Shoes.

tim_wand

I really want to par my touring kit down. I ride with Shimano M520 Spd's on my Kaffenbach. On last 3 day tour I took my MTB shoes (adidas) and my Asics triathlon trainers for off the bike (also handy when inevitably having to push up some big hills).

I usually B&B tour but now I m starting to get into Camping. My question is what is the best combination on and off bike shoe which can be worn comfortably down the pub in the evening, I would like something similar in style to my Merrell Chamelon Iso shoes.

I still want to ride clipped in. I d rather carry the second pair of shoes than lose this advantage.

Any experience preferences.

priory

spd shoes all click or have very hard, slippery rubber tread and stiff soles, so I take the lightest trainers i can find. decathlon did some for 20gbp which are very light. flip flops are marginally lighter but my feet are not that tough.

tim_wand

Know what you mean. To be honest my Asics Tri trainers only weigh 270 grammes and if I shove stuff inside them. Wash kit e.t.c they dont even take up that much space.

andrew_s

SPD sandals.
No need for evening shoes (or socks), doesn't matter if they get wet.

cycladelic

I'll second Andrew - sandals are the way to go. No sweaty socks to wash.

I've used Shimano before but the ones I have now are Exustar - much cheaper yet quite snazzy.

If I go away for a while. I pack a pair of Crocs to go walkabout in at night. They are very light and comfy.

tim_wand

Thanks. Not sure about sandals. Are they stiff enough. Quite like the look of the Exustar 　
E-SS503 anyone know any stockists so I can check them out. The idea about no socks appeals too

andymiller

priory wrote:

spd shoes all click or have very hard, slippery rubber tread and stiff soles,.

There are some exceptions : Pearl Izumis X-Alp and Northwave's All Terrain shoes for example have Vibram/EVA soles and are intended to give a bit more versatility and traction for a limited amount of walking/hiking.

Are there really pubs where anyone gives a XXXX what shoes you are wearing?

tim_wand

No pubs that give a 4xxxx about what shoes your wearing but plenty I go into have flagstone or tiled floors where its dead easy to go arse over tit in cleats.

Sure thats the reason, not the several pints inbibed after dehydration from a hard day in the saddle.

Dont give a sh*t what people think of my shoes just dont want to carry two pairs.

cycladelic

tim wand wrote:

Thanks. Not sure about sandals. Are they stiff enough. Quite like the look of the Exustar 　
E-SS503 anyone know any stockists so I can check them out. The idea about no socks appeals too

Yep - they are stiff. That's why I take a pair of Crocs, as they - sandals - can feel a tad uncomfy after being worn all day.

EnglishChris

I've just bought a pair of Keen Springwaters for this exact reason. So far so good. Problem is that they are quite pricey (£100) and trying them on in the UK is tricky as no-one seems to stock them (mine came from Holland). But, no clitter clatter on the pavement. Sarah Outen is using them on her London2London trip.

I have a pair in UK 9.5 (too small for me) that I'm about to send back if they are any good....

andymiller

tim wand wrote:

No pubs that give a 4xxxx about what shoes your wearing but plenty I go into have flagstone or tiled floors where its dead easy to go ars* over tit in cleats.

Sure thats the reason, not the several pints inbibed after dehydration from a hard day in the saddle.

Dont give a sh*t what people think of my shoes just dont want to carry two pairs.

Get shoes with recessed SPD cleats. On mu experience Specialized, Pearl Izumi and Shimano shoes work fine - ie the don't click. Soles come in varying degrees of stiffness and you can also get EVA/Vibram soles which are very grippy. There are also shoes designed to look like more normal shoes (eg Specialized Taho - or do I mean Tahoma?).

And then there are sandals which definitely have their fans but personally I like my socks when it's cold and socks with sandals, for me, are a bit of a no-no.

mattrixdesign2

I have a pair of Black Adidas SPDs shoes, they are lace up and look just like trainers, and are pretty good off the bike, sole is a bit stiff, and the cleats sometimes click.

For the WotR I took a pair of flexible cotton slip on shoes, very lite, but absorb water easily :shock:

If I was able to keep my Adidas shoes dry I would have just taken them, may be use overshoes.

Brakeless

These look interesting. SPDs with 'normal' rubber soles. Not sure how stiff they are.

http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-de ... ellcat-spd

cycladelic

I like the look of these...

http://www.exustar.com/product_detail.p ... l=2&t1s=12

andymiller

I recently bought a pair of black canvas shoes from Barratts. 400g for a pair which seems pretty reasonable.

It's good to have bike shoes that you can walk in, walk up and down steep slippy slopes etc, but on the other hand if you've been cycling all day it is nice to change out of the sweaty shoes you've been wearing all day.

bobinski

What about these?

http://www.bikeinn.com/bike/northwave-s ... dal/8261/p

styling may not be to everyones taste...

if you do buy be careful on sising. I wear a sise 10 but mine are just slightly too small. The toe area is quite thick for strength or support and i suspect protection and i think this explains the tightness.

pneumatic

I have Specialized Taho's and before that I had Specialized Rockhoppers. Both with recessed cleats and laces (these tuck away under a simple elastic loop to avoid them going into the mech when riding).

Perfect on and off the bike, indistinguishable from a normal trainer (to an untrained eye). Stiff soles. Very comfortable.

That is the only footwear I have taken with me for tours of up to three weeks, although flip flops are a good option when camping, especially when you wake up in pine forest desperate for a pee!