Cycling shoes advice (not with cleats)

yost72

I currently have some Shimano SPD SL pedals, yellow cleats and some appropriate shoes. However, I am cosnsidering switching back to normal pedals as I'm not really getting on with clip ins or seeing much benefit in having them.

Assuming I do switch back, my question is whether there are any shoes which are good for cycling but also for normal walking around? One thing which would be useful is Velcro rather than laces I guess. I previously used to wear a pair of bog standard football trainers but assume there are better options. Any recommendations?

mitchgixer6

Why are you not getting on with the Spd's?

yost72

Lots of reasons really - not practical as I ride to work sometimes and have a fair walk from bike park to office, I find myself slowing down a lot earlier coming to junctions to try to avoid unclipping, I don't feel as safe in the event I need to stop suddenly or when I am moving at speed, my average speed hasn't increased so not seeing any real benefits.

I haven't decided for sure yet, but I am seriously considering dumping them.

w00dster

Hi Yost,
If you have a busy commute with lots of stopping and starting, lots of traffic plus a decent walk, then with you not feeling comfortable I would suggest you would be better off changing back to flat pedals.
Getting to work safely is more important than the odd Strava PB.
If you can then swap back for weekend rides to try and get more comfortable with clipless then this may help. I personally feel more in control of the bike whe clipped in, not sure about any noticeable speed improvement, but definitely better pedalling form.

t4tomo

Or try SPDs - a lot easier to clip in and out of especially with double sided pedals

JayKosta

I use a pair of regular lace-up oxfords that have a fairly thick & stiff 'rubber' sole.
Make sure the shoes have a sole that is stiff and that won't slip easily.
Also make sure the width of the sole is not too large for the pedal - some 'athletic' shoes are very wide.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

monkimark

Mtb style SPDs = best of both worlds. Wind the spring tension right down and you'll pretty much never have trouble clipping out.

cougie

I've been riding in toe clips and straps and running shoes for the past few weeks. Its a faff to get the foot in the clip at lights and things, but other than that - I can't honestly say its making a difference to me or my speeds. Not that I can feel anyway. And I've been clipless since they came out.

I'd always go clips just for locating the foot on the pedal properly. My running trail shoes have a strong sole and seem to work well.

yost72

Thanks for advice so far. The Shimano AM41s look like the sort of thing I would be after.
If i do get rid of the SPD SLs I will still have a basic toe clip which I used all of last year and got on with fine. I thought I'd see a big benefit to getting proper road shoes, clears and pedals but I haven't noticed any real difference apart from some of the negatives I mentioned.

mrfpb

I have the Shimano pedals with SPD clip on one side, flat on the other, but rarely use the cleats these days. I just don't get on with them,.and they don't add anything to the ride when.I do use them. I wear Chrome Kursk shoes, which are fairly smart. See http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/chrome-ku ... e-850.html

yost72

I am now pretty set on getting rid. Looking at advice I think maybe a good compromise would be to get some SPD shoes so I can go for my preferred toe cage option, but if I want to go change again in the future I just need to get pedals rather than another pair of shoes. Also, the SPD pedals with clip one side, flat the other, sounds a good idea - any recommendations?
On SPD shoes, I know the cleat area is recessed, but are you able to cover this up when cleats aren't being used so they don't get bunged up with dirt?

ForumNewbie

Yost72 wrote:

I am now pretty set on getting rid. Looking at advice I think maybe a good compromise would be to get some SPD shoes so I can go for my preferred toe cage option, but if I want to go change again in the future I just need to get pedals rather than another pair of shoes. Also, the SPD pedals with clip one side, flat the other, sounds a good idea - any recommendations?
On SPD shoes, I know the cleat area is recessed, but are you able to cover this up when cleats aren't being used so they don't get bunged up with dirt?

You really should consider SPDs with double-sided pedals. I was very nervous about clipping in at first but now I commute on these no problem, but wouldn't consider SPD-SLs as difficult to walk in and I can understand it must be difficult to clip-in on the right side, especially if not used to it. My commuting/leisure SPD shoes have recessed cleats, but when I used to have flat pedals, I just removed the cleats - you don't need to cover the screw holes up.

With these shoes I can unclip in plenty of time at junctions etc. and as they have ridged soles, I can easily move my unclipped foot further up the pedal and still pedal away with that foot unclipped by pressing hard down on the pedal without it slipping off. I usually have one foot unclipped like this when in heavy traffic just in case I need to stop and put my foot down quickly.

simon_masterson

Yost72 wrote:

I am now pretty set on getting rid. Looking at advice I think maybe a good compromise would be to get some SPD shoes so I can go for my preferred toe cage option, but if I want to go change again in the future I just need to get pedals rather than another pair of shoes. Also, the SPD pedals with clip one side, flat the other, sounds a good idea - any recommendations?
On SPD shoes, I know the cleat area is recessed, but are you able to cover this up when cleats aren't being used so they don't get bunged up with dirt?

SPD shoes with clips and straps is a good option. I did this for a while. The sole stiffness makes them nicer than trainers, since there are few dedicated options for non-clipless cycling shoes these days. Get some with uncluttered uppers. I wouldn't worry too much about the cleats getting clogged up though - I've never had a problem, even when traipsing through boggy fields at Scout camps. They're made for mountain bikers after all!

yost72

I've decided to try the Shimano M324 combination pedals, and some SPD shoes to go with them. I believe I can attach my toe cages to these, but if I fancy going clipless one day, all I need to do is remove the toe cages.

One question which may be easy for me to answer once I have some shoes - can you leave the cleats attached on SPD shoes and use them like normal, or would the cleats need to be removed before I can walk around properly or use them with toe cages, rather than the SPD clip?

monkimark

Spd cleats are recessed into the sole of the shoe so you can leave them in.

Pituophis

I use spd's and touring shoes.
They look the part for the fashion police, and are also very easy to walk in without quickly wearing the cleats out.
I know you aren't keen on clip in's, and I wasn't either to begin with after a couple of mtb disasters, but they soon become second nature if you set them to their loosest setting.

yost72

Thanks Pituophis. That's why I am quite happy with my plan, as I can easily go clipless if I want, but if I don't fancy it, I can stick with the cages.

markhewitt1978

Yost72 wrote:

On SPD shoes, I know the cleat area is recessed, but are you able to cover this up when cleats aren't being used so they don't get bunged up with dirt?

IME this just isn't an issue. I've been on visits to stately homes and walked all around the gravel paths, across the grass etc and then ridden home. Remember that recessed MTB shoes / cleats are designed for moutain biking, i.e. acres of endless mud. SPD pedals are easy to clip out of, plus importantly if you get double sided they are super easy to clip into, you just stamp in, no real need to locate the cleat.

I had some M324 pedals as my first clipless for similar reasons to yourself, but I found I spent much of my time finding that I'd got the wrong side of the pedal and having to flip it over; when you're trying to make a quick move away from a junction and watching what the traffic is doing etc this isn't great, so I swapped for a set of double sided SPD, much better.

ForumNewbie

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Yost72 wrote:

On SPD shoes, I know the cleat area is recessed, but are you able to cover this up when cleats aren't being used so they don't get bunged up with dirt?

IME this just isn't an issue. I've been on visits to stately homes and walked all around the gravel paths, across the grass etc and then ridden home. Remember that recessed MTB shoes / cleats are designed for moutain biking, i.e. acres of endless mud. SPD pedals are easy to clip out of, plus importantly if you get double sided they are super easy to clip into, you just stamp in, no real need to locate the cleat.

I had some M324 pedals as my first clipless for similar reasons to yourself, but I found I spent much of my time finding that I'd got the wrong side of the pedal and having to flip it over; when you're trying to make a quick move away from a junction and watching what the traffic is doing etc this isn't great, so I swapped for a set of double sided SPD, much better.

I agree with Simon. I have doubled-sided PD-M540s on two bikes. They are really good and no problem clipping in as opposed to flipping over M324s to find the right side. Also can pedal easily with only one foot clipped in situations where you might want to put a foot down quickly, e.g. junctions, busy traffic etc.

ddraver

If you re gettin rid - look at 5.10 or shimano that do some shoes for use with flat pedals. They can be a bit beefy though as they re for MTBing. Chrome (there are a few others) also do shoes for hipster fixie cyclists that might suit too.