Cycling and Café Culture

Exploring our surroundings in winter

Unless you live in a southern climate, it is going to be cold this winter, and you will be struggling for motivation as the year draws towards an end. However, thankfully as cyclists, we have caffeine and the café culture of cycling to keep us stimulated – within reason – as we ride between of favourite cycling café’s, doing our best to stay safe and to stay warm.

For me, it’s that time of year when I not only look for the reassurance of my favourite cycling cafe’s, such as the Lead Out Cycling Clubhouse in Bedale, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, and a Lake cycling shoe fitting specialist to boot; where Sean and Lisa have created a haven for the cycling community, and where the atmosphere is filled with that unique warmth of the timeless bond between café culture and cycling. Unfortunately, the cakes at the Leadout Clubhouse are so good though, that I need to take the long route to Bedale, and throw a few steep hill climbs into the mix. As my old friend, Ben Ralston used to tell me: ‘I’m not quite sure that you’ve earned that cake yet, Rob!’

No, winter is a time for reflection, as Christmas draws closer. Everything seems to require more effort; which is why is always comforting for me when I put the Lake winter insoles inside of my favourite CX239 road cycling shoes and get out the Lake winter thermal socks. Now, I can relax in the safe and secure knowledge of a comfortable ride, as Lake look after my feet, and I concentrate my mind on whether I choose an oat milk flat white or a hot chocolate. Yes, it’s reassuring to close the chaos of the world out, and to simply cycle oblivious to everything except my destination. 

Ensuring that your cycling shoes fit to form

There’s enough going on with a winter cycle ride, without having to worry about the pain and discomfort in your feet. Lake’s Winter Insole is a layered package that creates an insulating barrier, keeping the heat generated by your body inside the shoe and the cold outside the shoe. The outer felt layers wick away moisture and keep the foot feeling dry, a second radiant reflective layer helps keep heat and cold from transferring through, while the inner core of air pockets creates an insulating barrier so that the heat or cold cannot be conducted.

When I finally get to my destination, and the café culture of cycling embraces me and warms my heart, with the cake and hot chocolate warming the rest of me, I often look around the number of cyclists sitting there, tweaking their shoes or removing them and rubbing their forefoot, complaining of the pain in their feet. Too frequently, when I’m speaking with our Lake bike fitting experts around the globe, they tell me that a high proportion of cyclists are wearing cycling shoes that don’t fit correctly.

A 2012 Australian study found that over half of cyclists (53.9%) reported experiencing foot pain while cycling, with the forefoot being the most likely affected area. Yes, over half of all cyclists in this study – which correlates with what I hear frequently elsewhere. Slim fitting cycling shoes designed for narrow feet, can become a nightmare in winter once you’ve added the extra bulk of winter insoles and thicker, thermal socks.  Once you start cycling, the extreme repetition of the cycling motion exacerbates problems caused by ill-fitting footwear. It can also lead to problems felt elsewhere in the body, as you try to adjust your cycling style on a bike that is also likely to be ill-fitting. Inadequate width around the toes is a common culprit, leading to compressed nerves and a burning sensation.

Pausing to reflect

As I reach the Leadout Clubhouse in Bedale, my mind is already beginning to clear out the cacophony of noise from the world, and cycling café culture has taken its place. I’m struggling now to choose between carrot cake or lemon, to accompany the hot chocolate, as I know that Christmas is a time to drink it in regular helpings! My feet are warm, and it truly is like riding in slippers! I need to remember this as I get off the bike and walk into the Clubhouse – quickly placing on my cleat covers to ensure that I stay as secure off the bike as my Lake CX239 cycling shoes kept me on the bike!

I look around the café scene, and here the various voices sharing their winter tales, and I see the smiles as friends share these precious moments, and the cycling café culture embraces and wraps all of us in its warmth. I also see those cyclists, fiddling with their BOAs and straps on too many pairs of ill-fitting cycling shoes, and I think of how many of them would benefit from booking a pre-Christmas shoe fitting from Sean and the team, and then asking Saint Nicholas to deliver cycling shoes that fitted them, this Christmas!

Yes, café culture and cycling are intertwined like beautiful landscapes and North Yorkshire. It draws you into a global family of like-minded people, and it comforts us as we pause the world around us. However, when it comes to the comfort of our feet, we need a little extra help, from Lake - the world’s most comfortable cycling shoes!