T2theK

So I've been MTB for 7 years and love it. I recently bought my 1st road bike to full enjoy all the biking Hawaii has to offer. I've been wanting to go clipless for a while now so I figured, why not get a pedal/shoe set up I can use on both. I'm eyeing the Shimano Deore XT M8020 for the more power transfer area and a pair of PI X-Project 1.0 for their hiking capabilities with the stiffness in the pedal area that comes close to a road shoe. Anybody got some pearls of wisdom that can help me out.

DeadGrandpa

You will have to get wisdom from others. My view, after 40+ years of mostly paved roads, is to wear comfortable trail running shoes with a stiff sole, and use toe clips with straps like came stock on my first bike. (My adventure bike is the closest thing to mtb I've ridden, though I am looking for a hardtail tandem.) I dabbled with clipless pedals and exposed cleats back around 1990, brand name LOOK. I didn't perceive much advantage. After a 12+ year hiatus from riding, I bought a hybrid from REI in 2014; it came with toe clips and I found I prefer that arrangement, so I used the same on the next two bikes I bought. They say you will obtain a smidge more efficiency from clipless. I don't think that is a meaningful criteria for me, but you must decide for yourself. As for the brand/model, others must point the way.

FBinNY 

You asked a variation of this same question in another subforum, and got positive responses related to using mtb shoes on the road.

Some road shoes are stiffer, but the difference isn't so earthshaking that you need to give up the utility of mtb shoes. OTOH - if you want to ride with some folks, you'll have to be "properly" equipped.

Bradleykd

I ride both road and MTB and my stance is having a different pair of shoes for each discipline. I've got SPDs on my mountain bikes and Speedplays on my road bikes. I don't like wearing muddy MTB shoes on my road bike. The only crossover is that I put a set of SPD pedals on the road bike in the dead of winter to wear my MTB winter boots.

Kandutu

I have a few pairs of shoes, Road, and MTB with a low profile that also works nicely with my road bikes.

Mountain Mitch

Avoid the clipless plague! It's all hype unless you are a world class racer.

Wileyrat

Platforms (rat traps) and half clips on the mtn bike and Shimano spd-sl pedals on the roadies for me.

T2theK

Yeah I figured I'd ask in the MTB forum just to cover my bases. I got tons of great responses but I wanted more technical info to my question not just "SPD pedals"... Already knew I was going SPD with MTB shoes, just wanted a little more in depth look into it and the pedals and shoes. I'm gonna go ask the LBS some of the technical stuff & see what I get. I'm not on a budget per say, wife would rather me spend $$$ on the healthier option of biking instead of buying a boat, so I can get away with pretty much anything within reason but I don't wanna just spend tons of money just because she says I can spend money.... I'm cheap/frugal at times.

BarryVee

I switched to road/SPD-L from MTB/SPD for road biking. I believe my foot is better supported in a stiff road shoe. And it cools better in a road shoe with vents in the sole.
Motivation to switch was hot spotting the balls of my feet after about four hours in the saddle.

I know others who like MTB/SPD with SPD platform type pedals. This is what I'd suggest as a second option for the additional support.

HTupolev

You've gone to road rides where people took issue with cleat type!?

FBinNY 

No, my comment was facetious.

Tim_Iowa

Pearl Izumi X-Projects are my favorite shoe for any type of cycling (except winter). They are stiff and light like a good racing shoe, but they have real rubber !!! stuck to the sole to aid in walking.

Most MTB shoes have rock hard cleats that are fine in mud but have dangerously poor traction on smooth surfaces.

Many "casual" cycling shoes have normal rubber outsoles for good traction, but are heavy and flexible.

The PI X-Projects are an awesome compromise. Highly recommended. I have the 2.0, older model (ratchet buckle) and they're holding up great.

FrontRanger

I ride everything and was a dedicated clipless user until recently. Now I mostly run flat pedals and 5.10 MTB shoes.

coominya

You should get over your fear and give them a go. It's not as scary as you think and the benefits far outweigh the possibility of tipping over, on road that is.

Malta

Agreed. I switched to SPDs on my MTB a few years ago and wouldn't go back. On tough tracks where there's a higher risk of falling (say stony/gravel uphills where I keep skidding off) I pull one foot out of the SPD just in case.

My vintage commuter bike has old style flat pedals which I'll keep so that I can use it with any shoes

kevrider

i 've wearing my mtn bike shoes with SPD pedals for road biking since i first went skinny in 2006, rec the same. SPDs all around, my commuter/gravel thing has SPD on one side, flat on the other side, for riding to work or doing errands in tennie shoes. but for a normal road ride, i wear my Mavic mtn bike shoes. not sure what technical info you're looking for about the pedals, i have various Shimano and Wellgo pedals, i find they all work well. differences are price and weight. as for shoes... i found my old Shimano shoes caused some foot pain, they were too wide for me, hence the Mavics. for winter, i have Mavic cold weather boots, as well. my fiancé has Northwave boots for winter. only advice there would be... three velcro straps is inferior to two velcro straps + anything else (boa, ratchet). as to hotspots... i think that's not an issue for mtn bike shoes, but an issue for poorly designed shoes. i've never had that problem thru probably 6-7 different pairs of shoes over the years from Shimano, Diadora, Answer, Mavic.

T2theK

So by more technical info I'm referring to something other than saying "Yeah, SPD pedals all the way bro". SPD: Shimano Pedaling Dynamics (AKA: Shimano Clipless Pedals). I'm was looking for advice on different types (i.e M9000 vs M8000 vs M8020 etc with different stiffness's/footbed material of various shoes). I'm probably gonna go with a stiff trail shoe with M8020 trail pedals.

Mountain Mitch

I used them for a few years. Couldn't feel any real benefit. Wondered why. Read the actual scientific studies. They are useless except for the very elite rider (1 %). Maybe you are elite..otherwise you're kidding yourself.

Also, most of them impede your ability to walk around.

Malta

I'm v. far from elite.

Agree with the walking around.

To get the benefit you have to ride differently, so pulling up on the upswing as well as down on the other. Also helps to lift the bike (if you jump or bunny hop etc).

Kapusta

First, if you want to try clipless, do it. Don't listen to what others say on this, enough people like it that is is worth finding out for yourself.

Regarding what to get, I would get what you think will be best for mountain biking and use it on both for now. There are some incremental improvements for road use going with road shoes and pedals, but the difference is not huge, and a good comfortable pair of mtb shoes that are easy to hike in are really nice when off the bike.

SpaethCo

A couple bikes ago I lucked my way into a Powertap G3 wheelset, and one summer decided to an A/B test with SPD / platform pedals swapping every 2 weeks. The crazy thing was how different it felt switching back and forth, but after a couple rides everything gets back to feeling natural again either way. The net result of 3 months of summer riding is that there wasn't a significant difference in power output between platforms and SPD.

If your riding involves insane cadence sprints and throwing your bike forward at the finish line, then clipless has some clear advantages. For the average rider, I still think it doesn't matter that much. Ride whatever is comfortable.

Clem von Jones

Go for it. It's nice to have the same pedals on all your bikes so you can use the same shoes. MTB shoes actually work well for road bikes and you can walk around in them off the bike a bit without damaging your cleats. This is what I've done. Recently I put some platform BMX pedals on my off road bikes to use on super steep trails where I always lose traction but I kind of miss the cleats. There's no disadvantage to having MTB pedals on your road bike unless you're racing it.

bikingtotown

I've been riding clip less on the road but for my trail bike I always use straps or toe clips. Just alot of unexpected sharp turns and trees i like the option to bail if needed. Ive been thinking of switching myself though as straps seriously piss me off on a regular basis. My new ones haven't been too bad yet though. Maybe it's because I'm not using them right now.. those damn things.

frankenmike 

Mtber who road rides. I use road pedals, spd-sl with shimano road shoes. Never saw a reason for me not to use road stuff for road riding, but know many others who use mtb pedals and shoes. Both are quite good. For mtbing, I love my time atacs, and I've tried other systems(crank bros, spd, et al).

justin70

My two pieces of advice/opinion on clipless pedals are this. Get a shoe with a carbon sole because it will be stiffer and hold up better. The synthetic/composite soles flex and over time you start to feel the pedal through the shoe. Second, for mountain biking I'd really suggest going with platform pedals and some flat soled shoes (like 5.10 brand). Not being hooked onto your bike while crashing over rocks is superior, IMO, than being hooked into your bike when crashing over rocks. With platforms you can bail, with clipless you're going along for the ride.