Are these the perfect bike riding sandals? Yes. The search is over, look no more just order your size and ride with the happiest feet you can have. You came to a gear review site, so you probably want some more information. Read on dear viewer. For all day comfort, pedal control and performance the Chaco Z/2 with its toe loop and chunky sole is the best sandal for mountain biking.
This journey to riding in sandals started because it gets toasty in the desert during the summer. Between riding in lighter clothes, tons of water and the Da Brim these have made a huge difference. Plus they are just a nice comfy pair of kicks. I initially tried riding in the Chaco Z/1 sandals that I already owned. The Z/1 without the Z/2’s toe loop allowed my foot to move around too much on the steep stuff. Not a fault of the Z/1, they were not made for this use case. After a pretty bad experience trying thong style sandals I wanted to try out the Z/2. It did not disappoint.
The Z/2 is super easy to adjust, it took about 30 seconds to adjust the webbing and head out riding.
The chunky lugged soles stick to flat peddles thanks to their 3mm lugs. My foot never slipped off even in the rough stuff.
The key is the comfortable and in no way noticeable toe loop. Now you may be asking what is it like to ride in these? On intermediate trails they worked great, and even grippy enough for dumb bike tricks. If you never thought you feet kept your overall warmer, just check out how damp your socks are after your next ride. On long days you just feel better in these Chacos.
In the interest of science I took them for a ride on the world famous Slickrock bike trail in Moab. I was not sure how a sandal would do on this rocky wasteland.
On the steep descents and climbs they held on like velcro. Even when it got spicy I had no problems. I was initially a bit concerned about having to do an emergency bail out on a steep climb. But they worked great. And I ran into this group of Canadians who said “we want to ride with you, we know you’re cool you are riding in sandals.” We did ride together and I got this great picture. They are all wearing bike shoes and I pedaled along just fine with them.
And when the trail got wet, my feet dried off right away.
Should you stop what you are doing and buy a pair? Yes. Seriously, these are great. I would use these gravel grinding, bike packing, mountain biking and kicking around town. The toe loop is a friction free way to stay centered on the sandal and in control of your bike. I took my Bedrock sandals to the local gear swap since I never want to wear those torture devices again. I thought that sandals just were supposed to be a bit uncomfortable on the bike. I was wrong, those thong style sandals are just plain bad. These Chaco Z/2’s on the other hand are all around comfortable without giving up on bike performance.
Chaco Says: https://www.chacos.com/US/en/z-2-classic/24083M.html
Streamlined and dependable since 1989, our Classic series is comprised of only 8 component parts, making for the simple, timeless sandal design that made our name. Every pair comes standard with adjustable straps that custom-fits to your foot, a toe-loop for additional forefoot control, plus our podiatrist-certified LUVSEAT™ PU footbed for all-day comfort and support. Now featuring ChacoGrip™ rubber for our best performing Classic outsole to date. Designed with repairability through ReChaco (learn more at ReChaco.com).