How could Covid affect cycling shoes?

The global pandemic has changed lots about the cycling industry — but could changes to cycling shoes be an another unexpected outcome? IBFI President and UK bike fitter Andy Brooke tries his theory out for size.

Here’s a fun little thought experiment. How will Covid impact cycling shoes? And no, for once it’s a not a supply chain issue. And whilst it might lead to increased sales, it’s not related to the global explosion in cycling that Covid helped create. Give up?

I think we all see a lot of customers with shoes that are far too narrow, and that trend may increase over the next few months and years. The pandemic has resulted in a lot of people working from home, and that shift looks set to continue long after Covid restrictions ease around the world. 
Companies have found ways to workaround not being in the office anymore, and it’s rumoured that several big employers are considering making that switch a permanent one. Fewer staff in the office, means employers can rent smaller office buildings and save money. So, while working from home might not have been too popular with many bosses before Covid, it looks like it’s here to stay for a while yet.

Swapping dress shoes for slippers

So how does working from home impact cycling shoes? When men and women go into an office, they often wear dress shoes or heels, which aren’t the widest shoes in the world. But when people work from home, they will be more likely to wear comfier, wider options like slippers or trainers — or often won’t wear shoes at all. There’s lots of research out there about walking barefoot and foot width. Cultures that predominantly wear sandals or are barefoot have much wider feet than those that are customarily shod (not a typo, just not a common word. When you wear clothes, you’re clothed, when you wear shoes, you’re shod)


“Spending more time barefoot actually widens your feet.”

Widening feet

Spending more time barefoot actually widens your feet. So, working from home and not wearing dress shoes might actually result in a lot of people ending up with wider feet. Don’t be surprised if people say their work shoes feel a little tight when they returned after Covid, it’s not uncommon. But given that cycling shoes are often very narrow as well, you might find a lot of customers are now complaining of foot pain in shoes that never used to cause them issues.

Unless foot width is something you record and can go back and compare, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to quantify the change, but if your clients are noticing a difference, this might be the reason. Let’s hope the industry reacts and we see a lot more wide fitting options from brands in the future.