Shoes, is it really bad to use MTB shoes on a road bike?

Gazzer1uk

Hi folks,

I have my first real road bike and MTB. The specialized Allez and Hardrock, and have started training for an event in September the coast to coast event, of which the MTB will be used for the whole event 48 miles day one on road, 33 miles day 2 off road, but rules are you cannto change the bike.

However I am riding both bikes for training, the road to get Cardio Vascular sorted and the MTB for strength.

I have clips on the road bike and standard pedals on the MTB, boy can I tell a difference going up hill etc.

The plan is to go clipless but money is tight and I can only afford one set of shoes!!!! Thus I think the right thing to do is to got MTB shoes, but can I use these on the road bike, are they too different what might the difference be?

I could of course stay with clips, but I am using running shoes and the soles are very bendy and soft, so am not getting the best out of that......

Life is a compromise I realise!!!

Thanks

Gaz

Bobbinogs

This has come up a few times and there are always those who swear by road shoes...and others who fail to see the tangible benefits over an equivilent priced MTB shoe with a well made stiff sole.

I ride with the Spesh BG Sport MTB shoe with M540 pedals and this combo has been fine on long rides including the odd century. However, the sole is very good and the shoes fit me well and these factors are more important (IMO) rather than the road/MTB debate. An added benefit is that I can also walk around in them which suits me as I do like the odd cake stop when having an easy spin with the club.

rickwiggans

Loads of people use MTB shoes on road bikes. My guess is that ALL tourers who use clipless pedals do so. You'll be fine. There might be the purists out there who say you shouldn't, and yes, there are certain advantages in terms of stiffness and power transfer using a dedicated road shoe, but the difference between a road shoe and an MTB shoe is small compared to the difference between an MTB shoe and trainers.

magoo289

+1 for MTB pedals/shoes on road bike.

So much easier to walk in when you stop for cakes

sfichele

I used cheap MTB shoes from Aldi for around two years on my road bike.
The shoes were around £15 and they are excellent and still going strong.
Recently changed to fancy new road-pedals and carbon roads shoes.
Can't say I've noticed much difference in performance (if any), apart from the weight.

Nothing wrong with standard spds on a road bike!

prawny

I use MTB shoes and pedals. Much easier for commuting if something goes wrong and you have to walk it.

If I had a bike I didn't commute on I would have roadie pedals on it but there's a lot of people that use mtb pedals.

jehannum5

I rode for 10 years using MTB shoes on my road and MTB bikes...it meant I could spend more on shoes so I got the best shoes Icould find...essentially they were road shoes with tread. I rode 200k sportives, a few road and mtb races and finally converted to spd=r and road shoes 1 year ago. Can't say i've noticed much difference. Those who say spd MTB pedals are unsuitabl for long rides are full of it. You just need quality shoes and pedals. The dedicated road shoe/pedal combo has more contact area and is lighter and a little more comfortable...downside is it has me 'fixed' more to the pedal and i have no 'rock' laterally...more efficient, worse for my aging hips.
If you have lots of money get spedplay pedals on road and MTB and road and mtb shoes...then you can mix'n'match... or just use your spd's and ignore the weird looks you get.

avoidingmyphd

you might prefer road shoes if you tried them. you might not.

but don't listen to anyone who tells you there is a wrong or a right choice. wear what suits you. there's plenty in your post to suggest that what suits you is your mtb shoes. easy.

jehannum5

I rode for 10 years using MTB shoes on my road and MTB bikes...it meant I could spend more on shoes so I got the best shoes Icould find...essentially they were road shoes with tread. I rode 200k sportives, a few road and mtb races and finally converted to spd=r and road shoes 1 year ago. Can't say i've noticed much difference. Those who say spd MTB pedals are unsuitabl for long rides are full of it. You just need quality shoes and pedals. The dedicated road shoe/pedal combo has more contact area and is lighter and a little more comfortable...downside is it has me 'fixed' more to the pedal and i have no 'rock' laterally...more efficient, worse for my aging hips.
If you have lots of money get spedplay pedals on road and MTB and road and mtb shoes...then you can mix'n'match... or just use your spd's and ignore the weird looks you get.

springtide9

No issues at all. But I have just swapped and prefer proper road shoes.

Clipping in and out is harder with road shoes (so maybe a priority for commuting), but find road shoes more comfy (due to the larger contact area) as well as the soles are stiffer.

Variado

I use MTB shoes/SPDs on all my bikes - road, CX, and MTB - and rule 34 be damned (no, not the other rule 34). Much easier to use one pair of decent shoes and the same system everywhere.

If you're a high-level racer or a pro then the weight/power transmission might make a difference. Very much doubt that it does for me.

craker

It must depend on the quality of the shoe. I've got some old / awful Nike spd shoes which make the soles of my feet ache after 50 miles. They do feel flimsy.

I've bought a couple of pairs of road shoes 2nd hand, £4 and £8 I believe (ebay and here are the places to look). I also got some SPD-SL pedals off here for less than a tenner.

It needn't be expensive.

tarbot18

Hi i did the coast to coast last year whitehaven to newcastle 135 miles on a mtb with mtb spd s on and had no problems . Ive recently bought a scott roadbike ive put shimano m520 spd pedals on which means i can use the same shimano m077 shoes for both bikes and as i use both bikes for commmuting i find it easier clipping in and out at junctions etc, horses for courses id say but with shimano m520 pedals at £20 a pop its worth having a punt on !

John.T

Better to use M520 SPD pedals on both bikes and spend all the rest of the money on the best shoes you can afford. It is the shoes that make the most difference to long ride comfort.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759

micken

I went for cheap mtb spd pedals (520/540) and fairly expensive shoes with rigid soles (Shimano/carbon) three years ago and have been happily using them on both road and mtb. Can't comment on road pedals though.

sagalout

Rule 34

http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/#34

micken

^ yeah, but you missed rule 5 that precedes 34, htfu. :roll:

twotyred

Its fine to use SPDs on the road. I did that for years. I still use my MTB winter boots for winter road training.

nmcgann

Bobbinogs wrote:

This has come up a few times and there are always those who swear by road shoes...and others who fail to see the tangible benefits over an equivilent priced MTB shoe with a well made stiff sole.

.....

The stiff sole is the main thing IMO. I've used both MTB winter boots (spd) and road shoes (look keo) on the road and there's no real difference for general riding.

I have found that the shoes that have a bit of give in the sole to make them easier to walk in (e.g. Specialized sonoma/tahoe) are too flexy though. They give me sore feet when doing hard training rides.

WisePranker

I'm new to road bikes and decided to go with SPD's and MTB shoes as I figured that MTB shoes would work better on a roadbike rather than road shoes on an MTB!

I'm using the Specialized BG Comp shoes with Shimano 540 SPD's with no problems so far.

leonlikestrees

I have dodgy knees, and they are intolerant to changes in cleat position, etc, so I just use one pair of shoes for everything, and that has to be MTB. The only disadvantage to using mtb shoes on a road bike are aesthetics and a bit of weight and stiffness. If you go down the route of more race-oriented MTB shoes though, you are getting something closer to a road shoe with a bit of tread on it anyway.

That's what I do - ride the raciest MTB shoes I can, and use them for both. It's a bit of shame to go on my lovely road bike wearing mud covered shoes, but hey ho, I only have to buy one pair, and my knees still work just)

micken

nmcgann wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

............... a well made stiff sole.

.....

The stiff sole is the main thing IMO.

^ This is the key to it all.

markmod

What's all this with Velominati rules now, in the words of Howard from the Mighty Boosh

"I’m a crazy man. I’m a nutjob. I’m a freakball. You know? I break through all boundaries. If I see a boundary, I eat a boundary. And wash it down with a cup of hot steaming rules."...

Rules Pah life's too short, do what you want to do (so long as it breaks no laws, etc, etc, disclaimer), MTB shoes on a rode bike are good if you want to wear MTB shoes on your road bike mate.

MaxwellBygraves

markmod wrote:

What's all this with Velominati rules now, in the words of Howard from the Mighty Boosh

"I’m a crazy man. I’m a nutjob. I’m a freakball. You know? I break through all boundaries. If I see a boundary, I eat a boundary. And wash it down with a cup of hot steaming rules."...

Rules Pah life's too short, do what you want to do (so long as it breaks no laws, etc, etc, disclaimer), MVB shoes on a rode bike are good if you want to wear MTB shoes on your road bike mate.

Rule 34.

Teach

I love cycling, but I am sorry there are some cyclists who need to get a life.
I have my road bike which I use for commuting it has mtb pedals. It's just easier to walk around in mtb shoes when you get to work.
I do have a pair of road shoes, for my summer bike. Do I need them, not really. I can't say I've noticed any difference between the two types of shoes.
I would recommend using shoes which clip in as I do believe there is a significant difference in doing that, but as to what you look like I wouldn't worry. What's really good fun is when you overtake the cyclist with 'all the gear' and you are on your road bike in baggy shorts, the wrong type of helmet and ideally wearing a polka dot shirt! They may tut and shake their head because you don't conform, but does it really matter.

Teach

I love cycling, but I am sorry there are some cyclists who need to get a life.
I have my road bike which I use for commuting it has mtb pedals. It's just easier to walk around in mtb shoes when you get to work.
I do have a pair of road shoes, for my summer bike. Do I need them, not really. I can't say I've noticed any difference between the two types of shoes.
I would recommend using shoes which clip in as I do believe there is a significant difference in doing that, but as to what you look like I wouldn't worry. What's really good fun is when you overtake the cyclist with 'all the gear' and you are on your road bike in baggy shorts, the wrong type of helmet and ideally wearing a polka dot shirt! They may tut and shake their head because you don't conform, but does it really matter.

MaxwellBygraves

Teach wrote:

They may tut and shake their head because you don't conform, but does it really matter.

Rule 1.

Bar Shaker

I bought some carbon soled Shimano 'race' grade MTB shoes. They look like roady shoes (this didn't bother me when buying), are light and comfy and the stiff sole lets me ride all day without foot pain.

I can also walk around in them.

Stiffness of the sole and quality of fit is more important than the cleat used, the designation of the shoe or what colour they are.

ddraver

I ve had this recently too - tried with MTB shoes today and hardly noticed anything. That said they are SIDI race shoes, which are basically road shoes with some crappy plastic grip on the bottom as opposed to none.

I think this makes the real difference - you have to spend quite alot of money generally to get properly stiff MTB shoes. I only have them because my stupid feet re funny shaped and these don't make them hurt

Gazzer1uk

Well thanks to all for some considered replies, I take the summary as being MTB is fine on and off road, stiffness of soles is the key, get the best I can and don't worry about the purists.

I don't worry about the purists as I have an atypical body type for cycling, I am very short, very fat and very stocky/broad shouldered!!!

I think I am at a point where I might notice the difference now, so might start with shoes and then get the pedals soon after.

Thanks for your help,

Gaz

father_jack

Road shoes are stiffer. However imagine having to push your bike home several miles.