Cycling shoe question yet again?

[steeevo]

sorry i no it has been asked alot, but i have been looking for a few weeks now researching on mtb shoes and road race shoes, i can see the differences which are clear like the mtb shoe is not as stiff and is easier to walk in and the cleat is smaller so your foot is not supported as much as race shoes and the pedals are heavyer and not as good connection as with a race shoe. but i dont no what i need????

i am just doing general training at the moment and ride say 20 miles here and there, and dont really walk much when off the bike, but then im goin on tour next year and read that mtb shoes are better for touring as you get off quite alot? but im not sure what route to go down.
iv been looking at the bontager rl mtb shoe and the race road version too
any advice would be good thanks.

 

[64Paramount]

You might also want to check out touring shoes. These usually can be used with the recessed SPD style cleats so that they are easier to walk in than road shoes, but don't have such an aggressive tread as many of the MTB shoes do.

 

[steeevo]

yeah thanks for your reply, this forum isnt very busy is it? like dj forums if you post a question within a few minutes someone would have replied. anyways i have looked at touring shoes now and they seem a good option,

i just think i will be missing out on the stiff sole of a road shoe compared with a mtb shoe, is there much difference and what would you do in my situation and what do you use?

 

[CalicoCat]

Originally Posted by steeevo .

yeah thanks for your reply, this forum isnt very busy is it? like dj forums if you post a question within a few minutes someone would have replied. anyways i have looked at touring shoes now and they seem a good option,

i just think i will be missing out on the stiff sole of a road shoe compared with a mtb shoe, is there much difference and what would you do in my situation and what do you use?

I use a road shoe on a road bike (look pedals/cleats) and a MTB shoe on my cross bike (spd pedals/cleats). If I were going on a bike tour and didn't need to carry all my "stuff" in panniers/racks, I'd bring my road bike with my road shoes. However, if I needed to carry a lot, I would probably forgo the road bike (I don't really want to put racks on it) and would bring my cross bike and would probably just leave the spds on there (they are fine, I like them).

 

[McLoki]

I went with mountain bike shoes and spd pedals on my road bike. For the few times I get off the bike and walk around - I don't have to walk like a duck and over the winter I plan to stay in shape for riding by taking some spin classes and my local gym happens to have SPD pedals on their spin bikes....

I may regret my decision at some point, but for now, I am happy with it.

Michael

 

[steeevo]

yeah i no what you mean about not wanting to put panniers on a road bike, but we all have road bikes now i have a defy 3 2011 and my mate a trek 1.2 2011 and you can fit panniers on them, i prefer the look of a road bike then a tourer so thats why we got em, jus debating about the shoes.

maybe road shoes will be the correct choice as we can keep spare shoes in the panniers for walking
i dont see the problem with having panniers on a road bike??????

 

[CalicoCat]

I would go with the road shoes if you are bringing a road bike. You will like the road shoes in the future, and, like you said, you can always carry a light pair of shoes or sandals in the event you need/want to walk around. For short distances, like walking into a restaurant, convenience store, etc, the road shoes will be fine.

 

[Aurelius]

The Sidi Dragon 2 Carbon MTB shoes are IDENTICAL to the Ergo 2 Carbon road shoes except for the replaceable tread portions and SPD compatability.
Excellent shoes. I have the Ergo 2 Carbon road shoe.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by steeevo .

yeah thanks for your reply, this forum isnt very busy is it? like dj forums if you post a question within a few minutes someone would have replied. anyways i have looked at touring shoes now and they seem a good option,

i just think i will be missing out on the stiff sole of a road shoe compared with a mtb shoe, is there much difference and what would you do in my situation and what do you use?

If you're into smashing 53x12 during intervals or 39x16 up 10% hill sprints the the stiffer soles may help. "May" being the operative word.

If more casual riding is your thing then it's all purely about fit and function... and it's not like the MTB guys aren't about efficiency either during races.

Walking in road shoes really isn't that difficult and due to the cost of a good pair of shoes, I wouldn't buy a pair based upon a single event unless that event is significantly different from what you normally do - i.e. doing offroad MTB in mud or cyclocross Vs your normal road riding.

 

[steeevo]

right thanks for all your input and i have decided to go for the road shoes, even if i will have trouble to walk about a bit i have read u can get cleat covers anyways??? i thought because i will never be doing mtb i wont need the shoes and if i have to walk i have to walk like a penguin. at least i will get the benefits from the road shoe while on the bike and thats what i want. thanks

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by steeevo .

right thanks for all your input and i have decided to go for the road shoes, even if i will have trouble to walk about a bit i have read u can get cleat covers anyways??? i thought because i will never be doing mtb i wont need the shoes and if i have to walk i have to walk like a penguin. at least i will get the benefits from the road shoe while on the bike and thats what i want. thanks

I don't know what pedals you have but the Shimano SPD-SL (road) cleats have tabs on to aid with walking. You don't need cleat covers or any rubbish like that. They don't really make walking that much easier but they protect the parts of the cleat that come in contact with the pedal from damage while walking.