OK, so I finally made the move to cleats a few weeks ago. Bought a pair of Specialized Taho MTB shoes and some Nashbar SPD-wannabees. I like the ride, and I really liked walking in the shoes until I put the cleats in. Even though the cleat is "recessed" in the shoe, when I walk on a hard surface I really feel it and it makes a lot of noise. Makes walking a bit uncomfortable. I know a certain amount of compromise is to be expected, but I'm wondering if other cleats would have a lower profile - like mayber genuine Shimano SPD's or Crank Brothers Eggbeaters. So, what shoe/cleat combo do you have and how do they walk?

Shimano ultegra cleats are very stable for walking. They have a wide tripod and the parts that touch the ground are rubberized. I highly recommend them.

dude, you're kidding me right? get some Shimano or Crank Bro pedals, I walk in my shoes all the time (the Tahos I own, same pair). Do you have a shim in between the shoe and the cleat? The shoes should make a bit of noise, but you shouldn't be feeling the cleat pushing up into the shoe.

Spec Taho, Shimano Pedals ...quietest pair yet.
Spec Taho, Crank Bro ...a bit of noise, but I can't feel the cleat
SIDI Dominator 5, Crank bro ...CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP, loud as anything but the sole is so stiff I don't feel the cleat, nor does it raise me up off the ground unless I stand on a groove.

I use Look cleats... walking is a joke.

Even with genuine SPD cleats, you might get some ground contact. It's nothing to worry about... just don't wear your shoes on hardwood floors.

my lake MB shoes are more resessed so no noise. plus they have rubber soles so they grip better. frogs are not very tall either.

With the covers I can actually run.

I can walk pretty good with crankbrother cleats. But in the end, any bike shoe is made for riding not for walking

Get some covers. Ususally cost $15-$20. Still, walking isn't easy with inflexalbe soles.

ummm if you are talking about road pedals right? they are the biggest b**** to walk in, sure from the house to the street, it hurst walking more than that.

My cannondale MTB shoes are fine for walking. The cleat is recessed enough that they don't make any noise, except maybe on gravel. I wouldn't want to walk a long distance in them though.

hahah i'm wearing my semi-new specialized tahos right now.

these are the goofiest looking shoes ever.



but back on topic, yea when i walk on cement my spds scrape all the time. i use nashbar SPD pedals/cleats.

I wouldn't worrry about the scrape. at least, i wear these all the time and scrape everywhere and they are still going strong.

if it's the noise that's bothering you... well, sorry.

I have some covers on ebay for standard Look cleats if you are interested. Used them once. I since switched to the Keo pedals so these don't fit.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ADME:B:LC:US:1

They're made for ridin' not walkin'.

I have Crankbrothers with my mountain bike shoes and don't even notice the cleats when I walk.

No, no shim - the cleat is right against the hard sole plate.

Yes I realize it's a compromise and the riding performance is what matters - I was just hoping for something a little quiter and more comfy. I have to walk up a couple hundred yards of concrete dock going to and from my boat to my bike in the parking lot. The docks are rough concrete and I'm always really conscious of the noise I make, especially early in the morning when I leave for work.

I looked at some Crank Brothers candy pedals at the LBS today, and that cleat looks smaller (as in lower profile) than what I have - might have to give those a try.

And thanks everyone for the input.

I had the same problem and posted about how I went about trying to find a solution.
As a quick summary, my recessed shoes were fine everywhere except for concrete and gravel, where every step was a crackle, and that really irked me. Someone suggested going to the shoemaker and getting a raised sole put in. My shoes only had raised bumps, so all the shomaker had to do, was to glue rubber to 2 main contact patches, and the shoes now work.
It wasn't all peaches and roses, cause one of the pad went loose, (cause the industrial superglue wasn't strong enough to handle the riguors of regularly clicking in and out), and I had to get it glued on again, and made a modification, but now the shoes are performing very well, and the benefits of not having the scraping problem to me are huge, so I'm happy.

I use specialized sonomas (i got them with the intent of walking around if i needed, they are not the shoes i use for extended trips) with crank brothers mtn cleats. After 5 minutes i forget im walking in these shoes.