This has me realizing I need some walkable road shoes for urban adventuring.

::bump::

Any recomendations for the speedplay users?

That's taking my name in vain.


Slackerprince

speedplay is the worst for walking. I dont understand why you wouldnt just use a high-end set of MTB shoes. I use MTB shoes ofor commuting.

If you mean Frogs, then Shimano SH-RT80 or RT51. The RT51 is very similar to the SH-T092s that I've worn for several years and really like. The RT-80 is a newer design that may share an upper with other models like the SH-R085. I have a pair of the RT-80s as well as my old T092s.

There RT-80 is a departure from the previous touring models in a couple of ways. First, it's silver. For riders who are bit tentative about wearing flashy shoes (which I suspect is a large number of the traditional buyers of this type of shoe) it might be a show-stopper. Me, I like the color.

The other big difference is that it now provides a buckle closure instead of a third velcro strap. The buckle closure is supposed to lock the position of the strap so that it doesn't slowly loosen over long rides. That's a problem I don't recall having with my old shoes with three velcro straps and I'm not sold on the concept. The buckles are, supposedly, replaceable.

The soles are also a bit different. Previously, they were made with a single piece of hard rubber. The RT-80s now have pieces of a different grey material attached to the contact points of the sole. I presume that it may be a tougher material for longer wear, but I don't know.

As far as weight is concerned, the RT-80s are very slightly lighter than the T092s.

The RT-80s only cost about $5 more than my T092s did, which isn't bad considering what's happened to the dollar and the fact that this is a pretty big change.

The Frog cleats fit like they were made for this shoe. There's no slippage on linoleum floors, the installation is easy and there's room for adjustment.

Not necessarily. That may be true for some of their road cleats, but not their Frogs, which is what would be used on the shoes under discussion in this thread.

This has been answered previously in the thread.

I have a pair of the specialized Tahoe's their MTB shoes but not with an aggressive tread...and really confortable,,,I can run in them,

keep in mind that you will have a cleat on of some kind, so teh walkability of the cleat will also be a factor. I don't know what you mean when you say the walkability, whether we are talking about 50 metres or a 2hr excursion at a market.

most of Louis Garneau stuff is pretty good, they have rubber toe and heel trimmings. Don't bother with Shimano, they haven't changed their shoe design in over 8 years, the carbon fibre piece on my bottom of my racing ones are not doing too well.

Edit, I was going to talk about Speedplays, but it seems most don't like them for walking. Again, the distance walked will be a factor.

Read post #56.

Hi,
Shimano has a new Road Touring shoe called RT-80's. On amazon they are currently going for 109.99 in price. Check them out you may like them. Or try signing onto Bikenashbar.com they have a couple of (titled) indoor cycling shoes, that, if you are not a HARSH roadie, you could use the FN-20's or Fn-50's as a walkable road shoe as well. As a never ending product innovator I have thought of this idea for quite sometime hoping to spread my thoughts that someone with the doe ($) will come up with new innovations for this product line. for those who are a little more than recreational riders but not necessarily road racers.

I know the op doesn't like mtb shoes BUT these are the exact same shoe as the road model, but with tread. I use them for cx, and I can run up stairs with no problem, so I'm sure you'll be safe walking around in them without slipping.

https://www.lakecycling.com/ProductIn...ctid=MX330%20C

I'm getting these in on Tuesday. I'll let you know what I think.

Just got them today. Haven't been for a ride yet, but I walked about the kitchen. A couple of quick observations:

The shoes come with detachable toe spikes. I didn't install, but the screws that currently hold that spot click on the tile anyway. I wish they also made a screw in rubber piece for that.

Anyhow, not as walkable as my Specialized Taho shoes...but the sole is a TON stiffer, which will probably eliminate the hot spots I've been getting with my Tahos. So...you can't have everything.

Tomorrow will be the ride. Hopefully they ride as nice as they feel like they will. I certainly wouldn't walk the top of the van with them though. These are more walkable than typical "road" shoes, but not as walkable as the Taho shoe.

I've been wearing a pair of the RT50's for two years now, with great satisfaction. Hard to find, though, even online, which makes me wonder if they too are about to be discontinued. They're the only SPD shoe I know that's strictly for road/touring use, but recesses the cleat completely.

Does anyone know how stiff the sole on the Shimano RT-80 is? I'm not going to ride the Diadora's today while I'm making up my mind.

As mentioned, I had found a walkable shoe in the Taho, but the sole was soft and gave me hot spots. The Diadora's pictured above have a fantastic sole, but aren't the most walkable...though more so than typical "road" shoes.

If the RT-80 is more walkable...AND has a super stiff sole, maybe I'll go exchange.

I don't know how to quantify stiffness. I've got thousands of miles on my old SH-TO92s and hundreds on my RT-80s and have had no hot spots. Feels like I've got a big pedal under my foot. Walkability is at least as good as any of the mtb shoes I've had and they don't pick up as much mud.

The Tahoe appears to be of the "looks like sneakers" type entry-level shoe. My theory is that they are sold to new riders intimidated by flashy cycling shoes and, thus, have flexy soles so they feel good on the showroom floor but awful on the bike.

You could always order the RT-80, compare them to the Diadoras and return the pair you don't like.

FWIW, the pair of Diadora Geckos with their diapan soles that I had several years ago gave me nasty hot spots. Might even have cracked the soles.

can anyone identify the shoes on the left?

this image is taken from Rapha's Kemmelburg short

Yeah, that's pretty much right on with the Taho. I went to the store and asked for a "walkable shoe", and that's what they sold me. I thought it was a bit flexy, but the store said it would be fine. For a time it was...I think maybe it takes some time for the soft sole to soften up even more, but it did in time.

Shimano's website doesn't say what the sole of the RT-80 is made of. From the pics I can't tell if the sole is actually any different than the Taho. I'll assume it is, but little information is available.

Maybe I'll just go with the Diadoras, and quit fussing about it.

First commute with the Diadoras. They would be 10x more "walkable" if they came with a screw in rubber lug/tread point to put where the toe spikes would go. Currently there's two screws there, and when my stride rolls to the toe, my foot slips and slides on the screws.

For those of you riding MTB style shoes, does anyone make anything like that?

Can't you just remove the screws? My MTB shoes have holes for screw in toe spikes, but I've always just left the screw holes empty.

It you don't think you can do that, squirt a little blob of shoe-goo in there.

At the LBS the Specialized Comp road and Comp MTB were near identical in stiffness besides the lack of cleats on the road shoe. The road shoe is carbon, and the MTB shoe is plastic, so there was a weight difference.

I went with the MTB (because I really only want one pair of shoes) and do not regret it.

I just got these mountain shoes for road use. Fairly conservative styling without an aggressive patterned sole. I haven't done anything other than mount cleats and spin around the block but they seem stiff enough and have a fairly wide toe box.

Diadora Freerider MTB Cycling Shoe from Sierra Trading Post for $65.00 less 20%
https://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/3...D-For-Men.html

Another vote for Specialized Sonoma's. I'll use these for riding to the gym.

Went to the LBS to buy a pair of Shimano RT51, largely as a result of reading this thread. Tried them on and they were way too narrow. Salesman suggested Bontrager Street shoes (spd)


These are great shoes for the fat footed. They come with an eSoles insert that can be custom fitted at an eSoles dealer (which my LBS is not).