Shoes!?!?!?!

[Digip]

HI All,

Newbie here so be gentle!
I am new to touring and have a question about shoe stuff; I use Sidi road shoes and Speedplay on my Kestrel but for my new touring bike I obviously wwant to be able to get off and WALK!
What do most folks do? Clipless? old toe clips? Nada? What kind/style of shoes? MTB style? I LOVE my Speedplay (knee issues) and IF I was going to use clipless I would want to use the Speedplay Frogs but, like I said, I want to be able to walk, easily, with whatever I use. Can you really walk well in the MTB shoes??? I am unfamiliar with using the MTB style shoes on a bike so can you guys who have done a lot of road touring tell me the good, bad and the ugly of my options?
Thanks MUCHO

Doug

[FredHiltz]

Hi Doug,

I use Lake MTB shoes with Time clipless, whose cleats are well recessed into the sole. They are fine for walking, even long walks. Check some MTB shoes at a shop. Their thick soles will probably allow the Speedplay cleats to be recessed.

When scrambling on the occasional rocky trail, one needs a little care in placing the feet to keep some rubber in contact with the ground. HTH

Fred

[DaveB]

I have road ridden with Speedplay Frogs for over 60,000 miles so I believe I can speak with some authority. I love 'em. They are easy to enter and release, never release inadvertently and have the float you've learned to love in the X-series. They are also lighter than nearly any other road or MTB pedal.

The old-style Frog cleats require a small amount of surgery on the cleat pocket to fit most MBT shoes. (A Dremel tool with a sanding drum is ideal for this.)  The new design is narrower and should fit nearly anything with no modifications. In fact Speedplay says the new design can be used with road shoes, but they obviously won't be walkable that way.

My favorite shoe is the Shimano SH-T090 (the current version is SH-T092)which lists at around $90. They are styled like a road shoe and have a flat, but quite stiff, rubber sole with a recessed cleat pocket.  They aren't as "clunky" looking as fully lugged MBT shoes but are very walkable and keep the cleat off the road and floors.

I also like Performance's house brand MBT shoes and these will take the old style Frog cleats with no cutting.  They happen to fit my feet well and are less expensive than the Shimanos if you catch them on sale.  However the sole is "real" MBT.  

The only downside to MBT shoes is that they are slightly heavier than their road going counterparts.  This isn't a big issue for touring or non-racing use.

This message was edited by DaveB on 1-15-04 @ 8:27 PM

[Digip]

THanks Guys!
I apprecite the info!


Fred, what model of Lake do you use? I see a lot of different ones.
Dave, WOW, I really appreciate the Frog info! I was off the bike for 3 months due to a "water on the knee" issue that ended up being an internal injury and the "water" being old blood, yech) so I now know I MUST have the rotation/float for my knees so I will have to have the Frogs.

I was looking into more of an MTB style shoe; like the Shimano 034, 038 and the 021 but will try to find the 092.. Problem is that the LBS's have zip for touring and that 092 is a touring specific shoe. cool (if I can try one on!)

Thanks again! great info!

Doug

[FredHiltz]

Hi Doug, I don't see a number on my Lake MTB shoes, but they are five years old so that would not be very useful anyway. They look like these:
http://www.epinions.com/bike-Shoes-All-MX_100

I think just about any MTB shoe will have a sole thick enough to recess the cleats. Happy shopping.

Fred

[pmspirito]

My wife, Judy, and I really like our Shimano sandals with spd cleats. they are very confortable and cool to ride and walk in.

Peter and Judy Spirito

[elf29]

Text
I too will vote for sandals, with spd cleats, for
touring.       They are good for riding, acceptable for
walking and your feet dry much quicker after a rain.

[judyrans]

Peter wrote:

“My wife, Judy, and I really like our Shimano sandals with spd cleats. they are very confortable and cool to ride and walk in.”

I tried Shimano sandals and hated them. They gave me a severe case of “hot foot.” I couldn’t stand them without any socks or an insole. An insole helped, but thick wool socks worked better. But, if you are going to wear thick wool socks, why bother to wear sandals?

Also, your foot skin gets very dry and can crack. Get some Zim’s Crack Cream or another similar product.

Last summer I rode across country. Three other riders said they had sandals. One guy wore his all the way across, mostly with thick wool socks. Two women said they had them and I think I saw them wearing them early in the trip, but later all I remember is that they had on shoes, not sandals. I forgot to ask them whether they liked the sandals or not.

Another cycling friend also wears them with heavy socks.

So, try them out at home on a long, long ride before making the decision to use them on a tour!

[JayH]

I wear a 7 year old Diadora Jalapeno IIs that are basic shoestring and one velcro flap. I use Time ATACs and have been using that for commuting and touring for the past 3 years.  Works great, the shoe is comfy, durable and no problems with walking without looking like a duck.

I have a set of Speedplay X-2s on a pure road bike (a racing frame) and it is also very nice, more float, but the cleat is bigger so make sure the cleat recess is good and there is enough spacing to clear.  The TIME cleat is really small and most likely will not have  problem with any SPD compatible shoe.   Both are good, both are good with mud. I prefer the TIMEs because I'm more used to it, the X-2s on my road bike do have a lot of float but that is personal preference though. I wouldn't hesitate to use either for touring.  

What's nice about the my jalapenos is that its just plain black, it doesn't look like clown shoes like some of them out there (notable the TIME road shoes...)

Jay

[wanderingwheel]

Some MTB shoes are much easier to walk in than others, especially on tiled floors and other smooth surfaces.  Most of the high-end MTB shoes are a road shoe with plastic or rubber studs that work great in the mud, but can be a little dicy in the civilized world.  Try looking for something that has a more normal sole; there are many that look like light hiking boots rather than baseball cleats.  You will give up some of the stiffness from the high end shoe, but the will be more walkable.

Sean

[JayH]

Now that WW mentioned soles, I thought I'd add that although I am absolutely ecstatic about the Jalapeno IIs from Diadora, I'm not so happy about the Chilis I bought at some closeout pricing from the same company. The Chilis is missing rear treads and it is noticeable when walking. It is a shoelace with two velco closures but the tongue isn't long enough so it always winds up getting scrunched and hard to put on.  So, although it fits well and would be fine for MTBing when you really aren't walking too much. For touring/commuting, I would avoid the Chilis.  

Jay

[dombrosk]

I've been very happy with a pair of inexpensive Shimano MTB shoes that look like lace-up low-rise sneakers.  Those and a pair of teva sandals to change into at the end of the day's ride have been a good combination.