MTB vs road pedals and shoes

DaveB said:

I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes with
clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the difference is
between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes. I've seen comments
about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why a pedal varies.

Dave B.

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

"Vincent Wilcox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

DaveB said:

I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes with
clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the difference is
between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes. I've seen comments
about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why a pedal varies.

Dave B.

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

Lets talk about application. What kind of riding are you planning to do?
Personally, I'm not worried about walking like a dork 'cuz I don't spend
much, if any, time walking. Besides, if you're into cycling of any kind,
looking like a dork comes with the territory and the shoes hardly change
that. I ride on the road. I don't need tread. I don't need the extra
weight that comes with it. I don't need pedals that shed mud. I do enjoy
two-sided entry and my Speedplay pedals take care of that quite nicely. The
soles of my shoes are ramrod stiff and the feel of power transfer to the
pedals compared to the mtb shoes I've owned is awesome. And most road
pedals have a lower profile which gives better clearance in hard cornering.
Catching a pedal in a turn is a sure way to go pavement surfing and donate
skin to the ashphalt god.

But if you ride just to get to the coffee shop where you stuff your face
with pastry with your pals and complain why you can't lose weight or go
fast, by all means, get mtb shoes.

Bob C.

In article <[email hidden]>,

psycholist said:

"Vincent Wilcox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

DaveB said:

I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes with
clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the difference is
between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes. I've seen comments
about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why a pedal varies.

Dave B.

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

Lets talk about application. What kind of riding are you planning to do?
Personally, I'm not worried about walking like a dork 'cuz I don't spend
much, if any, time walking. Besides, if you're into cycling of any kind,
looking like a dork comes with the territory and the shoes hardly change
that. I ride on the road. I don't need tread. I don't need the extra
weight that comes with it. I don't need pedals that shed mud. I do enjoy
two-sided entry and my Speedplay pedals take care of that quite nicely. The
soles of my shoes are ramrod stiff and the feel of power transfer to the
pedals compared to the mtb shoes I've owned is awesome. And most road
pedals have a lower profile which gives better clearance in hard cornering.
Catching a pedal in a turn is a sure way to go pavement surfing and donate
skin to the ashphalt god.

But if you ride just to get to the coffee shop where you stuff your face
with pastry with your pals and complain why you can't lose weight or go
fast, by all means, get mtb shoes.

Bob C.

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

Two-sided pedals are a nice thing, I agree. But that comment about
cornering clearance is bogus. It is OK to stop pedaling for a moment if
you are leaned over that far.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

"Ted Bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

psycholist said:

"Vincent Wilcox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

DaveB wrote:
> I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the difference is
> between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes. I've seen

comments

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why a pedal varies.
>
> Dave B.
>

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a

[censored]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound

similar

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to a leggy blonde in high heels.

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more

difficult

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use

ie

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I

don't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use

larger

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

Lets talk about application. What kind of riding are you planning to

do?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Personally, I'm not worried about walking like a dork 'cuz I don't spend
much, if any, time walking. Besides, if you're into cycling of any

kind,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

looking like a dork comes with the territory and the shoes hardly change
that. I ride on the road. I don't need tread. I don't need the extra
weight that comes with it. I don't need pedals that shed mud. I do

enjoy

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

two-sided entry and my Speedplay pedals take care of that quite nicely.

The

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

soles of my shoes are ramrod stiff and the feel of power transfer to the
pedals compared to the mtb shoes I've owned is awesome. And most road
pedals have a lower profile which gives better clearance in hard

cornering.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Catching a pedal in a turn is a sure way to go pavement surfing and

donate

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

skin to the ashphalt god.

But if you ride just to get to the coffee shop where you stuff your face
with pastry with your pals and complain why you can't lose weight or go
fast, by all means, get mtb shoes.

Bob C.

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

Two-sided pedals are a nice thing, I agree. But that comment about
cornering clearance is bogus. It is OK to stop pedaling for a moment if
you are leaned over that far.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

Of course it is. I never said it wasn't. But you can lean farther without
worrying about it if you don't have a brick at the bottom of your foot. You
missed the point, anyway. The first responder gave one very biased point of
view. I was just offering the other side of the argument so the original
poster could make an assessment based on the type of riding he'd be doing.
Not that I didn't editorialize a bit. And for the first responder to imply,
as he did, that mtb pedals were some kind of wave of the future was
completely bogus.

Bob C.

psycholist said:

"Ted Bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Two-sided pedals are a nice thing, I agree. But that comment about
cornering clearance is bogus. It is OK to stop pedaling for a moment if
you are leaned over that far.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

Of course it is. I never said it wasn't. But you can lean farther without
worrying about it if you don't have a brick at the bottom of your foot. You
missed the point, anyway. The first responder gave one very biased point of
view. I was just offering the other side of the argument so the original
poster could make an assessment based on the type of riding he'd be doing.
Not that I didn't editorialize a bit. And for the first responder to imply,
as he did, that mtb pedals were some kind of wave of the future was
completely bogus.

Bob C.

MTB pedals are not bricks being as they are not much bigger than the
mechanism itself so thats bogus. Besides the OP is replacing the pedals
on his MTB and road bike so it would make sense to have the same on each
and the MTB shoes are the better choice IMO unless you're setting
awesome world speed records obviously.

Ted Bennett said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Vincent Wilcox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

DaveB wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes
> with clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the
> difference is between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes.
> I've seen comments about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why
> a pedal varies.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a
[censored] and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a
sound similar to a leggy blonde in high heels.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road
ones are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more
difficult to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday
use ie around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like
SIDI so I don't think thats a factor.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use
larger cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lets talk about application. What kind of riding are you planning
to do? Personally, I'm not worried about walking like a dork 'cuz I
don't spend much, if any, time walking. Besides, if you're into
cycling of any kind, looking like a dork comes with the territory
and the shoes hardly change that. I ride on the road. I don't need
tread. I don't need the extra weight that comes with it. I don't
need pedals that shed mud. I do enjoy two-sided entry and my
Speedplay pedals take care of that quite nicely. The soles of my
shoes are ramrod stiff and the feel of power transfer to the pedals
compared to the mtb shoes I've owned is awesome. And most road
pedals have a lower profile which gives better clearance in hard
cornering. Catching a pedal in a turn is a sure way to go pavement
surfing and donate skin to the ashphalt god.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But if you ride just to get to the coffee shop where you stuff your
face with pastry with your pals and complain why you can't lose
weight or go fast, by all means, get mtb shoes.

Quoted message said:

Wow ... now THERE's an unbiased response. Sheesh.

"Bias" is not the word...

Quoted message said:

Two-sided pedals are a nice thing, I agree. But that comment about
cornering clearance is bogus. It is OK to stop pedaling for a moment
if you are leaned over that far.

Besides, most bikes still have bottom bracket heights from before the clipless
days, so there's plenty of clearance anyway. And I don't know anyone who's
still pedaling at the limit (45 deg lean). I've never had a pedal strike with a
clipless pedal, though I've had many with platform/quill pedals. This is
non-issue.

Unless you're convinced you need the larger platform of a "road" pedal, there's
no reason not to have MTB pedals. They're far more convenient, and cheaper.

Matt O.

"Vincent Wilcox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

psycholist said:

"Ted Bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Two-sided pedals are a nice thing, I agree. But that comment about
cornering clearance is bogus. It is OK to stop pedaling for a moment if
you are leaned over that far.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

Of course it is. I never said it wasn't. But you can lean farther

without

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

worrying about it if you don't have a brick at the bottom of your foot.

You

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

missed the point, anyway. The first responder gave one very biased

point of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

view. I was just offering the other side of the argument so the

original

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

poster could make an assessment based on the type of riding he'd be

doing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not that I didn't editorialize a bit. And for the first responder to

imply,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

as he did, that mtb pedals were some kind of wave of the future was
completely bogus.

Bob C.

MTB pedals are not bricks being as they are not much bigger than the
mechanism itself so thats bogus. Besides the OP is replacing the pedals
on his MTB and road bike so it would make sense to have the same on each
and the MTB shoes are the better choice IMO unless you're setting
awesome world speed records obviously.

Ah yes ... I missed that part (wanting the same pedals on an mtb and road
bike). You certainly can use mtb pedals on a road bike. You certainly
wouldn't want to use road pedals on an mtb bike.

My apologies.

Bob C.

Vincent Wilcox said:

DaveB said:

I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes with
clipless and new shoes.

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.
The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.
You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.
The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.
IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Perfect summing up.Now all the hardcore roadies will be jumping on you for
stating what is true!
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
http://www.dvatc.co.uk - Off-road cycling in the North Midlands.

A.Lee said:

Perfect summing up.Now all the hardcore roadies will be jumping on you for
stating what is true!

Not necessarily. I would probably qualify, but use mountain-bike pedals
(Speedplay Frogs, to be precise) on all my bikes. Well, actually, my
mountain bike/commuter has big ol' "rat trap" style pedals that allow me
to wear real shoes, but that is another story.

I find my Frogs to be much more practical, and comfortable, than road
pedals. I have never pulled out, either, which most people using Looks
eventually do when their cleats wear out.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster. --Greg LeMond
_`\(,_ |
(_)/ (_) |

Vincent Wilcox <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.

Well, some types of road cleats make you walk like a duck, the other
two claims are, one an opinion [look like a [censored]], and two not true,
with the SPD-SL cleats that I use.

Quoted message said:

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

Properly designed one sided pedals are no more difficult to clip-in
to. The good ones are properly weighted and once used to them are easy
to enter in any traffic situation.

Quoted message said:

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

Ok, SPD-R is just one type of road pedal, they are not all SPD-R. Some
use a larger cleat, like the Look style pedals. They do market some
SPD type pedals for road use, those cleats are the smaller size.
Prices vary and they may or may not be more expensive than a MTB
pedal.

That said, if you are only going to buy one type of pedal and shoe,
then I would suggest a pedal that you can use a MTB shoe with. They
will be more versatile than a road shoe. to get an idea of what is
available, take a look at the selection at some of the online dealers
or better yet, head over to your LBS.

I recently answered another post covering this same topic, see link. I
want to mention that well I believe that my info is accurate and my
opinions sound, most of the regulars on rec.bicyle.tech are much more
knowledgable than me.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=author:jstarr%40peoplepc.com&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&safe=off&selm=10c5841f.0404132036.39594cff%40posting.google.com&rnum=3

Life is Good!
Jeff

Quoted message said:

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 11:23:51 -0400, "psycholist" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

But if you ride just to get to the coffee shop where you stuff your face
with pastry with your pals and complain why you can't lose weight or go
fast, by all means, get mtb shoes.

Other than the few that really race all the time, I see no reason for
a rider to use a non walking shoe.

I do more than ride to the coffee shop and I wear shoes that I can
walk in. I was fortunate in that I standardized on the older
DA/Ultegra single sided SPD pedal, which can use a MTB, recessed type
cleat. I have road, MTB, sandals, and the Shimano touring SH-091
shoes. In time I abandoned the road shoe because the cleat and
pontoons were always getting bad. The MTB shoes are ok but I don't
like the cleated section loading up with garbage that gets in the
house. The MTB shoes are a bit heavier too. I now use the touring
shoe, which has a flat bottom almost all the time. AND, my latest sub
17 lb bicycle has Shimano 959 x 2 sided pedals as does the tandem.

I ride 12-15,000 miles/yr and have done that since '92. I ruined a
set of Look cleats on a single double century in Death Valley because
I did need to walk about the checkpoints, and get food, water, etc. I
never could get the hand of getting into and out of the SPD-R pedals.
When the climbing gets steep ~20%, I walk and save my legs for later.
I walk when I have mechanicals or cramps. Oh, I race too and don't
shave my legs, use a mirror, and my touring shoes. I'm sure I look
like a phred. I'm old too.

<http://www.caltriplecrown.com/02wintot.htm>
<http://www.caltriplecrown.com/Fame.htm#PK>

DaveB said:

I'm about to replace the toe-clip pedals on my MTB and road bikes with
clipless and new shoes. Can someone tell me what the difference is
between MTB and road pedals and MTB and road shoes. I've seen comments
about shoe stiffness varying but can't see why a pedal varies.

This has been discussed to death. Search groups.google.com for all
the info you could possibly want. I recommend MTB pedals.

My past messages about this:
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=onanian+mtb+road+clipless
--
Rick Onanian

Jeff Starr said:

Vincent Wilcox <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The MTB shoes are generally walkable due to a recessed cleat and a
proper tread. Road shoes make you walk like a duck and look like a [censored]
and just to ensure that everyone notices you, they make a sound similar
to a leggy blonde in high heels.

Well, some types of road cleats make you walk like a duck, the other
two claims are, one an opinion [look like a [censored]], and two not true,
with the SPD-SL cleats that I use.

Quoted message said:

The MTB pedals are usually double sided as well where as the road ones
are single sided presumably to save weight and to make it more difficult
to clip-in while in heavy traffic.

Properly designed one sided pedals are no more difficult to clip-in
to. The good ones are properly weighted and once used to them are easy
to enter in any traffic situation.

Quoted message said:

You can get flexible soled MTB shoes which are great for everyday use ie
around the office. You can also get stiff MTB shoes like SIDI so I don't
think thats a factor.

The pedals are different in that the road ones are SPD-R and use larger
cleats and presumably they are more expensive.

Ok, SPD-R is just one type of road pedal, they are not all SPD-R. Some
use a larger cleat, like the Look style pedals. They do market some
SPD type pedals for road use, those cleats are the smaller size.
Prices vary and they may or may not be more expensive than a MTB
pedal.

That said, if you are only going to buy one type of pedal and shoe,
then I would suggest a pedal that you can use a MTB shoe with. They
will be more versatile than a road shoe. to get an idea of what is
available, take a look at the selection at some of the online dealers
or better yet, head over to your LBS.

I recently answered another post covering this same topic, see link. I
want to mention that well I believe that my info is accurate and my
opinions sound, most of the regulars on rec.bicyle.tech are much more
knowledgable than me.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=author:jstarr%40peoplepc.com&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&c2coff=1&safe=off&selm=10c5841f.0404132036.39594cff%40posting.google.com&rnum=3

Life is Good!
Jeff

Quoted message said:

IMHO the MTB ones are the way forward.

Something nobody has mentioned so far: road pedals generally have
a larger contact area on the shoe, and spread the pressure from the
pedal over a larger area of your foot. MTB pedals have a smaller
contact point and can _sometimes_ lead to painful "hot spots".

Until this year I have used Speedplay Frogs on both my road bike and
Hybrid, and I was able to ride distances up to 100 miles without too
much discomfort. After a while however, I developed a very painful
area on the ball of my left foot. The pain at times became quite
intense. This year, hoping to avoid this problem, I have switched to
Shimano road pedals, and I find them a little better, but a lot harder
to get into in traffic. I switch the road pedals from my road bike to
hybrid depending on which bike I'm riding. The road shoes _are_ harder
to walk in, but I used to it now.

Still, all things considered, I would probably try out Speedplay Frogs
if I were you, but look for very stiff MTB shoes. Just my .02 worth.