Road Cycling - Road Shoe - Advantages?

I recently bought a new Trek road bike - when I bought pedals, I went with a basic Shimano 520 SPD small platform pedal because I already had Shimano mountain bike shoes that were compatible.

I was looking at some SIDI Genius 4 shoes and LOOK pedals at the bike shop the other day.....I realize that I am going to get a bigger platform for my foot and more float but am I going to notice that much difference to justify another $300-400? I am doing predominately distance riding (30-50 miles).

I also like the versatility of the mtn bike shoes because I can walk around 'normal' in them....

Thanks
Mike

If the shoe works why fix it. I think it is great to be able to walk around without having to walk akwardly and thinking about how you're stepping. I only ride with MTB shoes on my road bike period.

the big platform idea is bull. if you've got a good pair of shoes the shoe sole becomes your platform.

the jittery joes team races on eggbeaters. cesar grajales, racing for jittery joes, won the hardest stage of this years tour de georgia.

'Road' shoes might not allow for 'normal' walking, but in my view they certainly add to your pedalling force (due to the stiff sole). You're a cyclist, right?

Why change the pedals, if there are plenty of road shoes (including, I think, the SIDI's) that are compatible with multiple systems, including your SPD's?

A bigger platform, like the one found on Look pedals, has the advantage that you can easily ride your bike wearing sneakers (at least on short, slow rides).

the advantage of road shoes is road pedals. the advantage of road pedals is road shoes. you probably won't notice any difference between road and mountain pedal/shoe systems on rides shorter than, say, 75 km. but on longer rides, it's quite noticeable. mtb shoes are designed to flex, road shoes are not. flex means that the pedal interface is inefficient.

the advantage of road shoes is road pedals. the advantage of road pedals is road shoes. you probably won't notice any difference between road and mountain pedal/shoe systems on rides shorter than, say, 75 km. but on longer rides, it's quite noticeable. mtb shoes are designed to flex, road shoes are not. flex means that the pedal interface is inefficient.
Depends very much on the MTB shoe. Sure, you can find plenty of MTB shoes with very flexible soles, but you can also get some very stiff soled MTB shoes e.g. Sidi Dominator, Specialized Pro Mountain, many others.

An MTB pedal (SPD, Egg Beater, Time ATAC etc) with a stiff soled MTB shoe will be fine on longer rides. I use Egg Beaters with a Specialized Sport MTB shoe and have had no hotspot problems, even on a recent 105 mile ride. Plus they're easy to walk around in... :)

I have both general purpose Shimano ATB or "Touring" shoes and I have traditional road shoes. I wear them both (though not at the same time). On both of my road bikes there are Performance SPD road pedals.
A previous post had it right when they stated that the shoe sole is the platform. The touring (ATB) type shoe has a substantial steel plate in the area near the ball of the foot that matches up with the area of the foot that presses down on the pedal. I have ridden a number of centuries with these shoes and have found them to be completely comfortable. Another plus as mentioned already is that the cleat is recessed so that walking is much easier. The road shoes I have are also just fine. The main advantages that I can find is that they have greater air flow through what looks like nylon mesh areas of the outer cover, they have velcro fastener straps, and for what it's worth they are probably a bit lighter.

I've ridden my MTB shoes with ATAC pedals for several years. Ridden 30,50,70,110 miles at a time in them over and over. I see no need to change them at all. They work for me. When July/August come around I'll look at the road shoes, like I do every year, becuase the MTB shoes can get a little hot then!

I switched from a SPD pedal to a Look for the first time this year on my road bike. So far I am very happy with the change. It feels like I am more connected with the bike. to me, it feels much better on the up stroke. My total investment for the switch was less than $100. I wouldnt pay $300 for this level of improvement though.

I have another question to add...I currently ride specialized comp mountain shoes (stiff-soled) with eggbeaters. When compared to road shoes, i noticed that they are quite a bit heavier. I'de almost say twice as heavy as a specialized road shoe. Would this make a big difference in overall performance?

I have another question to add...I currently ride specialized comp mountain shoes (stiff-soled) with eggbeaters. When compared to road shoes, i noticed that they are quite a bit heavier. I'de almost say twice as heavy as a specialized road shoe. Would this make a big difference in overall performance?

It probably wouldn't make a whole heck of a lot of difference, to be perfectly honest. You'll notice the difference, but it probably won't be a huge one.

I switched from m515s to SPD-SL R540s, and went from a shimano mountain shoe (a more recreational type) to nike poggios. The poggio/R540 interface was very stiff, and I felt like a lot of power was being transferred, however, I didn't like the way the float felt. My main motevation, though for moving to the R540s, was becuase my foot kept pulling out of the pedal. I figured it was just a weak spring, but then I found out that I had the wrong cleat, the multi-release.

Now, I am useing the m515 pedals with the nike poggios and the small cleat, its a pretty nice combination. nice float with the stiff, light shoes.

I recently bought a new Trek road bike - when I bought pedals, I went with a basic Shimano 520 SPD small platform pedal because I already had Shimano mountain bike shoes that were compatible.

I was looking at some SIDI Genius 4 shoes and LOOK pedals at the bike shop the other day.....I realize that I am going to get a bigger platform for my foot and more float but am I going to notice that much difference to justify another $300-400? I am doing predominately distance riding (30-50 miles).

I also like the versatility of the mtn bike shoes because I can walk around 'normal' in them....

Thanks
Mike

I think it depends on you. If you are a hard core cyclist, then go with the road. There are advantages to them or there wouldn't be road/mountain.

I got the crank brothers mallet pedal with shimano mountain shoes. Reason being is because I need the versatility to be able to ride with regular sneakers or clipped in and being able to walk when I need to. Maybe i'll get road shoes/pedals someday for the hell of it.