road bike touring: which shoes & pedals?

Alain Quay

Am doing a 2 week road bike trip in France, and want to be able to walk as
well as cycle. I guess mountain bike shoes & spds are best, but
would appreciate any advice
thanks

dilemna

What's your budget?

GyatsoLa

There are lots of walkable spd compatible shoes on the market now. Northwave have a range called 'Bike/Walk' which work very well for touring. Shimano have ones too - from casual looking shoes and sandals up to goretex lined hiking boots (the MT-90's). They are all a bit of a compromise obviously, but they do work very well. Look out for spd shoes with Vibram soles, they are best.

will3

I went for walkable spd shoes (ie with recessed cleat)
and
SPD M324 single sided pedals -for the reason that if for any reason my bike shoes became unusable, I could continue with shoes readily available from any shoe shop that I might fing en route.

Worked well.

Kenjaja1

There are a number of ways of resolving this problem.

Scenario 1 - Long periods on the bike interspersed with long periods on foot - consider keeping a pair of non-cycling shoes handy and simply change shoes when you get off the bike. Obviously this ain't good if you are switching frequently but if both pairs of shoes have velcro closures then it is reasonably quick.

Scenario 2 Riding where you suddenly decide that the place where you are at looks interesting so you want to stop and investigate shops/churches/museums. Go for one of the previously suggested options such as the recessed cleat/Northwave etc - just make sure there is enough flex in the sole for comfortable walking. Flexible soles are not ideal for the cycling part because you lose power & therefore speed - However if you are touring you are going to look the scenery so going a tad slower is an advantage

Scenario 3 Cycling on and off road - with the off road stuff including trails, rocky areas (some rough & jagged, some smooth, some like scree slopes) and some areas which may well be muddy. This is what I am planning and the solution I am erring towards (but I have yet to decide) is this:

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/34 ... clips.html

With a pair of vibram soled shoes.

I know that, on my tour, I am likely to have to get off the bilke and walk with it & loaded trailer to get over some particularly awkward terrain. As far as I can tell there ain't a bike shoe out there which is going to cope with my demands and so I have homed in on this modern version of the old fashioned 'toe traps'

One other thing you need to think about is that during evenings and on rest days you may well appreciate a conventional pair of shoes. If you couple this with either my solution (if you anticipate similar conditions) or Will3's suggestion of single sided clipless pedals then you have a 'plan B' if you have problems with cycling shoes, cleats, clipping mechanism. His suggestion is also handy if, for example, you are at the camp site and you suddenly realise you need a pint of milk from the village shop (a mile away)

Whatever you go for you should test thoroughly before you go. However, even if you start your tour & then find you have made a very bad choice remember you will be in France. So in the worst case you will be able to find a bike shop to buy more appropriate kit.

Hope this helps - Enjoy the tour

TheStone

Pedals: Shimano M520 - cheap, but excellent double sided SPD pedal.

Shoes: Many options. I've just got some Mavic Cruize. Look great and excellent for walking. Not done more than 20km ride on the bike yet, so can't say what they'll feel like after an all dayer.

I only take one pair on short tours. (weekend or short week). If you're away for longer you might want a second pair for the evenings.

biondino

Spesh BG MTB shoes are incredibly comfortable, but I doubt you'll find any bike shoes which can genuinely becoming walking/hiking shoes, if that's what you mean.

will3

http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Shiman ... index.aspx

:?:

Magnus Thor

I can second the Shimano MT90. I've been wearing those for the last couple of years, touring and commuting and they have performed excellently. The sole is fine for walking, it's watertight and very comfy.


Magnus Thor
Iceland

dennisn

I have seen Speedplay "Frog" pedals used by roadies because, apparently, you can walk in them with much more ease than standard road pedal shoes. This is what they have told me and I read the same thing somewhere. That's all I know.

Dennis Noward

GyatsoLa

Kenjaja, as will and Magnus have said, the Shimano MT90 is a great boot for the scenario you are describing. I find them as comfortable as my regular hiking boots, and they are very good on the bike, especially in harsh conditions. The only compromise is walking on very rocky trails, the stiffness of the soles makes them seem a little slippy compared to a 'proper' hiking boot, otherwise they are fine. I've used them on tours in the Himalaya with no problem. I think Northwave have an equivalent.

GyatsoLa

Oh, and nobody has mentioned cycling sandals. Both Shimano and Keen do well regarded sandals. Not as efficient as 'proper' cycling shoes, but for gentle riding in good weather, they are great.

antfly

Shimano RT51 shoes and A520 or 30 pedals.That`s what they are meant for.

Special K

Are you going in summer time. If so, consider an MTB shoe with shimano m545 (double sided with flat bit) or m324 (single sided one side is flat) and take a pair of flip flops. with the pedals I mentioned you can ride in both sets of footwear.

antfly

Is cycling in flipflops a good idea?

Kenjaja1

GyatsoLa,
I have just seen your post and had a quick look at the picture of the Shimano MT90. I will certainly have a closer look at taht option before I buy.
Thanks for the pointer

alfablue

I also use the MT90's for touring, I agree with everything Gyatsola says. Great to only need 1 pair of shoes.

If I wasn't using waterproof shoes I would take some sealskinz socks - for wearing the day after the shoes get soaked through and haven't dried out.

andrew_s

MT90 in France could be on the sweaty side, depending on when and where.
SD65 sandals are definitely suitable for "proper" rides, up to and including PBP (where users reported that they avoided the trench foot some others were suffering from).

Metal SPD cleats cause problems for actual trail walking (rather than round town etc) regardless of how good the rest of the sole is, as they have no grip and slip off lumps.

A lot of cheap MTB/leisure shoes aren't really stiff enough for long distance riding, so if you do anticipate more than 50mpd or so, or are going somewhere with mountains, you may want to get a stiffer than basic shoe..

FWIW, I use Sidi Dominator MTB shoes (reasonably stiff), and carry a pair of Teva sandals for evening or walking.

alfablue

I wear the MT90's all year round, and in warmer climates, I know they ought to be too warm but they just aren't, and I have done a lot of walking in them (including Snowdonia) with no problems from the cleats.

Wooliferkins

For the pedals I vote for Speedplay Frogs. No moving parts in the pedals dead easy to clip into and out of. I'm currently using Specialized Sonoma shoes. If by walking you mean around town etc these are fine, too smooth a sole for proper country type walking though.