MTB shoes/Pedal for Centuries?
 

I have been using Speedplay X2's for over a year and love the float, problem is these cleats can't take dirt. Most century rides have rest stops in a field or at a park and I use the coffee caps but the come off very easy and once the cleats get dirty forget it. After losing 15 minutes to clean them out I can get back on the road. OK onto my question I have been think of using MTB cleats on my road bike (Mayby Speedplay frogs to keep the float) Does antone have this setup for century and double cenrty rides? If so what MTB shoes/cleats work the best for Long road rides? Most MTB shoes seem softer than road and I wonder if this is a problem. So please tell me about your setup as I'm planning some double century next year.
BTW In this years Death Ride I had to pull over on Carson Pass to make quick adjustment and cleat stepped in that fine gravel on the road and I could not clip back in, had to pull over and clean out lost 20 mins.

Most British Audaxers use MTB shoes. Higher end shoes are stiffer than entry level but I find a really stiff shoe uncomfortable on the longer brevets anyway.

MTB shoes and cleats are quite popular among road cyclists. The best shoes are, of course, the ones that are comfortable. As far as cleats go, they all work and are reasonably immune to dirt and mud. The frogs should do you well if you like a lot of float. I use SPDs and are quite happy with them.

Used SPD-style pedals for a while, now using Time ATACs which I'm really happy with. They are supposed to be great with mud and filth, though I don't go offroad and can't confirm that... float is good on them, though.

I am just starting to use my first clipless pedals and shoes... Crank Brother Candy C pedals with Lake MX-101 shoes.

My shoe choices were a little limited due to wide feet, but the ones I picked would have probably been on my list whether I needed the wide width or not.

They survived the rest stops on Sunday's ride...

I'm a Crank user, mostly Candies. After recently trashing one of my pedals on my Cross-Check, I swapped a pair of Mallets on. I was really pleased with the support of the bigger platform during the subsequent ride and the fact that I could reposition my foot on the pedal, riding unclipped for awhile.

If you like the X/2, go for the Frog. I use mine with a Sidi mtn shoe and have no problems. The Frog releases a little sooner (don't have to rotate your foot quite as far) than the X's, but other than that has about the same feel once you're clipped in. The shoe/cleat interface is also larger than on SPD's, which may make hotspots less of an issue, if that's a concern.

Cheap Shimano touring shoes and eggbeater pedals for my recent double century and double metric rides. I found them to be much more comfortable than my stiff soled road shoes especially for these distance events.

I've done all sorts of distances and toured on eggbeaters. I used to have speedplays but the care involved with the cleat was just too demanding. I haven't noticed a difference at all- the lack of free float doesn't bother me once I get the cleat set the right way. I had some people in my club give me grief about "Aren't you going to hot-spot?" and have never experienced this. I'm especially inclined to laugh back at them now that they make PINK eggbeaters- the pinnacle of style!

For my Long Distance Bike I use Eggbeater Candy SL's with Sidi Dominator shoes and have never experienced hot spots. I also have the Crank brothers adaptor to use my road shoes with the Candy SL's. For an upcoming 4 day quad Century I am planning to switch shoes each day. Personally I find that rotating 2 pairs of shoes is the secret for multi day events.

I don't have them yet, but I've been looking at the crank bros. quattro. It uses the same cleat as the standard eggbeater, so dirt shouldn't be a problem, but its a bit larger and designed to be more road-specific. And you can get the adapter to use 3-hole road shoes with them.

I ride SPD-SLs, and have only had a problem once with stuff getting stuck in the cleat - and that was canine-related.

Yuck.

I use Frogs on my old Trek road bike - just did the North Fork Century (bailed after 47 miles or so due to the nasty rain!).

I like the Frogs as they are super easy to get in/out of, once I realized there is no 'click' to let you know you're in. They are also quite lightweight and clean looking.

The main reason I like them on the Trek is that it is my slow easy ride bike and I like using touring/myb shoes so walking isn't as diffcult as with road shoes (I use the Specialized Road comp shoes with Crank Bros Quattros on my fast bike).

Two caveats on the Frogs - ymmv, of course.
They have a wider q-factor, which sometimes strains my knees on the road bike for harder effort rides. And with the recessed cleat touring shoes (specialized Sonomas) they do indeed numb out my feet regularly. I have to unclip and let the blood flow every 10-12 miles or so.

I plan to try the Specialized MTB Comp shoes this weekend with the frogs - if it ever stops ^%#$ing raining!!!!!

I commute and have done two centuries on my eggbeaters with the specialized Taho shoe. Love them. By the by, the eggbeaters do have "float", contrary to what an above posters said. 6 degrees, to be exact.

I can also walk around fearlessly at rest stops, at the end of my commute, and during grocery runs!

Just did 90 km yesterday on a new pair of Crank Brothers Quattro road pedals and Northwave MTB shoes. Brilliant. Never used clipless pedals before, and these were actually easier to get in to than the old cage pedals. No hot spots or other wear and tear to report today. Very happy.

I crewed for Ultrarob on RAAM this summer and he used MTB shoes and pedals on RAAM. Yeah, they'll work fine!