Shoes for Platform Pedals

[Glasspacker]

Hey all you platform pedal users! What shoes do you wear? I bought some Shimano spds for $90 (size 46 if anyone's interested) but I don't like them. The cleats interfere with my feet feeling like they are firmly flat against the pedal. I don't think I want the smoothie kind, as they would slide off too easily.

My wants:

1) Flat bottom with a little tread
2) Stiff sole
3) Lightweight
4) Affordable

[BlazingPedals]

Any clipless system is going to feel a bit that way, so I don't think it's the shoe. The only contact point is at the cleat, and the rest of the pedal is just there to hold the clamping mechanism. That's why the soles have to be stiff: because all the pedaling pressure is concentrated on a little inch-square spot.

[toybox]

Hey all you platform pedal users! What shoes do you wear? I bought some Shimano spds for $90 (size 46 if anyone's interested) but I don't like them. The cleats interfere with my feet feeling like they are firmly flat against the pedal. I don't think I want the smoothie kind, as they would slide off too easily.

My wants:

1) Flat bottom with a little tread
2) Stiff sole
3) Lightweight
4) Affordable

I have a pair of Cannondale mtb shoes that would seem to match your criteria. I like them alot and the way they look. I use these shoes for street rides. I have a more specialized pair of Diadora's for mountain biking.

[Glasspacker]

I've got a bad toe out situation and I like being able to adjust on the road. If I want "pull" in my stroke, I can use powergrips. I recognize it's inferior to clipless, but oh well. Just thought I would add that.

Anyway, I see the point in cowboy boots and sandals....both stiff soles...but I want sneekers with stiff soles. Maybe I just need to look harder.

The Cannondale mtb shoes.....are those clipless? Happen to know the weight, or price?

I think I'm falling into a weird narrow market niche.....

[BlazingPedals]

If I understand correctly, you would like to use stiff soled touring-type shoes with plain cage pedals. That can be done. You don't need to put the cleat on the bottom of the shoe. Most walkable cycling shoes have a plug or a cutout that you have to remove in order to install the cleats. Just leave them as-is! If the spot is already cut out for cleats, you can probably take them to a shoe repair place and get the spot covered up with more rubber. I've had a few pairs of Specialized shoes that would work very good as plain-pedal shoes. And Specialized shoes tend to be on the inexpensive side, which also fits your criteria.

[toybox]

The Cannondale mtb shoes.....are those clipless? Happen to know the weight, or price?

I think I'm falling into a weird narrow market niche.....

You can use them for either. I believe if you want to use clipless you have to cut the sole, otherwise they are like a stiff soled sneaker.

Price: I got them on sale for about $60. I think retail was $70. I could be wrong but I know they weren't much over that or I wouldn't have bought them.

[lotek]

ok, I've seen enough of this nonsense.
Consider it a warning to ALL that we are watching
all of this (and other threads) very closely

Marty

[Glasspacker]

Am I missing something? This isn't buy sell trade. Just asking a question.

Toybox, thanks. I can search for something like that. Believe it or not, I may have found something decent at a cheap shoe store (non-cycling). I just wanted something flat on the bottom, lightweight, and stiff.

Blazing Pedals, thanks for the tip, but these (did I use the wrong terms?) are like softball shoes (I call it cleats, maybe that's not right for cycling terms). Anyway, the bottoms are uneven. Not sure how I would fix that, except with a sawz-all.

I should've tested them out with the bike before buying.

[BlazingPedals]

Blazing Pedals, thanks for the tip, but these (did I use the wrong terms?) are like softball shoes (I call it cleats, maybe that's not right for cycling terms). Anyway, the bottoms are uneven. Not sure how I would fix that, except with a sawz-all.

I think what you have is mountain shoes, not touring shoes. Some shoes can have pretty aggressive tread patterns, which are only on the periphery of the sole, and are of hard plastic. I guess that's to get good grip in soft dirt, but they would be awful on hard surfaces like concrete or floors.

Here's a ferexample of what I mean: This is from a pair of Specialized Euro Rockhoppers that I got on Clearance at Nashbar a few years back. I don't think they're sold anymore, but they illustrate what a touring shoe can look like. The sole is rubber, the insole is stiff plastic with a steel reinforcement in the cleat area. I like them because they have a large toe box and can fit extra socks, catalytic toe warmers, etc. When they were new, they came with a plastic plug screwed into the oval cleat cutout. To install cleats, I simply removed the plastic piece. Now, I use them with plain pedals, for winter-only riding; so the cleats have been removed. They work great with plain pedals, they're very walkable, and they're fairly stiff; although not as stiff as a racing shoe. I've lost the plastic pieces, but their absence doesn't seem to bother anything. If the rubber part of the sole wears out or I decide I really don't like the tread pattern, I could take it to a shoe repair shop and they could replace the sole with, oh, tire tread or something!

[Glasspacker]

Yes I believe you're right, they are MTB shoes. The ones you have would be a lot better, but cycling shoes always seem to be heavy, unless you pay dearly. Hence the reason I was looking at non-cycling shoes. Yes, I am weird.

Comfy tennis shoes. Stiff soles. Flat bottom. Lightweight. Cheap.

I will find them. I will, I tell ya.

[BlazingPedals]

Well, good luck. For the most part, I think tennis shoes are meant to have flexible soles (aside from lots of arch support.) In a way, the best thing to look for might be some super-cheap tennies at Picway, etc. The cheaper they are, the stiffer the sole might be!

[bent4me]

I have always had a problem with numb feet. I found using Look pedals was the best, however walking was a trip. Being Bent for over 6yrs I have converted to large platform BMX pedals. This allows me to wear any shoe and just jump on my bike as needed. My favorite shoe is Sketcher. Their soles grip extremly well and have firmer soles than most other shoes. Their hiking shoe is just perfect and rivals most MTB shoes with the same firm and gripping sole. You do loose 1-2mph of speed but for me the comfort is worth It

[aikigreg]

So if I understand correctly, Flexy soles = hot/numb feet?

[BlazingPedals]

So if I understand correctly, Flexy soles = hot/numb feet?
Yes, or at least tired feet. The amount of the effect depends on how hard you're pushing.

[aikigreg]

Would explain why I'm getting numb toes. My shoes don't arrive until tomorrow.

[Glasspacker]

Thanks for the tip on Sketchers. I checked them out and the soles are pretty firm. But I could only find them in women's and kid's sections....

But I took one last look around at my LBS and saw some Shimano Lake's (sandels) and tried them on. They were VERY comfortable, limited tread, and have the stiff soles (clipless but totally functional walking around). I wasn't really looking for sandels but these were very nice and will work, especially during the usually hot RAGBRAI this year.

I put the Shimano MTB clipless shoes (size 46) on ebay.

[Portis]

I think what you have is mountain shoes, not touring shoes. Some shoes can have pretty aggressive tread patterns, which are only on the periphery of the sole, and are of hard plastic. I guess that's to get good grip in soft dirt, but they would be awful on hard surfaces like concrete or floors.

Here's a ferexample of what I mean: This is from a pair of Specialized Euro Rockhoppers that I got on Clearance at Nashbar a few years back. I don't think they're sold anymore, but they illustrate what a touring shoe can look like. The sole is rubber, the insole is stiff plastic with a steel reinforcement in the cleat area. I like them because they have a large toe box and can fit extra socks, catalytic toe warmers, etc. When they were new, they came with a plastic plug screwed into the oval cleat cutout. To install cleats, I simply removed the plastic piece. Now, I use them with plain pedals, for winter-only riding; so the cleats have been removed. They work great with plain pedals, they're very walkable, and they're fairly stiff; although not as stiff as a racing shoe. I've lost the plastic pieces, but their absence doesn't seem to bother anything. If the rubber part of the sole wears out or I decide I really don't like the tread pattern, I could take it to a shoe repair shop and they could replace the sole with, oh, tire tread or something!

How do you keep the laces out of the chain?