Road Cycling - Shoes & Pedals

I know this has been discussed a million times, and I even tried searching but I was unable to find the answers I was looking for. So here it goes:

I have a Giant OCR2 with toe strap pedals. I have tried on many pairs of road shoes, but I can't find a pair that is atleast somewhat comfortable. I have a wide foot, so that could be the reason. Well anyway, a LBS has this Shoe (Shimano SH-M034) (http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/20_1452.jpg), that fits really well, but it says that it will not work with road pedals, so my question is can I use MTB pedals on a road bike? What are the disadvantages? If so, what pedal would you recommend? And lastly (showing my real "newbieness") do the adpaters that go on the shoes, come with the pedals?

I am thinking about doing the same thing..putting SPD pedals on my road bike. People say there is a hotspot but I have never had any problems even after riding 40+miles. I like the idea having one cleat for all my bikes. I have a pair or Carnac Lingue Sport MTB shoes and they are very comfortable, I think I read somewhere Carnac has wider toeboxes than other brands, either way I like em. Plus they are pretty streamlined for MTB shoes, not like boots or anything like that

daratbastid is right about Carnacs - they typically have a wider toe box than other shoes, so you might want to try a pair on before settling on MTB shoes. Sidi also makes "Mega" shoes, which are wider than their normal shoes, so those may work as well. You really should try looking for another pair of shoes, IMHO. THe reason I say this is that I absolutely hate laces on a cycling shoe. Often times, when you're riding in the heat, your foot swells, making the shoes feel too tight. With velcro (or buckle) straps it's easy to reach down and loosen your shoes a little bit without having to stop and get off your bike. Laces make this harder/impossible. It's just something to consider

As far as using mountain pedals on a road bike: yes, it's possible, the threading is the same. Once again, as daratbastid pointed out, the concern is that with a smaller pedal you can develop hotspots. Every shoes company that uses adapters that I've dealt with has included one pair of adapters with the shoes. If you want another pair for a different cleat style, you have to buy them.

Use what works and feels good. It's a style issue only, not a functional one.
I wear a size 15 shoe (Euro 50 or 51), and for years, the only cycling shoes I could find that didn't cost $180 were Nike mountain bike shoes. I bought two pairs on sale at Nashbar, about 40 bucks each, and rode with them for at least five years. No issues, no problems. I still use them on my commuter, which has toe clips and straps, so I can get off and walk easily.
The style police may occasionally point and laugh. Extend a finger to them.

Shimano is switching to a wider last for their shoe designs in the '05 models. They should be available soon. Also on higher end shoes Shimano does have widths. As far as road vs mountain you can use moutain shoes/pedals on a road bike. However the advantage of using true road shoes/pedals is you get a larger platform which will be more comfortable on really long rides. Also they are typically lighter than the mountain systems. May only be a few grams but condider how many times you turnt that crank on a ride and multiply that by the weight savings. It adds up. Personally I go with road shoes/pedals for a road bike.

Ah, been there and done some of that!

I also have an OCR2 with straps. Had no problems at all riding with tennies until my mileage began to creep up. Once I started getting to the 30-40 mile barrier, I was getting some hot spots.

Also having a wide foot, I found it to be a big pain to get a shoe. I wanted one I could walk in as well and not spend $200+. (ie: Mega's)

After several mis-fires, I purchased a Lake Wide MTB shoe. (yes, it's a wide version) $99 at Nashbar. Velcro straps and fairly comfy. I just completed a 61 mile metric century and had no shoe issues. I will likely begin the process of converting my pedals to clipless SPD's in the future but for the moment, this works fine. For my ease, I might even put a platform on one side for those "ride with my 10 year old daughter" days.

Now I'm a bit confused as to why others say you'll get a hot spot riding with mtb pedals. Why wouldn't that be true if it was a mtb? Something seems a bit strange there. I'd like to know the answer too.

Sheldon
OCR2

Now I'm a bit confused as to why others say you'll get a hot spot riding with mtb pedals. Why wouldn't that be true if it was a mtb? Something seems a bit strange there. I'd like to know the answer too.

Sheldon
OCR2

The reason is due to the signifiganly smaller platform of the pedal. This causes the load to be distributed over a smaller area of your foot. Having a stiffer shoe helps this however a stiffer shoe and larger platform is better.

But then again, I assume Speedplay users might see a similar affect being those pedals are roughly the same size <?>

Now I'm a bit confused as to why others say you'll get a hot spot riding with mtb pedals. Why wouldn't that be true if it was a mtb? Something seems a bit strange there. I'd like to know the answer too.

Sheldon
OCR2

From my experience, road bikers do more distance than mountain bikers and in general push harder on the pedals (tough to really hammer on dirt and gravel). SPD pedals work fine for short distances and lighter loads (and also allow better walking ability) but road pedals with SPD-SL/large platform cleats keep your feet more comfortable on longer rides. Never having used SPD pedals, I'm not truly qualified to answer but I can say that I've ridden 70 miles on SPD-SL pedals and my feet felt fine.

Two MTB pedals that are common on road bikes are Eggbeaters and Speedplay FROGS. They both work well. I had a knee problem with the Eggs and am using FROGS on my roadie.

If you get hot spots it is your shoes, NOT the pedals. I've done centuries on Eggbeaters and FROGs with Specialized Pro MTB shoes. No hot spots.

...I have a wide foot, so that could be the reason...If so, what pedal would you recommend? And lastly (showing my real "newbieness") do the adpaters that go on the shoes, come with the pedals?

If quality of the shoe, fit, stiffness and, last but not least, adjustability on the fly matter - you owe it to yourself to look at a pair of Sidi Genius 4 Megas. Expensive (200+ retail ), yes, but if you are a shopper, you can find them for sub-$165 online (online or eBay retailer), perhaps even less if you wear a common size - I have a std. width 48cm (not common) - you can even find them on clearance for less. In addition to the adjustability, Sidis also have a replaceable heel cleat. I treat my shoes well and had my previous pair - not even as well made as the Sidis - for 8+ years. I expect to have the Sidis for as long/longer, so take the difference and average over the number of years you'll (enjoyably) own them and find that the $ difference is not as big a deal as it might look (fully realizing that it depends on individual financial situations...).

Whether adapters come with the shoe depends on the shoe. Many come with a certain type, but the shoe will tell you if they are compatible with certain adapters. Most will take all, but are not all equally suited. For instance, Time used to say that only Time shoes were compatible with Time pedals/cleats because other shoes added platform height when the cleats were put on other-than-time shoes. Real or marketing? You be the judge - never owned the Time system.

Good luck.

I use Sidi Dominator 4 Mountain bike shoes (I got them on sale for $139 + shipping) with Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals. My feet are fairly normal width with high arches - Euro size 46/ US 11 1/2. They are perfectly comfortable on my road bike, and I think that even if I didn't have a mountain bike also that I might still be on these. (Needless to say that the ability to use one shoe for both bikes is convenient and cost effective - it helped me to justify such an expensive shoe.) I find the mountain bike shoes nice becuase I like to walk around somewhat normally when I am off the bike with my shoes on.

I first converted to eggbeaters on my mountain bike and I loved them. It was a no brainer to put them on my road bike too.

It seems to make the most sense to me that the stiffness and fit of the shoe is really what will affect issues with hot-spots etc - not necessarily the platform of the pedal.

I know this has been discussed a million times, and I even tried searching but I was unable to find the answers I was looking for. So here it goes:

I have a Giant OCR2 with toe strap pedals. I have tried on many pairs of road shoes, but I can't find a pair that is atleast somewhat comfortable. I have a wide foot, so that could be the reason. Well anyway, a LBS has this Shoe (Shimano SH-M034) (http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/20_1452.jpg), that fits really well, but it says that it will not work with road pedals, so my question is can I use MTB pedals on a road bike? What are the disadvantages? If so, what pedal would you recommend? And lastly (showing my real "newbieness") do the adpaters that go on the shoes, come with the pedals?

Yes, you can use MTB pedals on a road bike. I use SPDs on my road bikes, and I've done lots of 100+ mile rides with them with no problems. I really can't think of a disadvantage off hand of using MTB shoes / pedals on a road bike (other then a small weight penalty -- MTB pedals and shoes generally out-weigh their road counterparts). Different cleat systems have different bolt mounting patterns -- you have to make sure that the shoe you want fits the pedal system you want. Road pedal systems generally use a 3-bolt mounting pattern -- there isn't enough room on the sole of a MTB shoe with all the tread material to mount a 3-bolt cleat, so MTB shoes are incompatible with most road pedal systems. There are a couple nice advantages to MTB shoes though:

1) You can walk in MTB shoes. Time ATAC cleats and SPD cleats can be recessed into the sole of the shoe so you're walking on the shoes' tread as oppossed to the cleat. I'm not familair with Eggbeater cleats -- they might have this feature as well. Before you discard "walking ability" as being inconsequential ("I'm riding, not walking !") -- try imagining walking through a 7-11 with only your heel and a portion of a plastic cleat providing traction on a linoleum floor. Then take another look at the treads on MTB shoes. :)

2) MTB pedals are double-sided. Road pedal systems such as SPD-SL and Look are single-sided -- and pedals seem to be weighted so that the "entry side" wants to hang down. So you have to do a little "kick the pedal over and clip in" maneuver, which admittedly quickly becomes second nature. It's still a pain though if you have to stop at a stop sign and try to re-start on a steep hill. With the dual sided feature of MTB pedals, you just stomp and you're clicked in. No fussing with trying to get the "right side up".

...I really can't think of a disadvantage off hand of using MTB shoes / pedals on a road bike (other then a small weight penalty -- MTB pedals and shoes generally out-weigh their road counterparts). Different cleat systems have different bolt mounting patterns...

I was thinking you could possibly run into a problem with crank/stay clearance depending on the size/width of your feet and the cleat placement. MTB shoes are a little bulkier (at least the ones I look at) and may cause you a problem here. Hey, if not, go for it...

Good luck.

I was thinking you could possibly run into a problem with crank/stay clearance depending on the size/width of your feet and the cleat placement. MTB shoes are a little bulkier (at least the ones I look at) and may cause you a problem here. Hey, if not, go for it...

Good luck.

It depends on the type of mountain shoe you looking at. I have seen "mountain" shoes range from looking exactly like road shoes all the way to full ankle height boots, I even seen one now called a winter riding boot that goes even higher. I obviously wouldnt recommend any of these types or boots. They are pretty much intended for thier purpose, say a good ride in the woods and a hike too. If you look at my Carnacs, they have a "road" version and a "mtb" version, the only difference between the 2, besides the cleat pattern, is the finish..where the road is leather and the mountain shoe is suede. The other difference is the mtb shoe has walking cleats all along the bottom whereas the road is smooth aside from the heal pad. The overall body and shape is the same for both. I believe most other companies have at least 1 model that shares these similarities. Maybe they are thinking "cross" shoes?

And on a side note I almost decided to go with those shimano road pedals with the SPD cleat, the blue ones..i forget the #. That would have been a stupid mistake being they are only 1 sided entry and I see lots of people having trouble engaging because it flips over. Probably why I see them all over for dirt cheap cuz they suck. Might as well have the 2 sided entry or whats the point! Looks like I am going to go with a standard pair of mtb pedals, probably the same I got on my GT ;)