Shoe color and heat
 

I have a pair of Specialized Sport Mtn shoes, I really like them,
but after I finish a ride my 'dogs' are REALLY warm and I let out
a big 'ahhhhhh' getting them and the socks off.

Now, the pair I have are black, I liked the look, and the wife has
been claiming I was stupid to do that and how I should've bought
a light color.... this strikes me as unlikely to be significant, but hey,
I try to keep an open mind :) so any feedback on this hypothesis
from those with more experience, would light shoes keep my feet
cooler??

Colour has not a great deal of effect on cooling but Airflow through the shoe does.

My first pair of SPD shoes were cheap. Very cheap. They worked well though but winter riding meant double socks and plastic bag between the socks. The top of the shoe was very light weight material and canvas. Airflow and water input to the shoe was tremendous. Not the ideal for winter riding on the offroad. They did have one advanrtage though and that was that all I had to do to empty the shoe of water was point the toes down.

A lot of riders wear white shoes but i doubt it has much significance, how thick are your socks? in the summer i wear very thin socks, but cotton not man made fibers like polyester.

MTB shoes don't have much venting due to the nature of the sport. They get hot. Road shoes are very well vented these days but on a long hot ride, I will squirt some water in through the top vents while riding. Just don't use the sports drink bottle by mistake!

I also have the Specialized Sport MTB shoes and I am not having the problem you are mentioning. I always ride with white, all cotton sports socks and they keep my feet fairly cool. Check the inside of the shoe around the mesh material to make sure it isn't clogged up with lint from your socks. Also, try opening up the vent holes on the leather with a small nail or awl to increase the air flow, just be careful not to puncture the mesh material behind it. I don't think that any shoe/sock combination is going to keep your dogs 100% cool in the summer heat. I can't remember if the Sport MTB are all leather uppers or if it is man made material, but that also has a lot to do with releasing heat as man made material doesn't breathe very well.

Not to Hijack, but I see some mentioning MTB shoes, my LBS showed me shoes, and it appears the MTB shoes would be easier to walk in,,, vs the road bike shoes. Do you wear MTB shoes on a road bike? He said it was simply preference in his opinion. But some may "Look at you funny" if you showed up on a group ride with that combo! LOL.. However if you have an MTB and RB,, do you have two pairs of shoes?

I always wear SPDs - both shoes and sandals. I don't see any advantage in stumbling around when I am off the bike. I also use pedals that have a flat side and a clipped side so I can ride with regular shoes at times and unclip when I am in stop and go traffic. I'm not worried about funny looks, but then, I am not a rider you would find in the peloton. :)

I have MTB shoes for my MTB with cleats for my Crank Bros. pedals, MTB/casual shoes and sandals with SPD cleats for my commuter/all around road bike with SPD A520 pedals and for my fast road bike where riding takes priority over walking, I have road shoes with SPD-SL cleats for my Ultegra pedals. Whether someone may think I "look funny" means nothing to me, but I do believe in using the best tool for the job at hand.

Back on topic - the air flow from open sandals make much more difference than shoe color in keeping feet cool.

Riding sandals, and I use them on my road bike. Easy to walk in. Cool.

No, and I don't understand why people are always worried about what others think or say about what bike they ride, what shoes they wear or what type of pedals they have or whether they have bibs or shorts or full kits. It should really come down to personal preference and how much you have to spend without putting yourself in a financial bind.

I'm amazed when I read posts where people want advice on getting a bike and they have limited funds of around $500.00 and there are always guys that post telling them to "just go out to your LBS and by bike xyz", which always turns out to be a 3-4K bike. Give me a break!

Now off my soap box and back to your question. I have the same SPD M520 pedals on both the hybrid and road bike because I really don't feel like buying several shoes just to be in fashion. My MTB shoes have worked just fine on the road bike and I see no reason to change them. Also, my wife has SPD pedals on her recumbent trike and I can ride that without having to get yet another pair of shoes.

Long and short, I would hazard to guess that most people do care about what others think of them. Just a side effect of a comformist society.

I have two pairs of mtb shoes, one better than the other, one for dry weather, one for the mud. I use them on my mtb and cross bikes which both have XTR PD-M970 pedals.

I have two pairs of road shoes, one better vented than the other for hot/dry and cold/wet weather both with Look Keo's.

Like BluesDawg said, right tools for the job. That said, yes, it is fine to wear mtb shoes and pedals on a road bike.

To the person that asked about socks... they are low cut running socks, however they
aren't particularly thin, maybe I should try some others.

On the sandals, you know I had looked at that, but was a bit concerned about protection.
Any users have reviews of say Keen vs Shimano? I do wear sandals when just making quick
trips on my hybrid (no clipon pedals) and like that.

I bought the Specialized Sport because I like being able to walk around a bit without the
cleats getting beat up, and they look just fine to me, don't really care what anyone thinks.

Drill some holes in top of the shoes to give some extra venting/air movement.
Wear cycling sox or get shoes a 1/2 size larger.

I think the OP just wants an excuse to finally get into that white shoe, disco fever look.


As to the SPD question, I wear Look cleats with road shows for very long recreational rides because the larger cleat and stiffer sole spread the pressure across the foot better. For rides less than 40 miles like commutes and mountain biking, the more flexible and recessed SPD shoe are the way to go.

Please provide empirical evidence that they are, indeed, "more flexible." Thanks.

Come to my house and you can flex the soles of my Sidi road shoes and my Shimano SPD shoes and see for yourself. Heck, it's an intentionally designed feature in many of the shoes to make them easier to walk in.
Not all MTB shoes are more flexible. Some designed for racing are just as stiff as road shoes - and hard to walk in.

Everyone has an idea and is entitled to it. But a person has to wonder...

You may be suffering from HFS, more than 40,000 Americans are affected by this condition every summer. Keep cool.

How do you get hot feet riding in OR? It must be the socks, I have worn black bike shoes for decades and do not have a problem, and it is hotter down her in No. CA.

That's kinda what I was (failing) to get at to CB HI...not ALL mtb shoes are flexible, there are stiff versions. Just because you see someone in a MTB shoe, you can't think to yourself "bendy!" For me, even the "stiff as a board" MTB shoes are easier to walk in than road shoes because the tread allows the foot to roll from back to front when walking.

Want cooler feet? Go sockless. I recently switched and LOVE it.

"The boys are lovin' it Jerry"!

I'm in West Tn. To say it's hot is an understatement. Most evening rides here lately start at 92-95 and end up at 87-92 degrees and very high humidity. The difference without socks is night and day.

Oh crap. Didn't read the original post well. I have road shoes. MTB shoes may be another story. Sorry.

Your heat problems are probably due to your wearing the wrong kind of socks. If you're using cotton socks then switch to nylon socks so that the moisture and heat won't get trapped. If your running socks are nylon then go to a thinner pair.

Some shoes breathe a bit more than others but the only difference I find between my Shimano SPD MTB shoes and my SPD road shoes are in the stiffness of the sole and the lack of walkability. I prefer the harder, stiffer sole of the road shoes on my road bike simply because that's what I've always used on road bikes since I get cramping issues in my feet with a softer more compliant sole.

As for the cold weather, I've got a pair of Garneau neoprene booties that fit over either pair of my shoes. They keep the water and wind out. I'll still use nylon socks regardless of the weather. As a matter of fact I'll use the same kind of socks for x-country skiing. If it's really cold, then I'll use merino wool socks which could be another option. Both nylon and merino wool are water wicking and will keep your feet happy in cold or warm weather.

As for going sockless ? Dunno about that. Aside from the fact that my shoes would probably smell really bad, I'd probably develop blisters at some point..

Personally I think sockless is better for "the smell". The shoes aren't bathed in sweat from socks. But that is just one opinion :)
My road shoes are more comfortable without socks. And, seeing as though I only pedal the bike in them and don't walk in them. But I know this is MTB shoe related and already apologized for being dumb enough not to read the OP well :)

Relax a little. Talking general terms here. Most road shoes are much stiffer than mountain shoes. And even some, maybe many, of the mountain bike and cyclecross racers use slightly more flexible shoes for the times they are off the bike running, as compaired to road shoes.

Do you have some info that most of the 50+ here are wearing the extremely stiff mountain bike shoes that I may be unaware of?

PS - I have four different sets of cycling shoes for the different styles of cycling in combination with other activities that I do. All have different levels of stiffness.

[QUOTE=jfvogel;12937756]To the person that asked about socks... they are low cut running socks, however they
aren't particularly thin, maybe I should try some others.

It would seem to be a quick and cheap fix to try some thin socks, i note someone suggested nylon or polyester, these don't work for me, they just make my feet sweat so i stick to cotton, but go ahead and try.

I have different shoes for different bikes, (3 pairs in all, old road shoes for my old road bike, new road shoes for my new road bike and off road shoes for trails and touring) I must confess i didn't really think too much about it, it just seemed to be the right thing to do, but now i do think about it my off road shoes are too clunky for the road and i wouldn't want to go mud-plugging in my road shoes.