Wearing the correct bike shoes for wide feet may be the most overlooked part of bike riding equipment. Most novice cyclists often feel that any kind of shoe is fine to comfortably ride a bike with. In the beginning, this may be true, but as your legs grow and you get use to standing on your pedals, you will probably want to add a slightly wider footbed to your bike shoes to better support your legs. At first glance, it seems that shoes only have very little to do with riding a bike. However, there are several different types of bike shoes for wide feet that are built specifically for people with these specific foot conditions. For instance, shoes designed for people with flat feet have a more rubbery sole to assist in absorbing shock while walking. The topmost part of your foot is fitted with a soft rubber sole to absorb shock and provide traction. This helps the person with flat feet to reduce stress on their feet and legs while walking or riding a bike. A type of bike shoe for feet designed to prevent pressure on the bottom of your feet while pedaling is called a "micrometer" shoe. Micrometer shoes have a small rubber sole plate attached to the front of your bike pedals, with the plates placed on the top and bottom of your feet. The purpose of these shoes is to help minimize the amount of pressure that is placed on the bottoms of your feet while pedaling. This minimization reduces the risk of injury and discomfort for both your feet and legs. These types of shoes are usually built with a thin soft rubber sole to reduce the risk of injury, but some are made with thicker rubber soles in order to reduce the pressure on your foot and help with walking and climbing.