Hi guys,

I'm trying to decide what to do about pedals for my 1987 Specialized Sirrus modernization project. The bike is done, but the pedals I have suck. I'm factoring shoes into my pedal decision and found these Santic shoes on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FR1243K

When I ride, I will probably be doing some stopping here and there and walking around at some places. Not having to deal with the clipless cleat duck walk would be nice, and using pedals like the MKS GR-10 with half clips would make it so I can do a quick hop on the bike without having to go change my shoes first. I have considered a number of SPD (two-hole cleat) shoes that would allow walking, but I don't like those two-sided pedals very much that would allow a quick jaunt in regular shoes.

I'm no wannabe racer. I ride purely for my enjoyment and amusement. I won't be racing or competing. I just want to use actual cycling shoes when I feel like it but I don't want to always HAVE to wear my real cycling shoes.

Has anyone tried these non-clipless shoes? They seem to get OK reviews on Amazon, but I'm a little leery of Amazon reviews since they're easily faked. Plus, what does "stable performance conversion" mean? Clearly these are made by a Chinese company using Google Translate to generate their marketing pitch, and I think something got lost in translation. So, before I go trying them out I figured I'd ask here.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated, and if anyone has tried these shoes and cares to comment, that'd be even better.

-Kent W.

Why not get regular platform pedals? Or platform/spd pedals like this https://rideissi.com/pedals/issi-flip ? I have these on my CX bike when it's in commuter mode, and they work great with any shoe.

Any SPD compatible shoe with a flat sole will work just as well if you don't install any cleats and give you the option to go clipless later if you wish. I have a pair of DMT shoes like this and even with a cleat installed they allow you to walk normally. I bought them a few years ago on closeout for about $25. I use them on my touring bike with SPD type pedals but they would also work with regular pedals even with the cleats I have. Gives me the best of both worlds

I use this exact model (full neon green colour for safety) on my road bike w aluminium pedals. It works just fine and stands up to a lot of abuse. In fact i had a 45kph tumble where the shoes suffered road rash on the toe areas and its still fine, I’m still using it. It’s amusing when I just pedal off when the light turns green and my mates faff about with locking on the 2nd revolution.

One thing though, if you ride in the wet regularly, get grippy pedals. And make sure you are getting the ORIGINAL Santic shoes and not a knockoff.

One more thing..make sure you size the shoes correctly and if you have wide feet (I do for an Asian and thats me buying from a Chinese manufacturer) that i went one size up. Glad I did cos the shoes fit just fine, otherwise toes would have been crammed in. I’ve done century rides in them no problems.

What pedals do you recommend for these? Are you using toe clips at all?

Any pinned flat pedal will do. These are good quality and not very expensive:
https://www.amazon.com/VP-Aluminum-P...5595980&sr=8-3

Whats not to love:

"For cycling beginners reduce the problem for rider not understand lock shoes will not lock, and reduce not unlock in time to cause a fall."

How stiff is the sole?

Yeah i use pinned aluminium pedals..for road bike which are smaller. Sole is pretty stiff, I’d say almost as stiff as Shimano’s budget shoe offerings.

I put cleat covers on my Looks and walk around just fine.

Who goes on a bike ride to take a long walk?

Horses for courses!

Converse Chuck Taylors FTW. Comfortable, washable, and contrary to BF popular belief, your feet won’t explode if the soles aren’t as stiff as RBG

^^^ FTL = for the loss.

Every time I read this thread I keep seeing "satanic" instead of santic.

Lol. Another clipless TDF warrior

Heck, I run flats for about 80% of my road/gravel rides, and I agree with Wildwood. Those sneakers would be near the bottom of my list for road riding. The soles have about as much support as a pair of moccasins.

"Your feet won't explode" is a pretty low bar.

i ride ‘em all.
toodling = flats
City ride w/ walking destination = Toeclips
Any ride w some walking around= ClipsnStraps
Any ride where = Walking? = clipped-in

horses for courses.
my courses include big hills therefore soles are mandatory.

The same shoes are $20 less on AliExpress, $51.61. FYI

I have not used the Santic shoes linked to, but from the look of the sole design I don't think I would like them. The problem is that it looks like they just took a road clipless shoe design and removed the cleats. But that is NOT what makes a good pedal for flats. Take a look at the sole of the Santic compared to a shoe designed for flat pedal use:

Santic


Northwave Clan:



Two issues I am seeing with the Santic:

1- The forefoot area (under the ball of the foot) is curved. If the sole is also stiff, this means it is not going to fully contact the petal from end to end, but rather rest more in the middle. Not great for traction or control. If the sole is stiff (which can be a good thing) It would have been better if they have flattened it out a bit.

2- The grippy area towards the front is wide enough under the ball of the foot, but it gets very narrow behind that, and does not extend back very far.

The problem I see with the Santic is that even when you pedal with "pedal forward" position (axle close to the ball of the foot) you are not getting good sole/pedal contact at the back of the pedal. And switching to a more "mid-foot" position (which is a great option you have with flats) really gives up grip and control. That area under the arch of the foot looks useless on a set of flat pedals.

All this to say that if you are going to go with flats, get shoes designed to work well with them. Heck, even some non-cycling specific shoes will work better.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I ended up not getting the Santic shoes. I got some Bontrager Solstice shoes instead. They can take 2-bolt SPD cleats if I want, and they are more road-oriented.

Every time I saw this thread in the forum, my brain said “Satanic non-clipless shoes.”