sunstealth

im trying to find a set of shoes that are suitable for road as well as mountain biking, need to work with time atac pedals. (so SPD compatible if im right)

rogerstg

Aside from weight differences, mtn and road shoes don't care what bike they're riding. It's when off the bike that issues come up. Practically all mtn shoes can walk on roadways, but few road shoes/cleats will give enough traction to scramble up a hill, or be able to clear mud from the cleats. Walking on the road is not always pleasant in road shoes either.

Mtn/touring shoes come in a wide variety of sole styles. Pick what will suit your needs.

rdtompki

If you really want stiff soles you might look at cyclocross-style shoes. These have very stiff soles, but have a tread so they can be walked in. These are not as comfortable to walk in as some of the more pliable MTB shoes, but even these shoes are stiff where it counts.

HandsomeRyan

As others have mentioned- any mountain shoe will work just fine for road riding. If you are riding/racing road bikes at a level where the weight/aerodynamics of your shoes are what's holding you back it is time to invest in something road specific, until then mountain shoes are great all-around shoes.

cachehiker

I wear Adidas Gran Corsico touring shoes from time to time. They don't have spikes in the toes for pushing your bike up the loose stuff but they're reasonably well ventilated and reasonably stiff. In fact I prefer them to my mountain shoes for a lot of the southern Utah trails featuring slickrock and sandstone. The plastic soles on my standard mountain shoes don't stick to that stuff as well as a rubber sole and it's like sandpaper. A slip and a fall means a raspberry.

I also use some 661 Filter SPD's for commuting and light trail riding. They look a lot like the skate shoes that are all the rage so nobody knows I'm wearing bikes shoes until I show them the recessed cleats. They're marketed as a BMX shoe though and favor durability over ventilation. I'm not sure I would take them out for a century ride in temps over 70ºF.

tsl

I run SPDs with MTB shoes on all my roadies. Only the fashion police give a damn.

nymtber

I've always run MTB shoes... Mountain bike, Road bike (now sold) and currently my specialized sirrus hybrid/fitness bike. I could care less about "fashion" and I wont shave my legs either. I wear baggies over my lycra too, comfort factor

Yan 

Something like this, you mean?

BarracksSi

^^^ Those Sidis, and shoes like them, are about as close as you can get to roadie shoes while still having a lugged sole.

BarracksSi

Forgot to add that, with shoes like those, you can get a road shoe-like feel with them, and still be able switch to other SPD-compatible casual shoes and sandals without changing the pedals.

DesnaePhoto

Yep, I wear Pearl Izumi Pro MTB shoes. The carbon sole is stiff enough I can wear on both road and dirt. If someone gets really upset at the road use, I'll allow them the honor of purchasing me Keo Blades and carbon shoes. Or speedplays. And carbon shoes.

AndrewP

I use the Sidi Mega MTB shoes. The non-mega version is reasonably priced. OK for walking from the parking lot to my office, but not much more. They are half the weight of my Cannondale MTB shoes, which are easier for walking.

PaulRivers

Yeah, if you're commuting using mountain bike cleats (spd compatible) there's no reason at all to buy separate road shoes, just use mountain shoes for both. Easier to walk in, to, as mentioned. I've been told repeatedly that nowadays that the mountain and road shoes are almost exactly the same.

The only reason to buy road shoes is if you're also going to use a road cleat. Other than that, there's no advantage to road shoes.