Do I need road shoes?
ilovegrace
Posts: 677
Hi all
Frequent question I know but here goes.
I need a new pair of cycling shoes, at the moment my three road bikes are all fitted with SPD pedals and I use MTB shoes.
My riding consists of 35 miles per day to round trip to work and back including two days of interval/hill training, and a ride of 40 - 60 plus miles on a Sunday.
I occasionally enter 80 - 100 mile Sportives and aim for a good time/position.
The question is , now I am i the market for new shoes , do I need road shoes ?
My instincts tell me to stock with MTB and the practicalities they offer .
Any thoughts or advise would be very much appreciated.
regards
ILG
Frequent question I know but here goes.
I need a new pair of cycling shoes, at the moment my three road bikes are all fitted with SPD pedals and I use MTB shoes.
My riding consists of 35 miles per day to round trip to work and back including two days of interval/hill training, and a ride of 40 - 60 plus miles on a Sunday.
I occasionally enter 80 - 100 mile Sportives and aim for a good time/position.
The question is , now I am i the market for new shoes , do I need road shoes ?
My instincts tell me to stock with MTB and the practicalities they offer .
Any thoughts or advise would be very much appreciated.
regards
ILG
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Comments
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No you dont. I am using MTB's shoes too and i am perfectly fine with them. You save some grams, and you have wider area to push, but thats all on my opinion0
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How much walking do you do in them ? MTB shoes are great for walking around. Road shoes can be v dodgy on shiny floors.0
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Nope. You can get some great pairs of MTB shoes with carbon soles and stuff so you don't lose any power compared to a pair of stiff, expensive road shoes.
Seeing as you already do sportives and didn't note any issue with regards to comfort there's no need to change.0 -
I use SPD pedals on my MTB and road bikes. I have a pair of 'road' shoes which are fitted with SPD cleats; I essentially keep these for the road so they don't get messed up on the MTB. I have...
Shimano:
MT51 - high ankle, used exclusively on the MTB in the wetter and colder months. Bombproof but heavy.
M065 - summer/dry MTB use, occasional road use - easy to walk in, light.
R065 - essentially a road version of the above; used exclusively on the road - light but not easy to walk in with SPD cleats.Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
Cannondale Synapse alloy with 'guards for the winter roads
Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere0 -
YiannisM wrote:No you dont. I am using MTB's shoes too and i am perfectly fine with them. You save some grams, and you have wider area to push, but thats all on my opinion
There's only one bit of that statement that's correct and that's the "no you don't" bit.Trail fun - Transition Bandit
Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
Allround - Cotic Solaris0 -
I've got a mix of SPDs and SPD-SLs on different bikes with shoes to match - once clipped in I couldn't tell the difference between them. I prefer the SPDs for any sort of ride where I'm likely to do more walking (touring or casual riding) and use the SLs on TT and best road bike. If anything I'd say the SLs were worse because it's trickier to clip in - so TT and best road bike is the best place to put them as I tend to clip in and out less frequently.0
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How can people not tell difference? Maybe i just stuck to low end of shoes with my SPDs being Shimano RT82 (which i am still happy to do flat commutes in) and SPD-SL being Shimano R171 - those are nicer to use on longer rides with 2 km or more climbing involved. Maybe it just fits my foot better.0
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No.
Stick with SPDs if you're happy with them. They are certainly the better choice for commuting with lots of stop / start and some walking at either end.
After years of exclusively SPD use I recently tried my first pair of road shoes and SPD-SL cleats / pedals. Partly to see what the difference actually was, but mainly because there seemed to be a greater choice of shoes in 3 bolt pattern.
Anyway, the shoes and pedals do look quite sexy, and the shoes weigh a lot less than the old ones did. I'm still finding them trickier to clip into though. Hard to say if the feeling of better pedal support and more secure attachment is mainly down to the stiffer soled shoes. Walking in them isn't very elegant, but on my leisure rides I barely ever put a foot down. Plastic cleats look like they won't last nearly as long as the metal SPDs. And now I need new pedals for the winter bike too.
So I'd say the jury's still deliberating...0 -
I used to run SPD on all my bikes, road bike, commuter, MTB, mainly so I could just swap shoes when a pair got soaked. Switched to SPD SL on a new road bike with a nice new pair of shoes and i must say I prefer them for road riding where I hardly ever need to clip in and out. Hard to say why i prefer them, certainly a very stable clipped in position and the shoe seems to fit in the pedal rather than on it.
Not much in it though. I did happily use SPD pedals on my road bike for many years but having tried SPD Sl pedals I will be using them on the road from now on.0 -
Hi all
Thanks for your replies.
Going to have a look for a pair of wide fitting stiff soled mtb shoes ,
Regards
ilG0 -
You don’t need road shoes, but they can make things easier / more comfy if your doing proper road rides.0
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Stick with SPD and get some nice Sidi Eagles or Cape shoes.0
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What size are you ? I have a pair of Lake mx175,boa fastening spd shoes in size 41 for sale. Had them bought as a pressy.
Only used a couple of rides. I just prefer my older Giro ones. They are true to size with a roomy foot bed.
If they are any use let me know and can send pics. Looking for £60 posted.
https://cycletechreview.com/2015/review ... oe-review/0 -
I've kept with SPDs for the last 27 years and through many bike because it was what I started with and when I had a both a road bike and MTB it was cheaper to get another set of SPDs rather than forking out for new shoes and pedals for the other bike> I now ride just a road/gravel bike and still ride with 2 bolt SPD shoes/pedals.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
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Or Tiger. :oops:solboy10 wrote:Stick with SPD and get some nice Sidi Eagles or Cape shoes.
8) 8) 8)The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Hijanwal wrote:What size are you ? I have a pair of Lake mx175,boa fastening spd shoes in size 41 for sale. Had them bought as a pressy.
Only used a couple of rides. I just prefer my older Giro ones. They are true to size with a roomy foot bed.
If they are any use let me know and can send pics. Looking for £60 posted.
https://cycletechreview.com/2015/review ... oe-review/
Unfortunately, iam a sze 43 44 and a wide foot at thzt. So i think they would be a bit of a tight fit . Thanks for the offer.
Regards
ilG0 -
Good to know that all the money I've blown over the years (many) on top of the range Sidi road shoes has been wasted. I blame all those pro riders making me think they were the right tools for the job.0
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Good to know I'm not doing "proper" road rides then ...Bottom briquettes wrote:You don’t need road shoes, but they can make things easier / more comfy if your doing proper road rides.0 -
Slowbike wrote:
Good to know I'm not doing "proper" road rides then ...Bottom briquettes wrote:You don’t need road shoes, but they can make things easier / more comfy if your doing proper road rides.
By “proper” I meant completely on tarmac including terrain, and faster than sub 10 mph ‘cafe / bread shop’ type rides ( there’s nothing wrong with those sorts of rides BTW)0 -
Bottom briquettes wrote:Slowbike wrote:
Good to know I'm not doing "proper" road rides then ...Bottom briquettes wrote:You don’t need road shoes, but they can make things easier / more comfy if your doing proper road rides.
By “proper” I meant completely on tarmac including terrain, and faster than sub 10 mph ‘cafe / bread shop’ type rides ( there’s nothing wrong with those sorts of rides BTW)
Hi Nick..0 -
erm - so like most of my rides this year ... the only ones that are sub 10mph are where I tow a 3yo behind me - and then it's pretty marginal (speed wise)...Bottom briquettes wrote:Slowbike wrote:
Good to know I'm not doing "proper" road rides then ...Bottom briquettes wrote:You don’t need road shoes, but they can make things easier / more comfy if your doing proper road rides.
By “proper” I meant completely on tarmac including terrain, and faster than sub 10 mph ‘cafe / bread shop’ type rides ( there’s nothing wrong with those sorts of rides BTW)
Perhaps I shouldn't have commuted on my "road" bike on Tarmac at >17mph for >10miles this morning using the SPD pedals ... naughty me.0 -
As I alluded to in viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=13095218 recently, but got no responses to date, my 2-bolt Shimano SH-M121G bought in 2006 are starting to show their age with a bit of damage to the right shoe's toe area. At some point in the near future, they will need replacing.
As much as these shoes have a recessed SPD cleat and I can walk quite safely in them, the most walking on tarmac they typically get on a ride day is ~30 metres round the back of the house to top up tyre pressures before heading off. If I stop at all while out, usually this is just one foot on the ground while I check where I am on the mobile map app, unless the fairy has made a rare visit.
The contact area of modern day SPD-SL pedals/cleats is massive compared to my 2006 Time ATAC setup, but whether this new stuff helps transfer power and reduces foot pressure points is unknown. SPD-SL shoes and pedals are certainly lighter than my current setup, approx 1150g vs 750g (for Shimano RC7 shoes and Ultegra pedals) excluding cleats... But then ~£175-200 outlay is a fair bit of money to simply try them!================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
That was what I'd wondered for a while so I decided to spend as little as possible to try them out. Cheapest Spesh road shoes in the sales and the most basic Shimano SPD-SL pedals.
I'd say it does feel like my feet are better supported and more securely attached to the pedals. Really noticeable when climbing. But then again I've gone from worn SPD pedals and cleats on a pair of Nike touring shoes which must be 15 years old. Maybe I should've done one side at a time to do a better comparison?
I'm thinking I'll probably make the switch on both bikes and retire the SPDs. 99% of rides I barely put a foot down. I'm no weight weenie though so I'd struggle to justify the cost of Ultegra pedals. Likely stick with the Shimano Value jobs.0 -
That is rather dependent on the job at hand. No matter how far or how fast I am riding chances are that I will stop and walk around a bit at some point so carbon soled SPDs are perfect. For me. YMMV.PinarelloPrince wrote:Good to know that all the money I've blown over the years (many) on top of the range Sidi road shoes has been wasted. I blame all those pro riders making me think they were the right tools for the job.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I've recently switched from some very stiff SPD shoes to some similar road shoes (Garmin Vector pedals in this case) and there's no real difference - other than walking being more difficult and clipping in requiring a slightly different technique (due to road pedals being single sided).
Admittedly I'm only wearing shoes that cost £70, but I don't have any comfort issues and I seriously doubt buying some £300 shoes make any difference to my performance. If Garmin did a SPD power meter pedal I'd never have changed system.0 -
pamplemoose wrote:I've recently switched from some very stiff SPD shoes to some similar road shoes (Garmin Vector pedals in this case) and there's no real difference - other than walking being more difficult and clipping in requiring a slightly different technique (due to road pedals being single sided).
Admittedly I'm only wearing shoes that cost £70, but I don't have any comfort issues and I seriously doubt buying some £300 shoes make any difference to my performance. If Garmin did a SPD power meter pedal I'd never have changed system.
Hold my aching sides.
You can't tell the difference between SPD shoes but you have a power meter?
You only think your feet and pedalling are worth £70 but you spend multiples of that on a power meter.0 -
PBlakeney wrote:
That is rather dependent on the job at hand. No matter how far or how fast I am riding chances are that I will stop and walk around a bit at some point so carbon soled SPDs are perfect. For me. YMMV.PinarelloPrince wrote:Good to know that all the money I've blown over the years (many) on top of the range Sidi road shoes has been wasted. I blame all those pro riders making me think they were the right tools for the job.
If I want to walk I'll take the dogs. When I'm on a bike I ride it. A cafe stop and walk of a few yards is the most I'll do.
Have I wandered onto the What Hiking Forum by mistake?0 -
PinarelloPrince wrote:
You can't tell the difference between SPD shoes but you have a power meter?
You only think your feet and pedalling are worth £70 but you spend multiples of that on a power meter.
Not quite sure what point you are trying to make here. There are studies which show that people wearing trainers and pedalling on flats can make just as much power as someone in cycle shoes and clipped in.0 -
The main difference in "feel" on the bike comes from having super stiff vs. bendy soled shoes, not from recessed-cleat vs. road (exposed) cleat systems. On the bike, super-stiff composite or carbon-soled recessed-cleat (MTB) shoes don't really feel any different to similarly stiff soled road shoes. I've tried various ones.
That being the case, it comes down to the following:
1. Off the bike, the recessed cleat shoes are much easier (safer) to walk in. Whether this matters to you and how much walking you may do (or may very occasionally have to do in the event of a major mechanical where you can't be rescued...) is the key question.
2. The recessed cleat shoes normally carry a weight "penalty", because of the additional sole tread material, and sometimes because they have tougher/sturdier uppers. This is weight that's being rotated every pedal stroke, so presumably must lead to additional fatigue. Again, decide whether this matters to you in your use cases.
Weigh up 1 vs 2 to decide what's best for you.
Alternatively, just copy what the leading racing cyclists in the world do in their "choice" of sponsored gear and equipment, on the basis that your bike usage and requirements is *almost* certainly identical to theirs
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