2 bolt road shoes

naavt

Hi all,

I was told that 2 bolt cleats like Crankbrothers eggbeaters permit more float than SPD-SL, resulting in an improved knee movement for someone like me, that has had some knee injuries along the way.

Because of that i'm planning to buy a 2 bolt shoe for road cycling. I know that some brands make MTB (2 bolt), and Road shoes that only differ in the cleat mechanism and some sort of rubber pads for walkability, with the same sole stiffness and all round design, and that's what I'm looking for.

I have an Italian bike, so even if many swear by Shimano shoes, I prefer to put brands like Shimano aside and go for something Italian.

I'm looking at Northwave Scorpius 2 Plus Wide. For now, it seems a good option but I would like to ear from you, your experiences with 2 bolt cleat shoes on road bikes and every bit of advice on shoes that you can think of.

Thanks and have a great 2018!

grenw

I wear Sidi Dragon 4s. Apart from the 2 bolt cleats (SPDs) and the rubber grips on the soles they pretty much look and feel the same as 'proper' road shoes. If I could have justified another £100 the Dracos look a little sleeker and stiffer.

me-109

More float is not necessarily good or, at least, better. Have you also considered Speedplay? Lots of people swear by them for helping reduce or prevent knee pain. Pedals may cost more but may save you buying replacement shoes.

mercia_man

Sidi Dragon 3 for me for the past few years. Exceptional shoes although I installed a plusher insole than the standard one. I like the way they will last for years thanks to replaceable parts. I melted the rubber grips in a group ride last year when our leader insisted on us walking our bikes over a newly surfaced steaming hot tarmac lane. Unlike most other makes, Sidi do replacement rubber sole kits which screw in. So my shoes are as good as new again.

naavt

Me-109 wrote:

More float is not necessarily good or, at least, better. Have you also considered Speedplay? Lots of people swear by them for helping reduce or prevent knee pain. Pedals may cost more but may save you buying replacement shoes.

Yes I have, since it seems that those allow to adjust the degree of float one needs. Then again, I read that many folks don’t adapt quite well to speedplays and I’m a little concerned about trashing hundreds of euros to put them aside after a few Kms.

Besides that, I have a commuter e-bike with SPDs and a pair of Giro’s Rumble to go to work, and SPD’s on my road bike will simplify things a bit.

@ Mercia and GrenW: I don’t have an exceptionally wide feet but I need to use a high volume orthotic because of my high instep/arch. I was evaluating Northwave as they appear everywhere when I search for a wide shoe. Do you know how Sidi Mega shoes compare?

mercia_man

Sorry. Don’t know about Sidi Mega. My Dragons are standard fit. They are not especially narrow and have a fair bit of volume for my narrow feet but you need to go up one size for length.

Those North Wave shoes are considerably cheaper and look a bargain. But everyone is different and if you use special orthotics I feel you are best to try before you buy.

kirkee

Most clipless design mtb specific soles have rubber support blocks either side of the cleat recess i assume to provide more stability to the small cleat and pedal platform. Road soles that will accept 2 bolt mtb cleats have no side molded blocks so rely on the cleat alone. Anyone using a road shoe mtb 2 bolt set up would know if this set up lacks any stability or otherwise? Maybe good alternative to give better compatibility with your chosen mtb peddle would be to get a higher end pair of XC shoes that are light and stiff, as Mercia Man said with the Sidis.

grenw

Also can't comment on the Megas but I found the Sidis a better fit than the Shimano XC61s I had before them. Seem wider around the front of the foot.

sungod

naavt wrote:

Yes I have, since it seems that those allow to adjust the degree of float one needs. Then again, I read that many folks don’t adapt quite well to speedplays and I’m a little concerned about trashing hundreds of euros to put them aside after a few Kms. ?

"many"? what's important is proportion of users

i've not seen any evidence that speedplay zero (there are a few different speedplay types) has a higher or lower proportion of users with issues than any other system

with every single system there are some people who either don't like it or can't adapt to it

if you simply want extra float there are several options with road systems...

speedplay zero has adjustable free float, i use these not to get a lot of float, but to get a small amount of float exactly where i like it
shimano and look have fixed float, but the amount of float depends on the cleat, afaik max is 9 degrees for look (that's quite a lot)
there're other systems as well

if you're happy with spd stick with them, if you want to try a road system, there're plenty of options, some offering even more float than spd if you really need it

naavt

@ Sungod: You’ve posted some valid points here so I’m going to evaluate the cleat system first since I had to buy pedals anyway.

If I go the SPD route, I’ll definitely check Sidi’s shoes.

Many thanks for all contributions

deano802

I'm currently using road shoes with a Shimano spd adapter and spd's, I prefer the carbon sole of the road shoes as they give me a flat stiff base, but the adapter is 15-20 quid and will not last long, prob 500-1000 Miles if you are very soft walking with them.

I will either move to speed play or find a new road looking mtb shoe with a carbon sole.

type:epyt

Crankbrothers make 3 bolt cleats:

https://www.evanscycles.com/crank-broth ... gKZ3vD_BwE

They work fine with eggbeaters but work a little better with candy pedals as they have more of a platform to push against (luckily I still have 2 pairs of perfectly good quattro pedals so get the full benefit) …

bmxboy10

Sidi Eagles for me. Tried Speedplays and they are good until you need to walk!

SPDs are for most people perfect.

prawny

Anyone using a road shoe mtb 2 bolt set up would know if this set up lacks any stability or otherwise?

I tried this, it was horrible.

I've just got some diardoras from CRC for a reasonable price, but I'd have got Sidi's if I'd got the money spare.

naavt

Want to share this with you all and hear from you, even if - as you will see later in this post - I've already made a decision.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend about 2 VS 3 cleat shoes and he introduced me to a completely addicted CrankBrothers guy, who was kind enough to take us to his garage and explain me in detail what advantages he sees in Eggbeaters.

So he went like this:

They are the most effective pedals to clip in, and I give him that. He lent me his pair to try and the 4 entry points really work.

He then continued on the supposed advantages of this cleat system, like the option for change cleats from right to left with different release angles, the 3 bolt cleats conversion (giving the chance to later replace my SPD-SL on my other pair and uniformize pedals across my bikes), and, probably the most important feature:

What CrankBrothers call fine tune engagement. A system of sleeves and shims that are used to tighten the interface between pedal and shoe. He said that used correctly, most of the differences between a larger platform (SPD-SL), and Eggbeaters are dissipated.

All this with a minimal weight (pedals and cleats), less than most carbon SPD-SL pedals alone.

Besides that, is the issue I first stated: Float. Having the possibility to choose between 0 and 6º.

Well. He was not a seller but I have to tell you that I was sold.

Bought a pair of EggBeaters 3 and a new pair of Sidi Dragon's 4 Mega. Expect to receive them next week

fenix

solboy10 wrote:

Sidi Eagles for me. Tried Speedplays and they are good until you need to walk!

SPDs are for most people perfect.

You can get an aftermarket cleat surround that's brilliant.
Stops the screwheads from getting scratched.
Retains any screw if it comes loose.
Perfect for walking on and keeps your cleat from getting dirty.

MUCH better than speedplays own solution.

This is what they look like - https://www.ebay.com/p/Speedplay-Walkab ... /910893415

williamac

Re Speedplay Covers

No need to spend lots on these. I use these from ebay a bargain at less than a fiver. mine normally last a season or more

William

williamac

Re Speedplay Covers

No need to spend lots on these. I use these from ebay a bargain at less than a fiver. mine normally last a season or more

Edit with link

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1Pair-Cleats ... SwiVhZyLNg

William

jp4urio

I use the Giro Treble II with SPD;

https://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Giro/ ... lsrc=aw.ds

They look far more expensive than they are (in white), are very comfortable and are wearing well. Although the treads arent replaceable, that doesn't really bother me at the price. Walking in them you have to be careful on cobbles, where the metal SPD cleat can be the main point of contact on the top of one of them and slip. Generally they are absolutely fine, no different to any other road shoe.

naavt

As I told previously, decided for the Eggbeaters and Sidi Dragons. For the folks who believe that MTB shoes and pedals don’t offer enough contact to push against compared to a road SPD-SL pedal, the contact between the Eggbeaters and the Sidis, installed with Crankbrother’s shim on the cleat, seems to offer a very good and broad contact area.

Taken a photo in backlight to see that the shoe and pedal are in direct contact across the whole pedal.

maddog 2

Any decent MTB shoe.

The 'contact patch' argument is a red herring.