Originally Posted by
onbike 1939
All these words on a problem which no longer exists. SPD shoes with recessed cleats are already the choice of thousands of cycle tourists and have been for many a year. These shoes can be reasonably stiff but are still very comfortable for walking. Even the Shimano SPD pedals offering a small platform area such as these :
http://www.highonbikes.com/shimano-p...A#.UVWFdxyeOYU
are usually comfortable enough even on long tours.
If however you wish something giving a little more platform area
and a choice then these are excellent and I have them on all of my bikes.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shimano-Tour...4558948&sr=8-1
My tours used to last for 2-3 months and for around 2500 miles and not once in thirty-five years have I had a problem with my chosen footwear or pedals.
Can't agree that its quite that simple. I believe Shimano SPD SL specific shoes are graded in stiffness on a scale from 6 to 12 and SPD specific shoes from 2 to 11. Fitting a person with large feet with SPD pedals with a small platform and combining that with a very soft shoe and then expecting them to tour long distances without discomfort from pressure points is being a little overly optimistic.
Small platforms work fine with stiff shoes because the sole becomes the platform. Its a system thats intended to work together. You might get acceptable results accidentaly, but you'll probably get much better results if you accept that the choices are expected to be made deliberately based on the COMBINED result.