General Cycling Discussion - Walking in road shoes

I have some Shimano R076 road shoes which I use with SPD pedals and cleats.

I have only had them a month and not used them much. I certainly haven't walked very far in them. Just 10 yards to and from the garage every other day. But already, the soles are getting quite scuffed.

Obviously they are likely to get worn out eventually, but is there any way of protecting the soles so that I can walk short distances without causing much if any damage?

Thanks
Steve

My road shoes showed the same wear patterns almost immediately.. Not much can be done to stop such wear, other than levitation..I've had my Look shoes for more than 3 years.. They are still going strong in spite of the scuffed soles...

I have some Shimano R076 road shoes which I use with SPD pedals and cleats.

Are you using the small metal 2-bolt SPD cleats, or the bigger 3-bolt SPD-SL cleats?

On my club rides, few years, I've seen people with road pedals would put something over their shoes, I never looked closer though. It still made walking difficult but it provided traction and protected the cleats. It had a piece that would go over the heel and a piece that would go over the toes with something elastic in-between. They might have been some home made solutions though.

You may get better results if you post this in the Road Cycling forum.

you can get cleat covers for them...or just not care about the bottom of your shoes.

also, walking in grass is nicer.

If you ride Look or SPD-SL cleat systems, cleat covers are a must, especially for Looks. Unless you like spending 30 bucks every 1-2 months to replace your cleats :mad: Even small amounts of walking can destroy plastic cleats. This doesnt protect the rest of the bottom of the shoe, but really, although shiny carbon or composite looks nice, they simply aren't going to stay that way if you use them.

This is the main reason why I switched to mountain bike shoes and Crank Brothers Quatro pedals. I'll never use Look style pedals or road shoes again.

I've learned to deal with it, as I dislike completely changing up things that aren't technically broken. I just have to carry my cleat covers for when I walk more than a few paces. I wish I could use spd's or similar systems, but they give me hot spots on my feet, so my feet had a little chat with me and told me to get a larger pedal platform :)

. . .is there any way of protecting the soles so that I can walk short distances without causing much if any damage? . . .

Regarding the aesthetics of scuffing, not much I can offer. [Entropy is a cast-iron *****!]

That said, if you're interested in extending the life of the soles, just schmear the areas that take most of the sole-to-surface concact with GOOP. The hardened [yet still elastic and "grippy"] GOOP is a sacrificial layer and you just re-apply as needed. http://www.eclecticproducts.com/ag_adhesives.htm

It's right up there with the Holy Duct Tape in the pantheon of Useful Domestic Gods, in fact sharing the same easy-to-access storage space. . .used GOOP just this AM to mend a busted bird bath.

Thanks for the replies. I currently have some tape on the shoes to try and prevent scuffing.

I might get some SH71 cleats. That might make walking a little easier.

Again, are you using the small metal 2-bolt SPD cleats, or the bigger 3-bolt SPD-SL cleats? I guess a similar question would be, which pedals are you using?

The reason I'm asking is because they're very different. I could see walking around a bit on the plastic SPD-SL cleats since they're wider and the cleat-to-pedal mating surface is still on the top sides of the cleat "fingers" (for lack of a better term). I wouldn't walk on unprotected SPD cleats, though, because they'll get torn up quicker, and they'll mark up anything you step on, too.

If I had to use SPD cleats on a smooth-soled road shoe like your R076s, I'd get an adapter like this:
http://www.rei.com/product/785658?preferredSku=7856580019

That makes them a lot like Crank Brothers' three-hole cleat, which is what I actually use on my road shoes (plus CB pedals):
http://www.crankbrothers.com/3hole_cleat.php?itemId=

Still, if you're using SPD-SL, never mind what I said. ;)

I might get some SH71 cleats. That might make walking a little easier.

Now that I've looked those up...

Yup, they'll definitely help. Either get those or get an adapter like I linked to.

I'd actually consider getting the SH71s and saving the plain cleats for SPD-compatible MTB/casual shoes or sandals. No reason to restrict the kind of footwear you'd need for your bike to just one pair of shoes.

I am using 2 bolt SPD cleats and M520 pedals. I decided on SPD rather than SPD-SL just in case I do in the future, get some more casual shoes.

The SH71 is what the manual for the R076 suggests.

Now I wonder if the SH71 will be suitable for walking slightly longer distances (e.g. shopping centre :D).

It would seem to me that the answer is to not walk around in your road shoes. If you need to walk, get different shoes.

It would seem to me that the answer is to not walk around in your road shoes. If you need to walk, get different shoes.

Pretty much, yup. My personal answer is to have different shoes that work with your pedals, then plan ahead and use appropriate shoes for wherever you're riding that day.

Covers work pretty good, but it's another
thing to carry.

This is the main reason why I switched to mountain bike shoes and Crank Brothers Quatro pedals. I'll never use Look style pedals or road shoes again.

Same for me--I had an old pair of touring shoes left over from my rat-trap pedal and toe clip days. On a whim, I tried them on my commuter, and I realized I wasn't going any slower or working any harder than with my SPDs. You can't get touring shoes anymore, but over the last four or five years i've done most of my riding in mountain bike shoes without cleats, with BMX flats or toe clips. Only one bike still has clipless pedals.
I'm not saying clipless aren't more efficient for most riders, but they aren't for me.

I don't know if you are interested in switching shoes or not, but Shimano makes the RT-81 (Road/Touring) that looks just like your RO-76s, but with little rubber feet on the heel and toe for easy walking. This shoe also supports the SPD pedals/cleats you are working with.

I just ordered the RT-80, which is the 2009 model of the same shoe, because I wasn't a big fan of the B/W design of the RT-81. But since you're already used to that, you may find the newer model easier to find. I had to order mine from the UK, but they are EXACTLY what I was looking for... A walkable road shoe, without the huge MTB lugs.

Other options in this overlooked category are the RT-31 and RT-51. From a price perspective, I got mine for ~$70, but I'm sure that's because they are last year's model. Shimano doesn't seem to post much on these models, so they may end up being discontinued. If you have trouble finding information through Google, PM me and I'll try to link you to the things I've found.

Hope that's helpful.

I don't know if you are interested in switching shoes or not, but Shimano makes the RT-81 (Road/Touring) that looks just like your RO-76s, but with little rubber feet on the heel and toe for easy walking. This shoe also supports the SPD pedals/cleats you are working with.

I just ordered the RT-80, which is the 2009 model of the same shoe, because I wasn't a big fan of the B/W design of the RT-81. But since you're already used to that, you may find the newer model easier to find. I had to order mine from the UK, but they are EXACTLY what I was looking for... A walkable road shoe, without the huge MTB lugs.

Other options in this overlooked category are the RT-31 and RT-51. From a price perspective, I got mine for ~$70, but I'm sure that's because they are last year's model. Shimano doesn't seem to post much on these models, so they may end up being discontinued. If you have trouble finding information through Google, PM me and I'll try to link you to the things I've found.

Hope that's helpful.

Thanks.

I can't afford to buy any additional shoes at the moment but I will bare the RT ones in mind for the future.

I will go to the shops and see if I can find some SH71 cleats tommorow.

For those interested, I bought some Shimano SH71 cleats. Walking is of course, still a bit awkward, but they do make it easier and prevent the bottom of the shoes from getting damaged. I'd say they are now suitable for using when going to the shops :).

This is the main reason why I switched to mountain bike shoes and Crank Brothers Quatro pedals. I'll never use Look style pedals or road shoes again.

Me too. Works good, looks notsogood.

On my club rides, few years, I've seen people with road pedals would put something over their shoes, I never looked closer though. It still made walking difficult but it provided traction and protected the cleats. It had a piece that would go over the heel and a piece that would go over the toes with something elastic in-between. They might have been some home made solutions though.

You may get better results if you post this in the Road Cycling forum.

They might have been speedplay coffee shop covers -
http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.lightactioncleatcovers

Personally, for 10 feet I just walk on my speedplays and deal with it. If I'm going into a store or restaurant (sometimes I ride my road by to my friends place, then we get something to eat) I slap them on.

Though...doesn't help with Shimano cleats I suppose.

For those interested, I bought some Shimano SH71 cleats. Walking is of course, still a bit awkward, but they do make it easier and prevent the bottom of the shoes from getting damaged. I'd say they are now suitable for using when going to the shops :).

Cool, yeah, that'll work. :thumb:

I'm going to experiment a bit with Time RXS road pedals. I bought a set of RXS First pedals along with a frame online with the intent of using just my road shoes with the bike I'm building up. That goes against my current practice of using CB everything so that I can use whatever shoes I want on whatever bike I want, but they were a reasonable price, so I figured, why not?