CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

New Road shoes

(23 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by DaveC
  • Latest reply from amir
  • poll: Which would you suggest:
    Road shoes : (2 votes)
    18 %
    MTB shoes : (5 votes)
    45 %
    Sandles : (2 votes)
    18 %
    Clear heels!!! OMG!! (see Chris Rock..) : (2 votes)
    18 %

    9 votes

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  1. DaveC
    Member

    I've had my Spec mtb shoes for a while now. They are ok but flex at the midsole like shoes. Are road shoes more ridged? If I look at new shoes is it worth changing to road shoes? Would I benefit from road shoes over mtb shoes? Would more roadies talk to me instead of just glancing at my current foot atire and just tsk before ignoring me..... ;-)

    Of course I acknowledge that if I bought road shoes I'd have to change the pedals. Thats no biggie for the hunners of bikes I own... [gulp]

    Note Sandles are very similar to Sandals but made esp for dislectik spelers

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Coxy
    Member

    Road shoes make you walk funny!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Baldcyclist
    Member

    I've always wore road shoes, like them, as Coxy said, not for walking any distance in.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. wee folding bike
    Member

    Road shoes don't bend. Whether it's worth getting them or not probably depends on the balance of your walking/cycling.

    Ignore roadies, they are the guys who thought right angle cranks were great in the '80s.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Dave you can buy a stiff-soled "road"-type shoe that will take a 2-bolt clear i.e. an SPD.

    They will flex less and may be better for longer or faster riding.

    It's perfectly possible and comfortable to cycle long-distances every day with a slightly more flexible shoe.

    I have always found the SPD cleat* is much preferrable if your commute / cycling involves a lot of unclipping and foot-down at traffic lights. The road-type cleats are made from something like compressed nylon and wear out on hard surfaces pretty quickly. I have always found the SPD easier to get into without misplacing your foot and ending up with the nose of the saddle in your tender regions.

    * other 2-bolt "mountain bike"-type cleats are available.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Shimano (other manufacturers are available...) seems to be doing the badge engineering thing by using the same sole plate in various shoes, but selectively adding more or less tread for each market. My MO63 mtb shoes are basically the same underfoot as the slimmer touring version and skinny roadie version, and the slight extra weight was better than a shoe that was much less useful when walking around the shops.

    I've done the 'roadie shoe with Look cleats' thing and while I enjoyed walking like a duck (and therefore looking like a proper roadie, for once) it was supremely impractical for me the rest of the time!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. steveo
    Member

    My mtb (M077) spd's are pretty stiff, probably not as rigid as road shoes but might be worth a try compared to your current ones. Halfords and decathon both sell them so there is no guilt about trying them on and wasting the time of lbs staff.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. amir
    Member

    MTB shoes vary in their stiffness, even within the same brand. For example, I use Spec Sonoma for commuting (previously I had Tahoes) and the Sport MTBs for the weekend. The latter are far stiffer and don't bend. But they do have some kind of grip so cafe stops etc are no problem.

    I think that road type cleats are much bigger and so spread out the pressure more. I sometimes (but rarely) get hotspots with SPDs.

    You can get pedals for SPDs that are more road-type - perhaps helping to spread the load - e.g. Shimano A520. One-sided though -so not for stop-start cycling.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. ruggtomcat
    Member

    Dave C, face it, you know what you want, its written right there infront of everyone and yet they are ignoring the elephant in the room, thats right, I'm talking about sandals.

    You wanna do hunners and hunners of miles right? Shimano sandals all the way! White socks FTW. Have a thumb counter in the cockpit for tallying the horrified roadies.

    No, really. x

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. Uberuce
    Member

    Nonsense. He wants a pair of Sandovals, specifically Hope Sandoval, long-time Orbital go-to woman for ethereal vocals and lead singer of tripsy folk outfit Mazzy Star.

    I understand she's of medium stiffness but surprisingly easy to unclip.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. steveo
    Member

    I didn't realise Hope had spread into the sandal market!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. DaveC
    Member

    Hmm I have some Teva Sandles [;-)] which I could pop cleats on, but which make of White socks... oh hang one I'll start a new thread....

    Evans 'the welsh' bike store have 50% off Suplest at the mo. Suppose if I'm going to get something expensive, I should get something cheap?

    Hmm These:

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/suplest/supzero-crosscountry-carbon-buckle-2012-mtb-shoe-ec033677

    or these:

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/suplest/supzero-crosscountry-carbon-velcro-2012-mtb-shoe-ec033678

    I could keep the SDP cleats.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. amir
    Member

    SPD wellies are surely more appropriate these days.

    "Evans 'the welsh' bike store have 50% off Suplest at the mo. Suppose if I'm going to get something expensive, I should get something cheap?"
    Don't forget to try them on before buying.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. DaveC
    Member

    Amir "Don't forget to try them on before buying."

    Ah yes, last time I called Evans to ask about some stuff they wanted me to buy them before they'd send them to the shop for me to try them on. Then I could ask for a refund on what didn't fit!! OMG!!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. crowriver
    Member

    I think you should heed the contras on here and go with the sandals. The Romans and the son of God can't be wrong. While you're at it get a helmet mirror and release your inner Fred! I mean you already have a steel framed tourer...

    The roadies may sneer, but sandals under neoprene booties could be a stealth tactic. Watch out for the cake stops though, you might dazzle them with your tennis socks.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. DaveC
    Member

    Right I have narrowed it down to these:

    Spec Expert MTB stiffness=9 (Carbon Sole)150 quid

    Spec Comp MTB stiffness=5 (Composite Sole) 100 quid

    Spec Sport MTB stiffness=5 (Composite Sole) 70 quid

    Prices from Evans, which I'm going to pop along to at lunchtime to see what stock they have. But I've seen that Sigma Sports have (last years??) Sport MTB model for a tenner less - the Sport and Comp have the same stiffness index...

    I have a pair of Spec shoes atm so after trying them on its just down to how important stiffness is?.

    If someone can answer this I'd be interested to hear please! as if its not so important I could buy the Sport as they are the same stiffness index as the comp and buy last years model for a tenner less.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. Baldcyclist
    Member

    £150 for SHOES, *rubs eyes*, nope no typo there, £150 for SHOES?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. chdot
    Admin

    Only £150??

    http://www.rapha.cc/grand-tour-shoes

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Nelly
    Member

    Dave, my road shoes are Shimano R105 with SPD-SL cleats (the ones you walk like a penguin in). I got them on sale in Alpine, down from £100 to £60 or so.

    Carbon fibre sole - they dont bend - at all - and are great for distance riding as you get a much bigger stiffer platform, no pain etc.

    Utterly useless off the bike though, and need overshoes if slightly chilly.

    I use some Spesh BG shoes with spds around town though, as they are easier to unclip and you can walk around in them like trainers.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. DaveC
    Member

    Aye I've seen those too, spentive!!!! 300 notes!! eek!!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. Dave
    Member

    Stiffness pretty important, but I'm not sure about the difference in stiffness between the two shoes. You might be able to establish that by twisting them in the hand, and/or when you've got them on.

    If you want a shoe for distance riding I'd be tempted by road shoes with a two-hole fitting. I find the actual shoe more supportive (regardless of the sole, which is also rigid). The metal SPD cleats have a good lifetime on a rigid shoe and it's not so bad to walk in (probably because the metal digs into stuff).

    You could try some on in the shop anyway. They are cold though, need overshoes when it's nippy.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Dave, I've had five pairs of Specialized shoes including ones with stiffness index 7.5 and 10 and I couldn't tell the difference. The 7.5 s are more comfortable though I doubt that's because they flex more. Check the weight of the shoes. My first mtb pair weighed 1.2kg; my road shoes weigh about 350gr.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. amir
    Member

    Just to confuse you further Dave, how about the Spec Touring shoes -
    http://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/ftr/shoes/road-shoes/elite-touring

    Posted 12 years ago #

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