Removing lugs from running shoes to make them work better with flat pedals
 

I've started commuting on flat pedals after years of clipless, and I'm still trying to sort of the shoe situation. I'm riding on big pinned bmx style pedals ( deity compound).

I have a pair of saucony jazz shoes that are pretty comfortable to ride in.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]256803

The only problem is that the lugs are fairly deep, so the shoe slides around on the pedal a bit. I was thinking of just cutting of the lugs with a sharp knife and/or sanding them down, to make the shoe more flat. Has anyone tried this? Any advice?

And just to clarify, I know its better to ride in something with a flat sole, I have a pair of 5.10 impacts that I use for mountain biking. I'm just trying to see if I can get this particular pair of sneakers to work for my commute. Thanks!

Shoe Repair businesses have a belt sander they use it to grind down rubber ,
in preparation for gluing on resole materials..

Maybe wont be a free service but won't cost much.
perhaps they will add a different forefoot sole if asked.

I like the Ergon Pedals I rode thru out the winter..
in any shoe I chose. as there is no need for toe clips.

low budget cyclocross used to take soccer/football shoes
minus the front spikes, so you can get them in toe-clip pedals,
saving them, where they could, to get some traction ,
on run ups..

Buy different pedals, or buy different shoes, or learn to love what you've got.
If you cut the bottoms of your shoes, they will fall apart very quickly. Also, they will probably feel like crap to walk in.

Look at MKS pedals, for examples of good pedals. The touring ones would probably work out OK, it's what I use and I ride in gym shoes. The lugs on the soles "catch" on the sides of the pedals so my feet don't slide around.
If you need dirt cheap, I've used aluminum pedals by Avenir (bought from Dick's) that were ~$10 and were just fine for a non-fancy bike. The Schwinn ones at Target and the Bell ones at Walmart are the exact same price, and they look exactly the same... they're probably all rolling off the same assembly line.

That's a pretty good idea, there is a shoe repair place a few blocks down from my office, I can ask them what they would charge to sand down the rubber a bit.

I'm not a big fan of rat trap style pedals (mks touring, etc). I find that bmx style pedals grip better, and provide a bigger platform of support for my size 12 feet.

You may be right about the shoes feeling like crap, that's why I was asking if anyone had tried it. I doubt they would fall apart though, there is a fairly thick sole even without the lugs.

Ergon pedals are with a supportive, contour shape and traction material,
applied in the center..their Large size would be good with Sz 12 shoes.

It seems that you find the BMX pedals don't grip better in your original post.
I wear 13's, and I have similar issues. The BMX pedals I've tried have a nice "platform" but no grip, at least with the ones I've tried (they were cheapies, though.).
MKS makes a pedal called the Lambda/King Grip that may be worth looking at.

Oh, combined with a flat soled shoe, like 5.10 impacts, or something like a pair of vans, the grip with bmx pedals is excellent. I downhill mountain bike with 5.10 shoes and bmx pedals. They stick like glue. The pedals just don't work as well if combined with a shoe with lugs, since the pins have a harder time gripping the rubber. With this type of shoe you are probably right, that rat traps would work better. But I'm not looking to get new pedals, I'm just trying to see if there is a DIY solution to making my current shoes work so I don't have to buy something new. If I decide it's a bad idea I'll just buy a pair of vans or adidas sambas for commuting.

I've been curious about the grip king pedals, they do seem nice.

Those ergon pedals are interesting, they are so ugly though!

This isn't technically an answer you're looking for, but I had the same problem and went clipless. I was using Power Grips, but would keep catching the lugs on my shoes as I tried to "unclip". I liked the Power Grips, but couldn't deal with not being able to get out of them quickly.

So, I figured that if I was going to be wearing special shoes (with a flat sole), I might as well just wear shoes that were cycling-specific and were less of a hassle to cycle in.

Yeah I hear you, I have had that same thought. But I really appreciate being able to hop on my bike in a pair of vans, ride to meet some friends in another part of town, and hang out all day in comfortable shoes. I do miss the consistency of clipless pedals and rigid shoes though, it's a beautiful thing.