Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
OTOH ultra-light road-racing shoes might work great for touring. Cool in the summer & easy to add booties for winter; tote light walking shoes if necessary. Combine the racing shoes w/UL pedals & save untold energy fighting rotating weight.
Nobody's biting for this idea, hmm. Most bike tourists spend majority of touring time riding vs walking so it would seem optimal to improve pedaling efficiency. Internet is surprisingly lacking on data about shoe/pedal weight's effect on efficiency, just anecdotes.
Besides mechanical efficiency one must consider physiology. Heavier shoes/pedals increase mass at the worst spot in re leg leverage. High cadence is best to minimize fatigue but that also magnifies penalty from heavier shoe/pedal combo.