Mountain pedals on road bike?

[Trg]

After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.

Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

Sorry if this has been asked many times.

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[Ken]

"trg" <[email protected]> wrote in news:bfkaqh$bes$1@news- reader4.wanadoo.fr:
> Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

Some MTB shoes are very stiff.

 

[Nick Payne]

I have a couple of pairs of Carnac MTB shoes and the soles seem just as stiff as the road shoes I
have. I use these shoes with Time ATAC pedals on road bikes for everything except road racing.

Nick

"trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting
a
> road bike and was wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals
there
> as well, since I already own a couple of pairs as well as a couple of
pairs
> of spd shoes.
>
> Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

 

[Java Man]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] here.com says...
> After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
> wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
> pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.
>
> Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)
>
> Sorry if this has been asked many times.
>
My first clipless was an old SPD-type Look on a MTB. When Look dropped it, I switched to Shimano.
Later, I added them to my roadbike. I've never used non-SPD type pedals and (probably as a result)
I'm quite happy with them on my roadbikes, too. It's great to be able to walk in them without danger
of slipping or damaging floors.

I rode in MTB shoes until last year, when I switched to SPD compatible road shoes. I love the added
stiffness.

YMMV

Rick

 

[Antti Salonen]

trg <[email protected]> wrote:

> Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience

The additional stiffness is a myth. There's no reason why a mountain bike shoe can't be just as
stiff as a road shoe, and many are. I think casual looking SPD shoes might often have less stiff
soles, but racing shoes should be very stiff, MTB or road.

> (I assume walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

I never tried road shoes, but it looks more difficult (not to mention humorous). Stiff-soled MTB
shoes, although better, are not your first choice for walking either.

-as

 

[Mgs]

I use speedplay frog ATB clips with SIDI shoes on my road Colnago.

Never heard a bad comment nor had a complaint.

 

[Lewdvig]

ditto

I love the ATACs and use a carbon sole Shimano shoe.

"Nick Payne" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I have a couple of pairs of Carnac MTB shoes and the soles seem just as stiff as the road shoes I
> have. I use these shoes with Time ATAC pedals on road bikes for everything except road racing.
>
> Nick
>
> "trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm
getting
> a
> > road bike and was wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals
> there
> > as well, since I already own a couple of pairs as well as a couple of
> pairs
> > of spd shoes.
> >
> > Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> > walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, trg <[email protected]> wrote:
>After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
>wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
>pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.

Nothing wrong with using SPDs on a road bike.

>Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
>walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

I find a properly stiff shoe is good to have, but there are plenty of stiff MTB shoes as well.
If you're using a sneaker-style shoe like the Shimano SH-M037 or similar, then you might want
to use something more like an MTB racing shoe if you want something like a road shoe but easier
for walking.

--Paul

 

[Tom Grosman]

Does the larger surface area of a LOOK or SPD-R type pedal compared to SPDATB make a difference?

"Antti Salonen" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message news:
[email protected]...
> trg <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience
>
> The additional stiffness is a myth. There's no reason why a mountain bike shoe can't be just as
> stiff as a road shoe, and many are. I think casual looking SPD shoes might often have less stiff
> soles, but racing shoes should be very stiff, MTB or road.
>
> > (I assume walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)
>
> I never tried road shoes, but it looks more difficult (not to mention humorous). Stiff-soled MTB
> shoes, although better, are not your first choice for walking either.
>
> -as

 

[Peter Cole]

"trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
> wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
> pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.
>
> Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)

No, especially since many MTB shoes are as stiff. Sidi shoes, for instance, seem to use the same
soles in both types. It's *so* much easier to standardize on all bikes & shoes. I use SPD MTB pedals
on all (6) of my bikes and shoes
(7). I switched from Sidi road to Sidi MTB for road riding just to get the bit of tread that allows
for walking. I don't use road shoes at all anymore, just lightweight MTB shoes.

Another advantage of MTB pedals is that they are 2-sided -- easier for stop & go street riding
(especially at night). Also, if a mechanism fails (happened to me a couple of times), you can just
use the working side.

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

trg-<< After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes. >><BR><BR>

Fine idea since you know the shoes fit and how to work the pedals.

<< Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)
>><BR><BR>

Hard to say, depends on the type of riding you are going to do, if it includes getting off and
walking around.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

 

[Kinkycowboy]

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 23:37:24 +0200, "trg" <[email protected]> wrote:

>After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
>wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
>pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.
>
>Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
>walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)
>
>Sorry if this has been asked many times.

Hundreds of bike couriers can't be wrong; SPD pedals with racing type MTB shoes (Sidi Dominators are
popular, I use Sidi Rampas on and off road) are pretty much the perfect choice if you want a
connection very nearly as efficient as a true road set up combined with the ability to walk across
hard floors without falling on your ass. I find the double sided feature especially useful riding
fixed on the road, saves a lot of time trying to flip a pedal which is necessarily revolving.

You will notice the difference in stiffness if you switch from SPD sneakers to MTB racing shoes, but
as others have pointed out the top MTB race shoes are just as stiff as road race shoes. The only
real advantage of road race shoes is lighter weight, due solely to the omission of the rubber tread
on the sole.

Kinky Cowboy

*Your milage may vary Batteries not included May contain traces of nuts.

 

[Phil Brown]

The shoes and pedals neither know or care weather you're riding on or off road. Phil Brown

 

[Justin Seiferth]

The only downfall (I thought) to SPD pedals was the scarcity of pedals offering float ala Speedplay.
Then I found the WTB stealth pedals and voila the best of both worlds. If you are buying new pedals,
these are light, double sided, SPD and offer lots of float. They also seem relatively resistant to
clogging up.

As far as using mountain shoes, I ended up getting a pair of Sidi shoes because the mechanism is
awesome but still use my old mountain shoes whenever there's going to be a lot of walking about.
Regardless of the traction issue the cleats get mauled a lot more when there aren't the mountain
bike lugs protecting them. On the plus side I find it easier to clip in with road shoes and they
seem cooler in the hot weather. Touring shoes (ala Lake 125s) are a nice compromise and you can get
them inexpensively too.

 

[Peter Rollason]

I don't ride MTB - but have mtb pedals on my road bike. I prefer the larger platform. doesn't look
grear but works for me. Pete.

"Peter Cole" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:qYuTa.113748$GL4.29552@rwcrnsc53...
>
> "trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm
getting a
> > road bike and was wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals
there
> > as well, since I already own a couple of pairs as well as a couple of
pairs
> > of spd shoes.
> >
> > Is the added stiffness of a true road shoe worth the added expense and inconvenience (I assume
> > walking in road shoes is much more of a hassle.)
>
> No, especially since many MTB shoes are as stiff. Sidi shoes, for
instance,
> seem to use the same soles in both types. It's *so* much easier to
standardize
> on all bikes & shoes. I use SPD MTB pedals on all (6) of my bikes and
shoes
> (7). I switched from Sidi road to Sidi MTB for road riding just to get the
bit
> of tread that allows for walking. I don't use road shoes at all anymore,
just
> lightweight MTB shoes.
>
> Another advantage of MTB pedals is that they are 2-sided -- easier for
stop &
> go street riding (especially at night). Also, if a mechanism fails
(happened
> to me a couple of times), you can just use the working side.

 

[Dan Baker]

"trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
> wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple of
> pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.
> -------------------------

no problem at all... a little heavier, but if you've already got MTB shoes and maybe an extra set of
pedals, no big deal. I have used MTB shoes/pedals on my tandem because it makes it easier to hit the
clips coming out of a stoplight; and I've used them for a blind stoker since he has a hard time
telling when the pedals are "right side up".

If you decide to race or want that extra ??? efficientcy and weight savings you can always swap out
pedals and shoes later.

d

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (dan baker) wrote:

> "trg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > After using spd clipless pedals on my MTB for many years now, I'm getting a road bike and was
> > wondering if it's a bad idea to also use spd pedals there as well, since I already own a couple
> > of pairs as well as a couple of pairs of spd shoes.
> > -------------------------
>
> no problem at all... a little heavier, but if you've already got MTB shoes and maybe an extra set
> of pedals, no big deal. I have used MTB shoes/pedals on my tandem because it makes it easier to
> hit the clips coming out of a stoplight; and I've used them for a blind stoker since he has a hard
> time telling when the pedals are "right side up".
>
> If you decide to race or want that extra ??? efficientcy and weight savings you can always swap
> out pedals and shoes later.

Extra efficiency? Maybe if you go from relatively sloppy shoes to really stiff road units.
Otherwise, there may be a weight savings of dozens of grams, at most. Leave the second water bottle
off on short races.

I happily race in Cat 5 with two-sided SPDs and mountain bike shoes, though the rest of the bike is
similarly weird (lugged steel Pinarello, carbon fibre Trek fork, Sora 8v brifteur and 105 DT front
shifter, bell on the handlebars just to annoy other racers, sometimes forget to take my lock off the
seat...). I finished with the main group this week (a first), and it wasn't the bike that stopped me
from winning.

Stupid fast-twitch muscle system. Does Shimano make a Dura-Ace version of that?

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club