Keen Sandals – 7 month, 5000 mile review
When Laura and I embarked on our trip, we both decided to bring only one pair of footwear. Although it seems daunting to decide on the “perfect shoe” for an around-the-US bicycle tour, for us, the answer was pretty simple. We were going to bring our Keen sandals. We had gone on several bike tours the last few years from the Oregon coast, wine country in California to the desert of Joshua Tree. In our experience, Keens offered the most versatile and perfect footwear for varied riding and camping conditions.
Shoes (like panniers, pedals and every bit of bike kit) is a very contentious issue. We decided to go with sandals because they shed water easily and dry out faster. We were expecting a wet winter and needed footwear that could withstand wet conditions. The Keens, unlike other sandals, also had a strong rubber toe box. This keeps you from stubbing your toe on rocks or tent pegs while hiking or walking around camp.
The other crucial decision we made was to go with plain Keens and not cleated ones. We reasoned that since we were going to do a fair amount of exploration off the bike, we didn’t want to deal with clicking cleats. From a maintenance point of view as well, having regular flat pedals means there’s nothing to break. No springs to jam and no cleats to wear out. If worst came to worst, we could replace our pedals from the largest chain of bike shops in the country – Walmart (sad, but true).
So far, after 7 months on the road, the Keens have performed admirably. They have dried after storms, they’ve protected our toes and they’ve been largely hassle free. We think we made the perfect choice, for us, in terms of footwear. We’ve worn them on hot days without socks and on snow days with wool+neoprene socks.
We have noticed some variance in durability between some models. Laura had a pair of leather Keen Newports and I had a pair of the canvas/synthetic Keen H2s. Both are nearly identical in shape and appearance but after thousands of miles of pedaling and marching through dirt, mud and snow the weaknesses of my H2s became apparent.
On the H2s, the rear strap is a 3 piece affair. With enough bending, the stitches popped and the 3 pieces separated which I repaired with a Speedy Stitcher. Laura’s Newports had a one piece rear strap so there was nothing to come apart. The footbeds were also very different. Laura’s had a more cork-like footbed (think Birkenstocks) that were successful in fighting odor. My H2s had a plastic/rubber footbed that made odors worse. What would happen is the area under my arch would sweat and attract dirt and bacteria and it would just be suctioned on to the rubber footbed. On more than one occasion, Laura would give me grief about taking my sandals off in the tent.
If you have the extra money (it isn’t a whole lot more), it is worth it to purchase the leather Newports (look for the one-piece rear strap and cork footbed) over the canvas H2s. That said, the H2s are great in their own right, but if I were to have only one shoe, I would choose the leather Newports – its a no-brainer.
Once we were in Big Bend country, we got replacements (both leather Newports) and our feet are as happy as can be. If you’re looking for one shoe for your around the world/US tour, we highly recommend Keen Newports.
Thanks for the review. I’ve backpacked in Teva sandals and had my feet dry out pretty good. Most people think I’m nuts for backpacking in sandals. I also like to bike in sandals. My feet sweat profusely if not aired out. My concern is cold toes, usually caused by wind. I have a problem with that. I like your solution of wool and neoprene socks. How does the neoprene socks hold up? Are they a tight fit or do they have some space? Do you wear the wool socks over the neoprene socks or vise versa?
Keep riding and writing for us dreamers who may follow in your bike tread!!
Interesting, thanks for the review
How’d you keep your feet warm/dry?
Wow 5,000 miles! Before reading this I would have never considered touring in sandals. I’ve always ridden in cleated mountain bike shoes and carried an extra pair of ‘off the bike’ shoes. But the sandals seem to make more sense for light’n up your load and saving pack space. Thanks for test driving them and the great review. I will be giving them a try.
Jack
great to see someone else has discovered the excellent keen sandals.
i used a pair of keen Venice sandals on the New Zealand leg of my RTW trip.
superb. no more having to carry spare footware.
they’re very compfy to bike in. a big plus that they have great toe protection. much better than the open toed teva type.
used then constantly for 6 months. still in great shape.
highly recommended. will be using them on my future african trip.
nigel
On the strength of your review, I purchased a pair of Keen Kreeks at REI this weekend. The Kreek has the leather upper of the Newport but the plastic/rubber footbed of the H2. The toecap is smaller than that of the Newport. Sizing seems to be true to regular shoes. They are incredibly comfortable right from the start. The Keen lacing mechanism makes adjusting the fit from no socks / thin socks / thick socks quick and easy. Once set to a specific sock thickness, they require no further adjustment.
One advantage of larger platform pedals is that you don’t need the stiffer sole of “cycling” shoes. You previously described adding pins to your Grip King pedals. How is the sandal/pedal interface with the pins?
I look forward to each of your reviews and observations. Thanks for your ongoing contribution to the recreational cycling community.
Bill
When can we expect an affiliate link for these great sandals eh? Tammy has been looking for a new pair of footwear for awhile and your review has sold her. We are going down to REI try on shoes tomorrow but we will order through your link when you get it up.
Cheers,
Logan.
Love my Newports. It’s worth noting that the Keens set up for cleats are narrower. The Newports are very comfortable, but after some hot, sweaty hiking, I’m experiencing the same monstrous odor issues you mention with your rubber soled originals, Russ. I’ll be curious to see if the same problem develops in your new shoes.
Keep on pedaling,
Mark
Thanks for the review. I love cycling in sandals, but I haven’t found the perfect pair yet. I have been wearing Tevas, but I find their sole is not as stiff as I’d like, for cycling. They are also just generally a bit flimsy and not supportive enough for strenuous activities. They are fine for just bumming around town.
So, do these Keens have relatively stiff soles? If so, I’m pretty much sold. I’m not looking for something as stiff as regular cycling shoes, but something more substantial than my Tevas would be great.
Could you also say more about the neoprene socks you use?
Thanks in advance!
I’ve probably ridden about 3000 miles in my Keens, Venice H2s. I use them with toe clips on my bikes. I’ve noticed no stink, but then I always wear socks (on the bike, anyway) Shocks the hell outta people when I’m on a group ride and it’s in the 20s and I’m wearing sandals.
I used Keen Newport H2 sandals as my only pair of footwear riding the Great Divide route in 2008, and they tore apart at the same place yours did, but I hadn’t realized that the leather version is one piece on the side! I was using the MKS Sneaker pedals, and while the keens are fine with those pedals, the shoe itself is quite wide and tends to hang off the side of anything narrower. I’m actually considering getting a set of the bike sandals, but not installing cleats, just for the stiffer and narrower sole. Good review, Thanks!
[...] When Keen Newports came out in 2003, I was sure you couldn’t make an uglier shoe. Now here we are, 2010, and it’s happened, what I call The Birkenstock Shift. I tried them on, and suddenly they are the most beautiful shoes in the world. HAVE YOU SEEN THESE BEAUTIFUL SHOES? Oh my stars, they are so comfortable, they envelope your foot in pure delight. My Birkenstocks are languishing in the corner. Apparently I’m not the only one who knows about this. Peace Corps workers are apparently known for their Keens. There’s a photo group on Flickr. And my favorite bicyclists have ridden 5000 miles in them. [...]
I came across your review of Keen sandals, and must concur as well. They are the greatest all around shoes for world or local travellers. I took a pair to Canada, and used them for walking, for biking, for kayaking, and shallow creek crossings!
AWESOME performance, and well over several thousand miles of useage since last year for my pair as well.
I own both the Newports and the commuter sandals. I bought the Newports just before my first trip to Walt Disney World two years ago, and they were great! They are my summer footwear of choice. I have only had one issue with the pull loop on the heel strap of one coming loose, which I remedied with crude sewing skills.
The commuter sandals are a different feel entirely, but I manage to commute in them, and even rode most of last year’s RAGBRAI in them. Lace adjustment is crucial, and I replaced the non-elastic stock laces on the commuters with elastic (these aren’t racing shoes, after all) to provide some give. If my right big toe doesn’t go numb after this year’s RAGBRAI, I know I have the right lace setup.
Thanks for the review, Russ!
I bought 2 pair of Keens In August of 2010, one for my wife, one for myself. My H2s were worn 8 days in St Johns VI when the soles began to seperate from the shoe…on both shoes. We were working at an eco resort with lots of stairs. We had hiked down trails to the beach once or twice but the shoes had barely broken in. I had to glue them together with 5200 marine cement. The other couple with us had used Keens on their prior trips to this place and both had new Keens as well. His Keens also began to seperate from the sole although hers were fine. I have requested a refund and will wait to hear what the problem is…although I am certain that this will almost have to be an issue with the factory glue/manufacture process and not one isolated case since he had a different model of Keen than mine.
I’ve worn the same model of Keen sandals on long touring trips in France, Spain and New England. I’d never go back to cycling specific shoes.
Good review. I’ve been thinking of getting some Keens for a while – I could’ve done with some on a walking holiday in Morocco, which involved lengthy spells of walking in rivers.
Have people with odour problems in cork footbeds tried the baking soda / bicarbonate of soda trick? You mix it with just enough water to form a paste, and spread it thickly on the footbed. Leave it overnight, brush it out in the morning and the odour will be gone.
I never have smelly feet, but those footbeds certainly seem to build up a bit of a whiff after a while. I saw this method online somewhere, used it on my Birkenstocks and it worked. The smell was gone.
We bought Keen Newport in 2010 after reading your review. We have done a few summer bike tour and like them a lot. We almost always wear them barefeet Perfect! . In fact almost. This year, our Keen began smelling bad a little bit. We always leave them outside the tent but this year, our feet were keeping this bad odor. I tried washing them with instruction from Keen website. First wash didn’t do it for me. I have done a second one. Hope they will be alright. We plan a one year long South American tour. We will need an easy way to keep them from smelling bad. Any idea?
I have had at least 10 pairs of keenes of various models, every single one of them has had the glue on holding the sole on fail and the sole starts peeling off.
I’ve also found Keens nearly perfect for warm or cold-but-dry weather biking.
[...] Although it seems daunting to decide on the ?perfect shoe? for an around-the-US bicycle tour, for us, the answer was pretty simple. We were going to bring our Keen sandals. We had gone on several bike tours the last few …Read more [...]
[...] When Keen Newports came out in 2003, I was sure you couldn’t make an uglier shoe. Now here we are, 2010, and it’s happened, what I call The Birkenstock Shift. I tried them on, and suddenly they are the most beautiful shoes in the world. Have you seen these beautiful shoes? Oh my stars, they are so comfortable, they envelope your foot in pure delight. My Birkenstocks are languishing in the corner. Apparently I’m not the only one who knows about this. Peace Corps workers are apparently known for their Keens. There’s a photo group on Flickr. And my favorite bicyclists have ridden 5000 miles in them. [...]