Best Clipless Walking Shoes
 

I've been riding with clips and straps for years now. I'm building up a new bike soon, and would love to go clipless. However, one of my jobs involves biking place to place, and walking a mile or two between (I'm a dog walker), so I would want to have the most comfortable shoe for walking while having cleats, too.

I've looked at those DZR and Chrome shoes, and they look okay, but it still seems like most people say the cleats aren't recessed enough so that they don't hit certain surfaces. I feel like I'd need a shoe with deeply recessed cleats to be comfortable.

I'm sure the stiffness of bike shoes in general isn't the best for walking, but I currently wear hard shanked hiking boots anyway, so I'd imagine a dual-purpose shoe wouldn't be crazy stiff/uncomfortable in comparison.

Is my best bet to go for those dual-purpose "casual" shoes, or maybe some MTB shoes?
Does anyone have a favorite clipless shoe for walking?

IMO, good cycling shoe and good walking shoe are mutually exclusive. One needs a very firm sole and the other should conform.
I'd go with sneakers. Easier to pedal with sneakers than to walk in clipless shoes (even the mtb ones).

Keens make a very good clipless shoe that is excellent for walking.

Since I usually don't need to be clipped into the ground to walk, (unless the doc has been overprescribing Norco again) I just go to Walmart and get whatever's comfy. Stick to riding your clip-equipped bike for times when you'll need to walk much, or get a trunk bag and keep some deck shoes in it.

Can't you just carry some walking shoes with you?

That's what I use too...they've also lasted better than other shoes I've used.

Not really, I mean I could carry them, but it' highly impractical because I'd have to change in and out of shoes every half hour and 20-30 times per day.

From the sounds of peoples' responses here, I should just stick to clips and straps while working.

I still would love to go clipless, maybe just for longer rides, or rides that bringing walking shoes along would be practical. If I go that route, I've have the Shimano m520's in mind for a while...

thing is the SPuD cleat system is just barely recessed in the sole of the shoe,
there is some surface grinding on concrete pavements, as You walk.
if it were more recessed It wouldn't engage the pedals mech, the way they are designed.


Best clipless walking shoes, wouldn't those just be 'Shoes'?

thats what I wear.. Shoes..

Haha, I've sort of thought about this, that is, how far cleats could go before not engaging anymore.

Experiment..
Add rubber to the edges of the sole pocket and find out.

I have a pair of DZR Concubines that are okay to walk in. For those who are okay with compromise they do a decent job in both functions.

I wear running shoes that have SPD soles. I wear them all day, nearly every day, whether I'm walking or cycling. You might call these better for walking than for cycling, but shoes that are optimized for cycling hurt my feet. I guess I can't deal with an optimal cycling shoe, even if I wanted to. So these end up being optimal for me for both activities. The only problem is the crunching sound the cleat makes on hard surfaces. I don't mind too much.

I would check out Keens - I work in an ER, I'm on my feet all day, and the Targhee II's I have are fantastic and have never let me down. They don't have room for cleats, but the sole is noticeably stiffer than most walking shoes, which makes it easier to pedal. (At least that's what it feels like.) Sometimes with my old sneakers I would get pressure points from my pedals, I don't get anything like that with my Keens.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...&category=3365


Great shoes, extremely comfy on the bike and off. I've only had tried Crank Bros cleats in them.

I really like the combination of stiffer-soled running shoes and Power Grips - I use New Balance M565s.

No such thing, they are all a trade off between cycling and walking. You just have to decide which is more important to you.

Pearl Izumi X Project - Not released yet
Specialized Rime

I like clipping in SPD's for long commutes, long distance riding, fast recreational riding, and certainly when riding a pedicab. Just can't beat that connected feeling and efficiency, IMHO. For shorter/family rides, summer time and swimming holes, etc., I cycle in Vibram Five Fingers and Shimano A530's.
For lots of cycling and walking, I prefer these SPD setups.
The Keen cycling Sandals
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=305205
The Pearl Izumi Fuel Running Shoes
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=305208
And the Keen, Austin model.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=305209

If you're using clips now, there will be no inherant advantage to be had going to clipless. Just more of a PITA clipping and unclipping. Like others have mentioned go for a stiff sole like the keens and keep your clips or possibly go with mountain bike shoes which are stiff and remove the clip which will just get worn out right away from walking the dogs.

The inherent advantage to clipless is not having to use those God awful straps...and while they aren't the most comfortable walking shoe, my Keen commuter shoes (or the sandals for that matter) are comfy enough to walk a mile in without causing problems. Generally I'm not walking that far when I'm cycling, so a mile is fine.

Traps and straps are more difficult to ride with, harder to get in and out of and annoy the top of my foot. They're silly and I can't understand why anyone has used them since SPDs.

Your thinking of those old fashioned ones with the nylon strap buckle "thing a ma bobs". I guess what I thought the OP had was the newer style clips that you simply slide into and it holds your shoe in place. I have those on my commuter and they are great for on off in traffic lights etc.

I am thinking of the ones that I used and got rid of in the mid-80s...I didn't know they'd progressed or changed much.

I ride a recumbent trike, where some sort of pedal retention is a safety-critical item.

I forget what exact model my Pearl Izumis are - X-Roads, maybe? - but they're reasonably walkable (not the most comfortable, but I have no problems walking all over a store looking for things, when I ride the trike to the store), and were the only cycling shoes I found that weren't torture devices for my feet or fit poorly otherwise.

Yeah, they are specifically for commuting where you can't keep clipping and unclipping 20 times each way for traffic lights etc. I think the clipless were originally designed for long distance or racing where you clip in, stay in and go with no walking around in the mix.

I find SPDs very easy to get in and out of - there is no effort required. I don't have much problem walking aorund with them and think they work very well for city riding. The clipless systems like the old Looks and Times were annoying as heck to commute with, but SPDs are just effortless and give you some of the advantages to being clipped with none of the downside. Everything is a compromise, but I think SPDs work pretty decently for most non-racing applications.

Aaron, toe clips have improved. The mountain style don't bother the tops of your feet.

One advantage toe clips (more accurately called traps or cages) have is that you can use them with just about anything on your feet. Some people won't buy SPD shoes, and some people have them but won't wear them on the bike all the time.

I agree SPD are easier to get in and out of than cages, even for a beginner. But I'm adept at both now, so that's not much of a factor for me. It is for some.

I have the Perl Izumi shoes that AusTexMurf shows us. They are as good for walking as any other shoe. I can walk five miles in them with no compromise in comfort or fatigue. To me, that means there is no compromise. I like them that much.

I have had both Shimano and Sette mountain shoes with SPD cleats. Maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about, but I can wear them all day at work and forget that they're not just sneakers, and they seem to be fine on the bike as well.

I think SPD's are mindlessly easy to get in/out once you are used to it. Automaticity. Just like a manual transmission in a car, if you drive. You don't even think about shifting, just what you do.

Didn't have time to explain on my previous post w/ pics.

I use SPD shoes when cycling, most of the time.
Always to pedicab.
Always for fast/long recreational rides.
Always for long commutes.
Always when touring/traveling.
Almost all of the time when on trail.
Almost all of the time when pulling a trailer.
Vibram Five Fingers for grocery store runs, neighborhood hops, swimming holes, friends, neighbors, etc.....Shimano A530's.

Anyway, I have a pair of Pearl Izumi's similar to the pic posted and noglider's. Mine are about 5 years old and are my primary shoes for pedicabbing and frequently, commuting. I wear them for up to 12-16 hours at a time during crazy pedicab times or long hauls. Lots of walking. Very comfortable. Mine are the old school version designed for adventure racing. I am on my third set of SPD cleats and 2nd set of insoles. Insane durability for a cycling shoe with a ton of walking and biking miles. SPD cleats are not easy to wear out, unlike the candy's i have used. I will try to post a pic of my well used shoes if I have a chance.

I also use the Keen commuter sandals for spring/summer use. Love them because I don't need socks and can get my feet wet, no worries.

The Keen Austin Pedal are extremely comfortable, walking and biking. They are also casual/low key. In austin, I use these as my winter cycling shoes or when I might need to appear business casual.

And yes, I have ridden with cages/traps/straps. Better than nothing, but still a compromise. Actually, I think they are more difficult to get in and out of compared to SPD's.

I don't remember the model, but I use Keen shoes with 3 velcro straps. I haven't had good history with laces, they usually get caught in the crank and/or chain and tear the laces apart. I don't like the new Commuter sandal design as much; it seems to be tighter at the top of the foot.

EDIT - Springwater is the model.

Its hard to explain the new clips but there are no cages, no traps, no straps. just slip in and go. Used just like a SPD but no concerns of walking on clips which will wear them out. Especially good with MTB shoes or you can use the keens or any other hard sole sneaker. The only thing is you have to take them off in the winter for hiking boots or anything larger and insulated.