Retractable Cleats
11-07-07 | 09:33 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Loses Every Race
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Bikes: Trek 2100, Trek Madone 5.5, Trek Fuel 6.5
Retractable Cleats
Surely I'm not the only one who's pondered this.
Everyone who's ever used road shoes knows that they're a pain in the ass to walk around in. Big corporations like Shimano must have noticed this by now. How come they haven't developed a shoe with can retract the cleat back into the body? Of course, there will always be a compromise whether it be in stiffness or weight, etcetera. However, I'd be willing to sacrifice that for ankles that work. When I first started road cycling I used road shoes, so I've switched over to using MTB shoes since the cleat doesn't lift my foot up.
What about tennis/running shoes with retractable cleats? I'd definitely invest in a pair of those. I'm not willing to put platform/clipless combination peddles on my bike just yet, so a shoe that I could walk around in then jump onto my bike in would be fantastic. I guess there'd be very little stiffness in such a shoe, but again, I wouldn't be racing in that shoe so it's okay.
(NOTE: I think the second one's been brought up before, I just thought I'd bring it up one more time.)
Everyone who's ever used road shoes knows that they're a pain in the ass to walk around in. Big corporations like Shimano must have noticed this by now. How come they haven't developed a shoe with can retract the cleat back into the body? Of course, there will always be a compromise whether it be in stiffness or weight, etcetera. However, I'd be willing to sacrifice that for ankles that work. When I first started road cycling I used road shoes, so I've switched over to using MTB shoes since the cleat doesn't lift my foot up.
What about tennis/running shoes with retractable cleats? I'd definitely invest in a pair of those. I'm not willing to put platform/clipless combination peddles on my bike just yet, so a shoe that I could walk around in then jump onto my bike in would be fantastic. I guess there'd be very little stiffness in such a shoe, but again, I wouldn't be racing in that shoe so it's okay.
(NOTE: I think the second one's been brought up before, I just thought I'd bring it up one more time.)
11-08-07 | 08:38 AM
#2
Mad bike riding scientist
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 29,169
Likes: 6,240
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Surely I'm not the only one who's pondered this.
Everyone who's ever used road shoes knows that they're a pain in the ass to walk around in. Big corporations like Shimano must have noticed this by now. How come they haven't developed a shoe with can retract the cleat back into the body? Of course, there will always be a compromise whether it be in stiffness or weight, etcetera. However, I'd be willing to sacrifice that for ankles that work. When I first started road cycling I used road shoes, so I've switched over to using MTB shoes since the cleat doesn't lift my foot up.
What about tennis/running shoes with retractable cleats? I'd definitely invest in a pair of those. I'm not willing to put platform/clipless combination peddles on my bike just yet, so a shoe that I could walk around in then jump onto my bike in would be fantastic. I guess there'd be very little stiffness in such a shoe, but again, I wouldn't be racing in that shoe so it's okay.
(NOTE: I think the second one's been brought up before, I just thought I'd bring it up one more time.)
Everyone who's ever used road shoes knows that they're a pain in the ass to walk around in. Big corporations like Shimano must have noticed this by now. How come they haven't developed a shoe with can retract the cleat back into the body? Of course, there will always be a compromise whether it be in stiffness or weight, etcetera. However, I'd be willing to sacrifice that for ankles that work. When I first started road cycling I used road shoes, so I've switched over to using MTB shoes since the cleat doesn't lift my foot up.
What about tennis/running shoes with retractable cleats? I'd definitely invest in a pair of those. I'm not willing to put platform/clipless combination peddles on my bike just yet, so a shoe that I could walk around in then jump onto my bike in would be fantastic. I guess there'd be very little stiffness in such a shoe, but again, I wouldn't be racing in that shoe so it's okay.
(NOTE: I think the second one's been brought up before, I just thought I'd bring it up one more time.)
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Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
11-09-07 | 05:21 PM
#3
Larry G
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Morristown, NJ
Bikes: Trek Mountain Bike, Specialized Globe
I got a pair of Specialized mountain bike shoes and if the surface isn't 100% smooth, they scrape. I ruined my tile floor with mine. Be careful if you care about the floor you walk on. I never had road shoes, but mine are a lot closer to walkable than the road shoes.
11-27-07 | 12:45 PM
#4
Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Centreville, VA
Bikes: 2007 Specialized Tarmac Expert
Not sure if Id trust retractable cleats. Would be afraid theyd come loose and would wiggle and rattle like crazy.
Good news - you have options:
If you use Look pedals - you can get cleat covers for them that will allow you to walk on any surface and not scratch them up. Also makes it easier to walk on. You only have to slip them on or off. theyll easily fit in your jersey pockets.
For SPD pedals, they make cleats with plastic 'pontoons' that are thicker than the metal cleats. I used these with my SPDs, and was able to walk on cement and hardpacked sand no problem.
Good news - you have options:
If you use Look pedals - you can get cleat covers for them that will allow you to walk on any surface and not scratch them up. Also makes it easier to walk on. You only have to slip them on or off. theyll easily fit in your jersey pockets.
For SPD pedals, they make cleats with plastic 'pontoons' that are thicker than the metal cleats. I used these with my SPDs, and was able to walk on cement and hardpacked sand no problem.
