Road Shoes for Off the Bike?

Ginjanutta

Hey all,

I am about to invest in a Specialized Allez Elite 2012 on the cycle to work scheme, with this being my first road bike and I am thinking I want to clip-in when riding.
The motivation for getting the racer has stemmed from a Charity Ride I am doing (East to West Coast of UK), 140+miles in 3 days. It won't be too gruelling, but I figure I should probably use clips to make the job easier and for me to enjoy my cycling more after the trip. If that's the case, I would like to invest in some road shoes that I could wear comfortably off the bike if the need arises, instead of sounding and feeling like I am wearing a pair of football boots.

Are there are any road style shoes that have a rubber sole? Also, should I go SPD or SPD-SL with my choice?
Would appreciate all the help I can get, with the shoes, or on the bike/charity ride....

snowy lowey

I'd reccomend the best mountain bike shoes you can afford (specialized have always fit me the best) and then going for a touring pedal the shimano a600 spd is what I use. The shoes will allow you to walk normally, which is handy when cycling to the pub!

godders1

Agree MTB shoes and SPD's are your best bet. Some people think it's sacrilege on a road bike but practicality wins every time for me.

mercia_man

Agree with the previous comments. For the sort of cycling you want to do, I'd recommend using SPD pedals and shoes. They're not just for mountain bikes. They're a good option for touring, commuting, day trips - in fact any ride which involves some sort of walking.

I use SPD pedals on all my bikes - carbon road bike, steel touring bike, performance folding bike and tandem - and use the same shoes on all of them. A lot cheaper and less hassle than swapping around.

For long-distance comfort, such as multi-day touring trips or sportives - a stiff-soled racing MTB shoe works well. Stiff enough so you don't feel the cleat or flex in the sole, yet fine for walking about shops, campsites, B&Bs or to the pub because the cleats are recessed and the sole makes contact with the ground via rubber blocks.

My older shoes are Sidi Techno MTB - similar to the Dominator but with mesh panels for cooling and rigid plastic sole. My newer shoes, which I've had for three years, are Specialized S-Works MTB. They look almost identical to the road version - same styling, Boa wire closure system, full carbon sole - with the addition of two rubber blocks to form a heel and two runner blocks either side of the cleat. These are really stiff and comfortable for riding long distances but still acceptable for shortish walks. I tried on the full Specialized range before buying these and they all felt good, even the cheapest Comp and Sport models, but the S-Works were so light and felt like slippers. I've done 100-mile sportives and a coast-to-coast ride across France (Med to Manche) in them and appreciated the stiff soles.

You can also buy SPD shoes which look a bit more "normal" such as the full leather Exustar Stelvio and SRT models. QP and Dromarti also do expensive variations on the same theme but I'd personally go for Specialized. I have also seen lower-end Shimano road-style shoes with a recess for an SPD cleat if you prefer that sort of look.

Shimano do a wide range of double-sided SPD pedals and a few road-style single-sided ones, including an Ultegra version, sometimes available at a big discount from Planet X.

Road cleat shoes like SPD-SL, Time, Look etc are great for ultimate power delivery on the bike but hopeless for walking about in.

Ginjanutta

Very useful guys, especially your detailed response Mercia!

I don't think I'll be finding myself spending £200 on some road shoes but by all means I will try the Specialized ones, I like the look of the Comps. Can I ask which peddles you then use if you're a MTB user? It would be great if I could get some double sided ones to avoid another bit of hassle.

houndlegs

I have shimano m520 pedals(I think)and they came with a plastic platform that clips in one side and turns it into a flat pedal. They were cheap and the plastic platform is a bit naff, but it does work a treat, and if you just want to nip down the shop for a pint of milk , you can just go in any old shoes or trainers.

mercia_man

I've got double-sided Shimano M520 and M540 which are great for the money and work very well. I also have a couple of pairs of single-sided A520 which look more roadie and have a larger platform for foot support, although they are more difficult to clip into - sometimes a bit tricky for loaded touring.

I also have a pair of minimalist Ritchey Micro V4 which are some of the lightest pedals on the market. They are so small you really need a stiff-soled shoe to make them work properly. They look the part on a fast road bike but the bearings are non-adjustable and rougher than the Shimanos.

rpd_steve

I think these are what ye is seeking:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shi ... s-ec005285

In short, SPD pedals/MTB shoes sacrifise a bit of stifness in exchange for much more conveniance and off bike comfort. Use SPD-SL/Look/Speedplay if you mainly do bike rides- that is like I do, home-bike club- coffee stop-club-home. MTB style are more convenient for commuting.

That said on a similar note to above, I use Speedplay Zero pedals and they do a plastic flat platform called the 'platformer' which clips onto the pedal to make it a normal flat pedal - they are very good.

kluens

I had the same needs in mind when buying my new bike, I opted for the Shimano XT clip/flat pedals and some Shimano M087 SPD shoes.

Very happy, shoes are really comfortable on and off the bike. I've wandered around town in them with no problems. Pedals don't have too much grip on the flat side but were ok the one time I was in the rain (I wasn't pushing very hard however).

Theres some of the 2011 shoe at Evans on sale, I grabbed the 2012's (didn't have my size in the sale) which look pretty much the same but black.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shi ... e-ec025527

Pedals:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=67250

straas

I use DHB SPD's which still look alright after a year or so, nice stiff sole and comfortable for hours.

The vents in them do make it pretty nippy on the feet in the winter though.

thefd

RPD Steve wrote:

I think these are what ye is seeking:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shi ... s-ec005285

I have these and they are really good for nipping to get the kids from school or to get some bread from the local shop. The clip in part works really well also.

I use road shoes with them but I'm sure they would work with MTB shoes.

Ginjanutta

Ok, so I am thinking...for shoes...these options:

Specialized BG Sport Tourers: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... RRWidgetID
dhb M1 Shoes: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-m1-mtb-shoes/
Specialized BG Comp MTB: http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/21614

Or just biting the bullet and spending a stupid amount on some lovely shoes:
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/20872

humpyg

Ginjanutta wrote:

Ok, so I am thinking...for shoes...these options:

Specialized BG Sport Tourers: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... RRWidgetID
dhb M1 Shoes: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-m1-mtb-shoes/
Specialized BG Comp MTB: http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/21614

Or just biting the bullet and spending a stupid amount on some lovely shoes:
http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/20872

I have SPDs on my road bike, and upgraded my shoes about a month ago. I tried on the Specialized BG Comp that you have a link to and found those were very comfortable and they looked good. I would have bought them, but went for the Mavic Rush/Razor instead as they were white . Perhaps pop down your local shop, or Evans and try some on and see what you find comfortable.

Ginjanutta

Yeah I saw the Mavics and liked them but many people have complained about the quality. Have you not had issues with the clip?

humpyg

Ginjanutta wrote:

Yeah I saw the Mavics and liked them but many people have complained about the quality. Have you not had issues with the clip?

Well I've only had them a month, but I've used them quite a bit. No issues at all, they may have improved the clip for the 2012 model? They were both £100 in-store at Evans (price-matched to £85). If you wanted white shoes, I'd recommend the Mavics, if it's black, then I'd recommend the Specialised BG Comp.

g00se

humpyg wrote:

Ginjanutta wrote:

Yeah I saw the Mavics and liked them but many people have complained about the quality. Have you not had issues with the clip?

Well I've only had them a month, but I've used them quite a bit. No issues at all, they may have improved the clip for the 2012 model? They were both £100 in-store at Evans (price-matched to £85). If you wanted white shoes, I'd recommend the Mavics, if it's black, then I'd recommend the Specialised BG Comp.

Can't find the email now, but one of the big online stores have them at 65 quid this Easter.

mercia_man

Think I'd go for the Specialized BG Comp MTB shoes. Or the Sport Tourers if your budget is restricted. Specialized shoes generally get good reviews and best buy ratings in group tests. Their footbeds are particularly good. My wife has older versions of the Sports Tourers and the recess for cleat is a bit shallow so you can hear metal hit the ground when you walk. I've tried on the Comps and they were very comfortable on me. But fit is a personal thing and I think shoes are best bought at your local bike shop so you can try them on.

As for pedals, any Shimano SPD should be good - especially with those discount deals from Evans. My preference is the M540 - slightly higher quality than the M520 and doesn't need the special plastic tool that the M520 needs to take the pedal body off the spindle for servicing. You can see on the pix that the 540 body is held on by an ordinary nut while the 520 has a plastic serrated collar. When you take the pedal body off, you simply put a biggish blob of grease inside, retighten the body back on and the pedals are re-lubed.

Double-sided SPD pedals are easier to clip into as long as you are happy only to ride in cycle shoes. If you feel you want to ride occasionally in ordinary shoes or trainers there are several Shimano pedals offering SPD on one side and an ordinary pedal on the other.

essjaydee

Another thumbs up for the DHB M1 MTB shoes

Great shoes that can be had without spending a fortune, equally good on or off the bike 8)

Highly recommend them.

Out of interest, I wanted to try road shoes and cleats to compare, and I thought they would be more comfortable on the bike with better 'power transfer'. Wasted best part of £100 on some Shimano MO77 shoes and Look Keo pedals and cleats. I'm usually a 45 (UK 10) but went for a 46 as these felt more comfortable in the shop. Toes on right foot go numb after 30 miles and get painful. Have adjusted the cleats several times, but doesn't make any difference. Gone back to the DHB's and SPD's and done 70 miles today in complete comfort. Haven't noticed any difference in 'power transfer' at all.

SPD's and MTB style shoes all the way for me from now on.

purple rain

Take a look at shimano road touring shoes. They look like road shoes but have a fatter sole around the cleat area to accommodate an spd cleat. You can walk around without the clacking sound of full road shoes, but they are still quite stiff though.

I've got a pair of RT82's and love em... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rt82-touring-shoes/ they've relegated my mo76's to bad weather use.

Ginjanutta

I think I have found the Specialized BG Comp MTB shoes in white, but they don't seem to sell them over here in the UK.
The white version appears on Specialized website but Evans and CycleSurgery and the like don't have them...

However this german site stocks them:

http://www.biker-boarder.de/shopware/Sp ... ling-Boots


How do the Specialized shoes come up generally?
I know I should try them on but it would be worth knowing beforehand if I should go a size up or not. I'm a UK 11.

humpyg

Ginjanutta wrote:

How do the Specialized shoes come up generally?
I know I should try them on but it would be worth knowing beforehand if I should go a size up or not. I'm a UK 11.

I'm UK 11 in Nike, 11-11.5 in Adidas, and the Specialised BG Comps were perfect in a size 45 (which I think works out at 10.5).

PS - I didn't realise they came in white otherwise I would have took them rather than the Mavics I got in the end (no problem with the mavics, just the specialised were really comfortable).

mercia_man

I'm a UK 9 or 8.5 in running shoes and my Specialized S-Works are a good, fairly close fit in 9 (43 EU). The Comps were a slightly bigger fit from memory than the S-Works when I tried them on in the shop. So I reckon UK 11 is your best bet. You don't want loose-fitting cycling shoes.