heel caught in the drive train. You are far more likely to get your 'man trousers' chewed up in the chain ring.

Cycling does ruin your heels though.

[Shyheels]

What kind of pedals are you using? Certainly not clipless - in heels. (That said I have seen high heeled cycling shoes for clipless pedals) All it would take is for your feet to shift on the pedal (assuming no toe clips) and you could send a slender heel into the chain or drivetrain. It wouldn't be that hard.

I have never been a fan of clipless myself. All my bicycles - tourers - have flat pedals so I can wear whatever footwear I please. Much easier that way on long tours so you don't have to pack street shoes as well as wearing your dedicated cycling shoes. Would never really have occured to me to wear heels, although as I say I have seen a few women do so, elegantly, on Dutch commuter bikes in London