Author Topic: The shoe dilemma  (Read 15086 times)

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Offline hikerjer

The shoe dilemma
« on: January 13, 2022, 08:35:55 pm »
This has probably been discussed many times before but I'm still in an quandary over it.  What do you use for shoes? Currently I use Shimano Shimano M324 SPD dulal sided pedals with clip-ins (not toe clips) which allow me to use rigid biking shoes that I can clip into on one side. The other sides are basically platforms that allow me to use regular flat bottomed shoes - in my case, Teva sandals - when it's appropriate. I like the control the clipside gives me when riding but the disavantages are obvious - it's tough to walk very far or gracefully in them when not on the bike. I do like the sandals for off the bike and in situations where I may need to get on and out of the pedals frequently such as in heavy traffic.  They are also great for walking relatively long distances in easy terrain but not so good to do in any serious hiking in. The obvious other disadvanage is you're carrying two pair of shoes. I am reluctant to spend money for an expensvie new pedal/shoe setup when I have a setup that works fairly well but am open to suggestons.

Any insights?

Thank you.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2022, 08:58:26 pm »
If what you have works, I would still use it. A big plus you didn't mention is that if one type of shoe fails (I have had this happen on tour), then you still have a back up. 

That said, I currently use the no-longer produced Speedplay Frogs but will soon have to do a new setup up since the cleats are discontinued  >:( after Speedplay was bought out.  I will probably do an SPD mountain bike shoe (so I can walk relatively easily during the day) and a lightweight pair of running shoes for camp.  After 45 years of riding I have an old problem in that I have to have something the somehow locks my foot in.  This is because I trained myself from WAY back when I raced to pull up on the leg opposite the down stroke and since I have a 95+ RPM cadence, I have a high propensity to pull off the pedal.  It is not fun to have the pedal smack your shin! I only do minor hiking (1 mile or less). 

I have tried Crocs and very lightweight canvas shoes for my camp shoes.  For me, neither are good for more than 1/2 mile tops of walking. Plus they look a little dorky but the crocs do great as shower shoes.

Tailwinds, John



Offline John Nelson

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2022, 10:04:23 pm »
On long trips, I take two pairs of shoes. There are many reasons to do so anyway, if for no other reason than to give your feet a break. My first pair are MTB shoes with SPD cleats, in which I can easily walk a long ways, but aren’t very good for long trail hikes. The second pair depends on how far you like to hike. I don’t do long hikes on bicycle tours, so Crocs work for me.

On short trips, I just take a pair of sneakers with an SPD cleat (Pearl Izumi X-Road Fuel III).

Offline staehpj1

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2022, 07:18:18 am »
yeah, shoes and pedal always are a compromise when on tour.

I use pedals with spd on both sides.  They are pretty bad with non spd shoes, but I can ride very short distances, like in camp to the laundramat or shower.  If I am riding farther I put on my bike shoes.

Shoes...  Some trips I only use stiff SPD MTB shoes with no second pair of shoes.  What kind of or if I take a second pair depends on how much hiking and on what kind of terrain I expect.  I have taken some really minimal huaraches sandals that weigh a few ounces, crocs, trail runners, or anything in that range depending on the trip.  The trail runners are likely to be picked up for a portion of a trip and mailed home.  For example I spent a week hiking in the Yosemite Valley and bought a pair of trail runners there.

The right answer will vary with the individual and maybe with the trip.

Offline OHRider

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2022, 09:30:34 am »
I have SPD's with clips on both sides.  I use mountain bike shoes which to me aren't bad to walk in when needed.  My camp shoes are a pair of really beat up Merrell loafers that are very light. I'd buy some new ones if they still made them.  Recently got some Xero shoes which also are very light. Nice thing about the Merrell's is that they have at least a little bit of water resistance so when walking around a dewy camp or on a rain day my feet don't get immediately soaked.  The Xero's have a breathable mesh so they'd get wet pretty quick. We'll see what I take next time out!

Offline jamawani

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2022, 11:25:24 am »
Because I have always done major hiking on my long tours -
Multinight wilderness camping in Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Banff, Denali, etc. -
I have always cycled with toe-clip pedals and used a light hiker with stiffeners.
I also carry Tevas for campsite and in town.

That way I am comfortable going almost anywhere.
The trade-off is a little less effeciency in my pedal stroke - granted.
I recognize that I am in a small minority here.
I'm guessing that there are SPD hikers that you could add/delete a stiffener to.

But for me, the hikes are part of the tour.

Pic - South Kaibab Trail
A dozen or so transcanyon hikes - bad habit

Offline HikeBikeCook

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Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2022, 11:42:57 am »
I ride double sided SPD pedals with Shimano MT-502 shoes. Xero Prio for town shoes and carry a pair of snap in SPD platforms for emergencies. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JM5T3MO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Surly Disc Trucker, Lightspeed Classic, Scott Scale, Klein Mantra Comp. First touring bike Peugeot U08 - 1966

Offline staehpj1

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2022, 11:57:15 am »
Because I have always done major hiking on my long tours -
Multinight wilderness camping in Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Banff, Denali, etc. -
I have always cycled with toe-clip pedals and used a light hiker with stiffeners.
I also carry Tevas for campsite and in town.
That makes sense.  I probably have missed out by not doing more of that.  I hate toe clips enough to carry spd bike shoes and something else to hike in if hiking factors heavily in the tour (some short side hikes are fine in my spd shoes depending on the terrain).  I could imagine myself doing more tours with a lot of hiking, so that could happen.  How serious the hiking was and how rugged the terrain would determine what the hiking shoes might be, but trail runners or light hikers would be likely candidates.

Offline jrswenberger

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2022, 08:25:17 pm »
For years I've toured riding in trail runners and wide, flat pedals. They are slightly stiffer than road running shoes and instantly comfortable and safe off the bike. With a larger platform pedal, I doubt there's much, if any, loss of 'efficiency' in my touring efforts. I strap on a pair of Crocs for camp and shower since they don't need to be packed away and it's always smart to give your feet some variety.

I went from toe clips to Look pedals when they first appeared and have used many clipless systems since, on the road and off. I only have 1 bike that still has a clipless system and that bike rarely gets ridden any longer. Try things for yourself. Don't let the group-think make your decision. I've worked in labs that did EMG studies with cyclists. All the data that seems to be regurgitated, year after year, comes from high level cyclists putting out enormous power levels. For the rest of us, it's really just personal preference.

Enjoy the ride,
Jay
ACA Life Member 368

Offline zzzz

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2022, 08:33:38 pm »
I will throw this out there as a possible option for the OP.

Generally when I’ve been on a tour, I just ride w any incidental hiking done in the light running shoes i have with me. But a few years back I started a tour in Spokane that ended in Flagstaff and I knew I wanted to spend 3 days in Zion and do the 3 iconic hikes there and I wanted to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Before I left on the tour I packed up my hiking boots and addressed it for General Delivery to Springdale Ut and when I got to Zion I picked up my boots and went hiking. Because my boots aren’t that heavy and bulky (Merrill’s) I just carried them for the last five days of the tour for my hiking at the north and south rim.

So if you want to go on hikes spontaneously this won’t do you much good. But if your passing thru 1 or 2 or 5 spots on your tour that you’d like to take some time off the bike and get some hiking in, General Delivery can work pretty well.

Offline John Nettles

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Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2022, 12:39:38 am »
So if you want to go on hikes spontaneously this won’t do you much good. But if your passing thru 1 or 2 or 5 spots on your tour that you’d like to take some time off the bike and get some hiking in, General Delivery can work pretty well.
I think that is a pretty good idea.  Plus, General Delivery will hold it for 21-30 days (call actual office to confirm) and if for some reason you have to skip the hike or the tour gets canceled before you get there, they will forward or "return to sender" the package for free typically.


Offline staehpj1

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2022, 07:31:22 am »
So if you want to go on hikes spontaneously this won’t do you much good. But if your passing thru 1 or 2 or 5 spots on your tour that you’d like to take some time off the bike and get some hiking in, General Delivery can work pretty well.
I think that is a pretty good idea.  Plus, General Delivery will hold it for 21-30 days (call actual office to confirm) and if for some reason you have to skip the hike or the tour gets canceled before you get there, they will forward or "return to sender" the package for free typically.
Yeah, I'd definitely consider that in the future.  It is a great solution especially for those who have a pair of hiking boots they are really attached to.  It would have worked great for my stay in the Yosemite Valley, but I just bought some light trail runners there.  I have not typically done enough hiking in one place to warrant that approach, but I probably should have.  On hind sight I missed some great opportunities to mix and match riding and hiking trips.  On the other hand my trips were great as they were.

Offline jamawani

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2022, 11:24:29 am »
Not to mention that USPS mailing rates have sky-rocketed.
(Yeah, I know the Post Office is going broke ...)

In years past, I would send an inflatable raft ahead to do river sections.
Nothing technical, town at the put-in, town at the take-out.
Often I would skip a gnarly section of road in the process, too.

Camp on a river island and save camping fees -
Which would cover some of the mailing costs - about $27 each way.
Now it woud cost $125 to $175 to send the raft ahead - each way.
I suspect the boots would cost about $25 each way depending on location.

General delivery used to be great for packages. Less so now.
And nobody, absolutely nobody, sends snail mail letters any more.
30 years ago I would print off general delivery addresses for friends/family.
And would get cookies and cards galore. Old-timer here.

Offline ray b

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2022, 06:50:50 pm »
What do you use for shoes?
No rules. Figure out what you want to do, and get the right shoes and pedals out of the bin.

Long tours with gravel lots of hills and consistently long days - walkable natural foot shape mountain bike shoes (Bohn) with a pair of Keen closed toe sandals. (My favorite pedals are those I'm used to - Speedplay Frogs, but I suspect I have the few remaining unsused pedals and cleats. I've been using a pair of Crank Brothers pedals for some long weekend rides to get ready for a transition.) Ran into a lot of single-sided pedal riders this summer, who switched between flip flops and shoes depending on their mood.

No gravel - cleated cycling sandals instead of shoes. Backup sandals for walking.

Not in a hurry - Keen Sandals and large platform pedals. No additional footwear.

Snow and/or backcountry single track - Keen hiking boots and platform pedals. Backup sandals optional.

Have fun - I wouldn't waste a lot of time on this. The only bad combinations are those that involve poor shoe fit, or hiking in cleated shoes. And famous last words - "I'm really excited about next week's trip; I even invested in a new pair of shoes and pedals suggested by an expert on YouTube!"
“A good man always knows his limitations.”

Offline canalligators

Re: The shoe dilemma
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2022, 07:13:13 pm »
I've always used double-cleat SPDs and a good brand of walkable, cleated cycling shoes.  One pair of footwear for me.  This works well for my situation, which is: flat feet requiring good arch support, only doing short walks (<3 miles) off-bike, and feet that get cold easily in cooler/cold weather. 

I've heard the claim that sandals with the right socks work in cold weather, but for my feet, long limbs and crappy circulation, I really doubt they would work.  To people who don't have a problem keeping extremeties warm, I'll say thanks but your advice is not useful for me.