Touring shoe recommendations

[burleyrider]

Does anyone have a good recommendation for touring shoes that
accept clipless pedals and are walkable?

This message was edited by burleyrider on 3-9-05 @ 11:37 PM

[oppeljs]

Sidi Dominators.  Worth the money.

[burleyrider]

I have tried Sidi shoes. Typically they cause my toes to cramp.

[valygrl]

Shimano or Lake Sandals and the SPD compatible cleat of your choice.  

They walk great, better than mountain biking shoes.  You can wear no or light socks for warm days, and when it's cold or rainy, you can add however many layers of socks you want, and just adjust the velcro straps to make room.  I used a pair of wool cycling socks under a pair of neoprene socks I bought in a hunting/fishing store.  

I used them all the way across the US.  They were my only shoes.  Sent my Sidi mtb shoes home after the first week.  

Happy riding...

Anna

[dombrosk]

I've been really happy with lower-end Shimano shoes, the kind that look more like sneakers than specialized bicycling shoes.  I like laces instead of velcro, for some reason.
My current pair are SH-M034, they are fine for walking and riding for me.
Happy riding (and walking!)

[burleyrider]

I've been really happy with lower-end Shimano shoes, the kind that
look more like sneakers than specialized bicycling shoes.

Yeah, I am interested in these. I am currently using the more
specialized looking Shimano riding shoes. But I think the sneaker like
ones would be good.

Do those fit under booties okay?

[judyrans]

I hated my Shimano sandals. I got hot foot, and my feet stunk. Thick insoles helped, but didn't eliminate the problems. Thick wool socks helped, but why wear sandals if you have to wear thick wool socks?

On a 2002 St. Charles, MO to Seaside, OR trip (Lewis & Clark Trail) another rider wore bike sandals. At the start he swore that they were the only comfortable bike shoes he'd ever had. He complained of hot foot and stopped a few times because his feet hurt.

On a 2003 cross country trip, three other riders showed up with bike sandals, one wore them for the whole trip, but with heavy wool socks, which he often took off in the late afternoon. The two other riders wore bike sandals once early in the trip, but I never saw the bike sandals again.

The other people I know that wear bike sandals also wear thick wool socks.

My advice would be to test them thoroughly before commiting to them for a long ride. That goes for any shoe you take!

I would also avoid shoelaces. They can easily get caught between your chain and chainwheel. You might be able to backpedal to get them out, but if you don't realize what's happening in time, a nasty crash could result! I no longer wear shoes with laces when I ride my bike. If you do, be sure to tie them securely so that they cannot come loose and catch in the chain.

My last pair of shoes, Specialized Body Geometry, hurt my right knee until I switched to Superfeet gray insoles
 http://www.superfeet.com/content/grey.html
. I wore the shoes and insoles for two cross country tours. So, consider different innersoles. If possible, try the innersoles before buying, because most of them are thicker than bike shoe innersoles, and you might not be able to get your foot in the shoe. The Superfeet grays are very thin, but they worked great for me.

The Specialized shoes are very worn. As soon as the weather improves, I've got a pair of Sidi Dominators ready to go. I found them on the clearance pile at REI, $85 vs. $210. The only thing I can detect wrong with them is a very tiny squeak when I walk, so I guess I'll have to just ride.

[Lucky13]

I'm quite pleased with the Shimano SH-M033. It too is an SPD shoe that looks like a *regular* walking shoe.

...works fine on and off the bike.

[DaveB]

Shimano makes a "dedicated" touring shoe; the current model designation is SH-T092 and they run about $90 in most LBS.
 
They are styled like road shoes and have three velcro straps.  The sole has a recessed cleat pocket but is otherwise relatively flat without the lugs of an MTB shoe.

I've ridden thousands of miles in them with great satisfaction.  The velcro straps allow on-the-bike adjustments and permit as good or better a fit as laces.  Walking is as good as any riding shoe permits since the stiff sole needed for good on-bike performance has to compromise walking a bit.  

[dombrosk]

Shimano sneaker style shoes again...
"Do those fit under booties okay?"

I have a pair of Burley Shoe Covers that I bought from the Adventure Cycling store, they fit over the Shimano sneaker style shoes just fine.

We've gotten some good considerations raised in this thread!  

Shoelaces can be a safety issue, and if nothing else an annoyance if they get in the way.  The Shimano M-34 comes with a neat little storage pouch for them, but I never use it, I just tie the heck out of them.

Also, the more comfortable the shoe is off the bike the less road-power you may have on the pedals.  Because I often get off the bike to hike and explore, a "road style" stiff shoe would not work for me.  Others might be very frustrated by the amount of give in a more flexible sole.

Different (pedal)-strokes for different folks!

 :8|:

[burleyrider]

Well I finally found some shoes. I found some Sidi shoes that actually
did not make my feet cramp. After one ride, they still need breaking in.
But the shoes, believe it or not, had more allowable movement in the
toe box than the Shimano sneaker type shoes for me.

[driftlessregion]

Opinions about shoes are very personal. I've had hot foot in my touring Diadoras but not the Shimano sandal. Go figure. I love the sandal and after finishing with the mountains on the Northern Tier mailed home the Diadoras and rode 1500 miles with only the sandals. In fact I wore them off the bike 100% of the time too after mailing home the Tevas. I'm going to buy the Lake MX220 this spring.