Does anyone have any experience with cleated sandals? I'm looking to buy an SPD compatible sandal but wanted to ask about their functionality. Any brand information?

I know someone who has a pair of the Nike sandals that seems to really like them.

I have Keens and like them....though they are narrow compared to normal Keens and look goofy...but don't all cycling shoes? They work & I like having toe protection.

I've got a pair of Shimano SH-SD60B that I really like. I used them a lot last summer and expect to use them a lot this year when the weather warms up.

One thing I noticed is that my skin, particularly my toes, got dry and cracked after riding sockless over several days, so I started using moisturizing lotion which solved the dry skin problem.

show me some clipless Birks.


those synthetics make my feet sweat.


**edit**

heck, i bet you could make a pair with nothing more than a hobby knife, a set of cleats and a screwdriver.

I have a set of the 661 SPD sandals and both the older 3 strap and current 2 strap Shimanos. All of them have non absorbent synthetic footbeds but that is my only objection to them.

The 661 sandals are the most open topped ones if you want the true sandals look. They also have deeply recessed cleat mounts so no noise when walking with SPD cleats mounted. This does mean though that they do not work well with the Shimano BMX/Downhill SPD pedals with the large cage surrounding the SPD locking mechanism.

No problems yet due to the open toed design of any of these sandals.

I have the Keen commuter sandals and love 'em, commuting or mountain biking.

- They are narrower compared to my regular walking Keens, that's good IMHO. They are not walking sandals, the narrower last keeps my feet in place, esp when twisting out of SPD pedals. If they were as wide as my walking Keens, they'd be too sloppy and it'll be real hard to twist out of the clipless pedals, not good when mountain biking or commuting.

- I like to ride off road and IMHO, the heavy duty toe cap is needed.

since everyone seems to be on SPDs these days if I worked in retail hint hint somewhere I would certainly have them. but for just testrideing my own or running to the store it is just easy to slip my shoes on.

I ended up buying the keens...I really like them, although they are a bit narrow for me (I have wide feet). The cleat is more recessed than my other shoes which makes a lot easier to walk in. I'm definitely very in to the strap system they use...it applies a lot of pressure evenly throughout the sandal. The one problem I've had was skin flaking off and abrading without socks on longer rides.

Sorry to chime in late, but I have a pair of the Nashbar clipless sandles, which are a knockoff of the Shimano models. I like them okay. My feet are also quite wide (and size 10.5-11), and the footbed works well for me. I find that without socks they feel very sweaty and synthetic, and, overall, my preference is to wear regular biking footwear (which for me is mostly an MTB type shoe with an SPD cleat). Then again, I wear a wool jersey throughout the summer!

Neal

I ride with several others that have the Shimanos and they all wear socks year around with them. They love them but I've never been a sandals fan.

I don't really see the point of wearing socks with the sandals...once there are socks involved, you might as well be wearing shoes. I'd love to see a MTB shoe with the Keen retention strap set up. I've found that shoes with laces are a pain because, invariably, the laces get stuck in the cranks. The ones with straps end up creating pressure points on my foot. The Keens system keeps the lacing out of my cranks and doesn't develop pressure points.

Here in the South, there are probably people who could glue cleats to their feet and ride that way.
I don't think the kids in my area ever wear shoes in the summer.

Every tourer I know here has at least one pair of sandals, and they all like them. All ride with socks, though.

I'm sure crocs with cleats are just around the corner.

Shoes for me. After years of running, probably 30,000 miles or so, my feets be not pretty.

You really should try replacing the laces with a pair of these. Not inexpensive, but they work like a dream

Have the Keens and like them. For long rides I don't think they supply as much support as a shoe. the sole is a little more flexible. After about 40 or so miles i can tell the difference. For rides less than that they are great but I wear sandals all summer anyway.

This is great news. I had no idea Keen was making cycling shoes.

Diego...I put 50 miles on them yesterday (in two separated trips) and now feel confident in saying I love them. I didn't wear them with socks and it seems like my foot has adjusted well to them...I agree with the comment above that they have less support than a shoe, but they're also breezy and comfortable. I'm definitely very glad that I purchased them.

Ejust...that looks very worth looking into...thanks!

I think I'm going to go for them. I've just been wearing clips and straps with some hiking sandals similar to Keen.

Three years ago I tried SPD's for the first time with the three strap Shimano's. I didn't like the synthetic rubber footbed. When I moved here to Arkansas, I just brought my quill pedals.

All of those Keen shoes look really appealing. I especially like the Austin model.

are there any sandals that will take speedplay cleats? I think I'm finally ready to try them. I know a couple of people that ride with sandals and spd.

diego...not trying to rush you, but REI has a sale on them that ends today...it's about %30 off. I ended up paying 85 for mine, plus I got money back for being a member. The deal is also available on line.

If you live around fire ants, you have at least one good reason for wearing socks with sandals!

Unfortunately, they only have size 8. :-( So close, though. I wear 8-1/2 to 9.