Originally Posted by
79pmooney
A couple of points. There is no reason a 2-bot shoe cannot be plenty stiff. It would cost a couple of grams of additional carbon fiber and resin and a few hours of engineering. Completely doable. My not so expensive Giro 2-bolt MTB shoes aren't super stiff but quite adequate shoes as well as being quite walkable (and that's with an all plastic sole, not carbon fiber.
Also you can make the LOOK style shoes and cleats (Delta, Keo, SPL-SL) a lot better/safer to walk in. Buy $18 KoolKovers, rubber caps you put over the cleats. The walk is still unnatural, but the shoes are no longer slippery and you are not killing your cleats. They come with a carabiner so you can hang them from your seat bag. They pay for themselves with cleat lifer extended. That you don't fall and break your tailbone is just a perk.
Ben
The newer walkable cleats from Speedplay are a big improvement. With them, the issue becomes as much about the stiff sole of the shoe rather than the walkability due to the cleat. At least that's what it is for me - I have a pair of mtb shoes that are the same as my road shoes except they have a two hole pattern and treads. Both shoes have identical uppers and both have a very stiff carbon sole.
But that said, the road shoe/pedal pair is more comfortable for miles on the road than the mtb shoe.