mrfreezesdefy3

Well I'm proud today was my 3rd ride with an average 13.3mph and 13.20 miles today with a 418ft gain , I got the nerve to get into my platform straps the whole way
Question is my running shoes aren't made for this ,so,,,, wat shoe is proper ? I actually liked pulling up on those straps today but my buddy says buy some basketball shoes they have a firmer bottom, but I'm finding a hard time to find a local bike shop that has shoes I can try on any suggestions?

LGHT

I started off riding a bike that had cages, and tennis shoes left me feat sore. I eventually ended up using a pair of hiking boats that had a really firm stiff bottom. Those worked great. However if you are going out to "buy" some shoes I would seriously consider getting pair of spd-sl pedals and just get shoes that work for those. Even with my stiff hiking boats the difference between those and a pair of spd-sl pedals and shoes was night and day. The comfort and ability to transfer power to the pedal with spd-sl pedals is amazing. You can pick up a used pair of basic spd-sl pedals on ebay for around $30 Shimano PD R540 Road Bike Clipless Pedals 9 16" CR MO Spindle SPD SL | eBay

JReade

Well, you can try Cycling Shoes & Triathlon Gear | Zappos.com FREE Shipping since they have a great return policy. I'm not sure what bike shops don't have shoes to try on, but maybe I'm spoiled. Zappos has great returns but I'm gonna say that getting fit for them is a nice way to go about it instead of trial and error. Keep in mind, if you're gonna get cycle specific shoes, it can be a challenge to use them without the correct pedals.

Lots of people ride in tennis shoes and have no problems. Personally, I love riding clipless both road and MTB.

RomansFiveEight

I know you probably didn't want 'this debate', but I absolutely love my clipless with a rigid sole. I have Shimano shoes with Shimano SPD pedals; and it's just fantastic.

Yendor72

Do you have hard to fit feet? If not then any of the online sites should be fine, and if Zappos has a good return policy why not.

bassjones

The hard rubber soled SPD shoes (MTB shoes) work well with straps, with the added benefit that you can use them with SPD pedals if you decide to go to clipless (which I highly recommend).

nkfrench

The best shoe will be one that suits the type of riding you do.

I chose mountain bike shoes with recessed SPD cleats that have a stiff sole but are easy to clip into my double-sided pedals, are comfortable to walk in, and have good traction when stopping.
I also have commuter sandals that are waterproof, other shoes will take a long time to dry if you get caught in the rain. The width is highly adjustable and you can wear thick or thin socks, or no-socks.
Others prefer road shoes which are lighter and distribute pressure across the foot to avoid compression of nerves (hotfoot). They have slick soles and most people walk like a duck in them.

IBOHUNT

As has been said, need a bit more information.
Do you want to walk - like a normal person when you are off the bike? (including the cross-training bit)
What's your 'normal' ride? Do you ride to work? Is your goal performance only?
Do you want to avoid clipless? We know clipless will cause issues like a carbon bike asploding (/sarcasam) right @vesteroid @jsigone

I'll add, if you will be riding *HARD* make sure you get a shoe that fits when you are riding hard. Feet swell, make sure it's not to tight

vesteroid

baloney, I walked several miles on a hill ibohunt in my snazzy sidi road shoes with speedplay cleats...

dont tell me you can't walk in road shoes.

sam_cyclist

Does anyone use mtb clipless pedals and shoes with their road bike?

IBOHUNT

Never said you can't cross-train in road shoes. It's a bit more difficult

IBOHUNT

I used to but preferred the stiff sole that the more typical road shoe has.i ride with folks that use MTB shoes, they like to walk to get their coffee.

chaadster

I don't use MTB pedals, but do use MTB shoes on one of my road bikes, particularly in winter, because the roomier Diadora X Country 2 shoe accommodates thicker socks and toe warmers, whereas my Bont road shoes are really too trim for that.

Once you're in the upper tier of shoes, my experience is that MTB shoes are no less stiff than Road shoes. I'm talking over the years of using Shimano and Diadora; the Bont A3 roads clearly feel stiffer than the XCountry2s.

Further, aside from added weight and a bit of aero drag, I don't think there is any practical disadvantage to using MTB stuff on the road, and some may find the added surety and comfort of wider platforms and recessed cleats reassuring in some cases.

I use Shimano A600 road SPD with the Diadora shoes right now, and like the reduced opportunity to slip when operating in urban environment during wet and freezing weather, both when putting a foot down at lights and clipping back in. I'm quite adept at clipping in with road cleats and pedals, too-- better than most, in fact-- but I've also been riding long enough to appreciate what "less than ideal conditions" can mean, and prefer to mitigate it.

MRT2

Yes. Started out using SPD shoes/pedals on my hybrid. Started on SPD for its near universal compatibility, ability to walk in the shoes, and ability to use the shoes on indoor spinning bikes at the gym. Now we have SPD pedals on most of our bikes. Dual sided SPD on my Salsa and my wife's Jamis road bike. Single sided SPD/platforms on the other on my wife's Peugeot, my Mountain bike, and my son's Mountain bike. It just made sense for us to go that route.

Mvcrash

Yep, I agree.

dagray

I love my clipless shoes.. I have a mountain bike style sandal with SPD cleats, but if you want to use the cages and platform pedals (which is a great way to get used to being clipped to a pedal) then get a good pair of touring or mountain bike shoes as they will allow you to walk more normally.

I am looking at road shoes for the trainer and for the rides I do where I don't intend to stop and walk around.

If I were doing a weekend ride to the Farmers' Market I would want to be able to walk, or if I were going sight seeing I would want to be able to walk, but for riding for exercise that isn't as important for me.

nkfrench

Yes, I do. I tried some comfortable high quality road shoes on a few rides and hated the slick soles.

Santaria

There is a solid article on 5.10 AEscent here:

Bike Touring Shoes - Five Ten Aescents - Pedaling Nowhere

I use them daily at work and have walked up to 14 miles in them without issue, and then found that they work amazing on platform pedals too (before I found the review).

You can get them in blue right now in a lot of size options at 5.10's website as they are on clearance for $79ish doll hairs at the moment.

RomansFiveEight

I use MTB pedals with Shimano stiff-soled road shoes. Weird, I know. But it gives me the flexibility to, down the road, get a pair of MTB shoes so I can walk around. But I really like my road shoes. And even with stiff-soled road shoes, it's my perception that the smaller cleat makes it a little easier to walk around; even if the cleat isn't recessed on my particular shoes. (Not all road shoes are compatible with either style of cleat, however)

intransit1217

Does anyone make a relatively lightweight touring shoe any more? Or are they now called urban shoes?

fietsbob

Stiff arch support Insoles can improve a shoe for cycling on platform pedals , and still have something walking comfortable you can stand all day, on the Job, in .