DXchulo

Which ones are you wearing?

I'm leaning towards using MTB shoes on a bike tour, but am not 100% decided yet. I use Shimano MT33 shoes for commuting and they are great for that purpose, but too heavy and not quite stiff enough for all-day use. However, it looks like a lot of high-end MTB shoes wouldn't be much better for walking in than road shoes with cleat covers.

I've been looking at something like the Giro Code. Is something like that much more walkable than a road shoe?

Any other recommendations are appreciated.

hueyhoolihan

IME, there is no comparison between any recessed cleat MTB shoe and any road shoe with exposed cleats, WRT walking comfort.

if your statement that the shimano mt33's are "not quite stiff enough for all-day use" and you plan to ride all-day during your tour, you may have, IMO, ruled out the shoes that you have and will need new ones. only you can know how accurate that statement is. i've had MTB shoes with soles that were too weak to protect my foot from brusing caused by excess cleat pressure. so i am aware of the potential problem. i took them back (i had just bought them) and bought some different ones. good luck on your tour.

bt

I have two pair of the giro codes.
good shoes, haven't done a lot of
walking in them yet.

paid $65 ea. on chainlove.

dbnm

I wear Giro Empire VR90 shoes. Carbon sole. Very stiff but great and easy to walk in.
Giro Empire VR90 Lace-Up MTB shoe

I use Crank Brothers Eggbeater Ti pedals.

lopek77

Specialized BG Primo.
They are super comfy, full suede leather, and very easy to walk. A lot of road cyclists are really happy with them.

karenashg

Sidi--love them. I forget the model name, but it's one of the less expensive ones with three plain velcro straps. They've been great, and the only problem has been that they refuse to wear out--I kinda want to splurge on one of the upper-end Sidi's, but after thousands of miles, my shoes still seem close to new.

spdracr39

I wear the Giro Pioneers. Nice and stiff, reasonably walk able, and the ability to tighten then up with the ratchet make them the best shoe for the money IMO.

Eljot

I like these but they're not that cheap: Scott Trail Boa EVO Bike Shoes - Men's - REI.com
Walking is great with these.

GuitarBob

I use Giro Codes with SPD pedals on one of my bikes. Just the other day I was thinking that they don't feel all that different from road shoes (carbon soles) and SPD-SL pedals that I use on other bikes. A little different? Sure, but for a tour, I'd think they'd be just fine as they are easier to walk in.

kingston 

Depends on the tour. Most of my trips are one night with a lot of riding, and I'll use sidi dominators which are basically a road shoe drilled for SPD with some tread. They are not the cheapest, but I think they are the best shoe for this purpose; especially paired with shimano a-600 pedals. If I'm going to be doing a fair amount of walking I'll use a pair of Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek WRX (which I don't think they make any more, but PI has a lot of spd shoes). If the riding is going to be more casual I may go with platforms and regular shoes or sandals. I wouldn't use road shoes and pedals for anything but racing.

carpediemracing 

Perhaps a bit off the main focus but for a while, a year plus, I raced on the road with mtb shoes. It was nice because I happened to be the promoter for 6-7 weeks of racing and I could run around right before the race I was racing in without any problems. Then jump on the bike and race.

What I'd want, if it's a cycling-centric tour, is to see if the shoe has a full cycling sole. The mtb shoes I used (and still have, about 15 years later) were Sidis. They used essentially the same sole as the road shoe but with different cut outs for cleats and mounts for the knobs. Once I was on the bike it didn't feel very different from my road shoes. You can usually tell the full sole mtb shoes because you can see the sole. Or, if you're in a store, you can ask.

However if the cycling trip was less cycling centric and more, say, walking around (like if you were visiting amusement parks etc) then I'd want a shoe I could walk in comfortably. At that point I'd want to carry a second set of shoes because no shoe does both really well.

Canker

I have the codes too and use them for both my mtbing which I do way more of and road riding. Seem fine to me. I've never bothered with roadie shoes.

Slackerprince

I just got these for riding my hybrid:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...-wide-mtb-shoe

They are the bottom of the line, but I like them.

There are a couple more from Shimano:

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/sear...l=&cat=mh&sg=0

OFF-ROAD - CYCLING FOOTWEAR AND PEDALS - LIFESTYLE GEAR - SHIMANO

I got mine in a wide width. My road shoes are Shimano, too.

S

Latif

I use MT33's and they seem plenty stiff to me. Used them last summer for a tour down the Oregon coast and they didn't cause any problems, with 80-100m per day.

Cyril 

Sidi Dracos

Machka 

I wear Lake Mtn Bike shoes all the time. They are the most comfortable cycling shoes I own, and they are good for walking. I have walked up to about 5 km in them ... so I'm not doing a massive hike, but I can cover a reasonable amount of ground.

alexaschwanden

I have specialized BG mtb shoes for thousands of miles and they are comfortable on and off the bike with walking.

Diablito

I just got Shimano xc90 maybe 3 weeks ago. They are stupid stiff, comfortable, great fit and super light compared to my carnac dune shoes which I had for ages. Looking forward to getting them heat molded for better fit.

Oh dam you want flexible, these guys don't flex but they do have recessed cleats.

Lanovran

I have a pair of these, and I think they're terrific for both MTB and touring: Men's X-PROJECT 3.0 - Pearl Izumi

Ben I.

I have PI X-Project 1.0 and they're great shoes. Comparatively very stiff but not heavy like my cheaper MTB Shimano shoes and still comfortable to walk around in.

ddeand 

I also have these and am very happy with them. The nice thing about the Boa is that it can accommodate a pretty wide foot. Happy I got them.

Kopsis

Sidi Dominators. Most comfortable shoe I have ever owned (including non-cycling shoes)! They're also one of the few MTB shoes available in very narrow widths.

sam_cyclist

Shimano SH CT40

Good for wide feet.

rlsmith17

Shimano M88 mtb shoes that used on my road bike for about 2,000 miles or so before switching to road bike shoes. They are great and I still use them when riding the mtb. Easy to walk in and the clips barely touch the surface when walking.

JohnJ80

I'd use my Sidi Genius MTB shoes. They're great.

If I was going on tour and if I planned to do a lot of walking, I'd go for one of the crop of new mtb shoes that have a slightly flexible sole but are still light and accept an spd cleat. The Rime Elite from Specialized would be one I'd look at. The Rime Expert is another. I think Giro and Pearl Izumi have similar shoes in their product lines.

The pure play MTB shoes like the Sidi Genius or Dominators have rigid soles. You can walk in them just fine but they wouldn't be my choice for long distance walking while sightseeing. With something like the Rimes, I think you might be able to just take one pair of shoes and still get decent performance out of them.

J.