Mindi Rosenthal

Why don't my road shoes have any rubber for traction under the toe? Can I buy this at the LBS and stick it on?

Bontrager

Not sure if you're asking about the inside or outside of your shoe but if it's the inside then try the footcare section of your local wally world - might be cheaper.

ed073

some do. depends on the brand.

Mindi Rosenthal

The outside--to give some traction. I always feel a little unstable in my Sidi road shoes'

ed073

I wear Sidis too......yes, very slippery on smooth surfaces.

Mindi Rosenthal

Do you think anyone makes a piece of rubber that I can glue on?

Surferbruce

how about an old mtb tire cut up? some pc-7 epoxy and you could be setting style trends..

LordOpie

You should just customize something. Probably be ugly, but better than busting your butt, right?

People will hate me for saying this, but the next time you're in the market for a new pedal, consider the Ultegras. I have a bad knee and bought solely based on how my knee felt with various pedals while riding; however, out of the four pedals I tried, those are hands down the best cleat to walk in.

karlfitt

This is why I use mountain shoes on my road bike.
I have the Sidi Dominator, so I can walk off the bike.
May years ago (~15) I had some Diadora road shoes & Look Cleats. Almost killed myself walking in those things. No trouble with the MTB shoes, it just limits your pedal choice.

2manybikes

I don't think there is anything specifically made to stick on a road bike shoe and give you traction. Normally the answer to this is you buy mountain bike or touring shoes to start with and they have almost normal walking soles. If your shoes are brand new maybe you can swap them? You would probably have to get different pedals too.
The road bike shoes are just made for riding, not walking.

Trekke

I do the same thing. Road shoes are not made to walk in. Period.

2manybikes

Me too.

CPcyclist

Me three

steveknight

yep I changed from speedplays to speedplay frogs and shoes I can walk in. far better.

gcasillo

How much walking do you have to do, Mindi? As you've discovered, road shoes aren't made for pedestrians. If you're commuting or touring, then the suggestion for MTB shoes and pedals will be your best bet. Else, if you're just riding to ride and/or train, I don't know if new shoes & pedals are worth it.

On my commuter, I have toe cages. Problem solved. But on my Look, I use road pedals and shoes. Shoes are last or next to last thing I put on before I waddle out the door. The driveway is just out my back door, so all I do is keep my toes up and more or less walk on my heels until I'm in the driveway, throw a leg over, and roll out.

leonardo da vin

What are you all talking about? If I ride, I walk out the door, get on my bike, ride for 1-5 hours, get home, walk back in. Unless you're going to visit a museum or go shopping in your cycling clothes, who does a lot of walking. Of course, midway stops for refuelling or just enjoying the scenery/weather with some liquids at hand do ask for some walking. But you all know your shoes are slippery and you just have to take your time. Either stop whining or costumize you perfect sidis into walking monsters. But please don't get me started on mtb-shoes...

nbf

Specialized road shoes ahve little rubber thingies on toe an heel to better traction

gcasillo

I didn't misinterpret her question as whining. Why would you?

leonardo da vin

Not her specifically, but I get a bit tired of threads like this. It seems like you guys want to do things very differently in some strange ways, like riding without bib shorts. Maybe it's just my conservative (boy do I hate that word) european outlook on cycling, but being a racer and riding some 15k miles a year, I know one thing. Cycling gear is made the way it is, because it makes cycling more enjoyable. Not because somebody wants to put some walking miles on their cycling shoes or doesn't want to wear bib shorts and then find themself getting home with a sore butt. So STOP WHINING was meant as a general comment on people that want to do it differently. Just do it but don't bother us with it. But as this is a open forum, I'll just refrain from posting on these threads any more, cos I know some of you will think that I should just stop whining ;-)

leonardo da vin

and you're probably right

gcasillo

Agreed that bike gear is what it is for a reason. Still, not everyone rides 15k miles a year (and if you do, I'm genuinely impressed). All sports are like this. Some basketball players prefer low cut shoes to high-tops. Some golfers prefer an extra wedge to augment their short game while others carry an extra long iron or wood. Some baseball players wear batting gloves while others use pine tar. In short, there's any number of ways to get it done.

Hey, folks have to start somewhere. Cycling in the USA is fun and funny at the same time. A lot of folks arrive at it when they're older instead of their adolescent years (16 years old == driver's license!). It's not like stick-and-ball sports where there's coaching, it's on TV all weekend long, and sportswriters sell it in the paper. People have to fumble around for a while before they figure it out.

tomcat

quote...."Not because somebody wants to put some walking miles on their cycling shoes or doesn't want to wear bib shorts and then find themself getting home with a sore butt."


err.....why/how do bib shorts prevent sore butts??? Am I "pinching/squeezing" my butt too much in regular shorts trying to keep them up? IOWs, am I prairie dogging too much in regular shorts?? Do bib shorts make me sit on the saddle less or make my butt tougher?? Inquiring minds want to know.


tomcat

leonardo da vin

I'm not flaming on non-traditional riders here, every rider is a soul won for cycling! I think is has to do with us racers being in a peloton since we were kids and getting used to what all the other racers do/wear. I simply don't even consider riding without bib shorts. But hey, if you're fine with regular shorts, surely don't be spending your money on expensive b.s. for my sake. But when I go to the island of Mallorca wednesday for training 5 hours a day for 9 day long, I sure as h*ll will like my b.s.

one simple reason for b.s.: there are no seams or stitches on the area you sit on
second simple reason: better aerodynamics

DriveBy

Third simple reason for new riders like me who are still fighting a weight problem: they hide the gut a little better.

tomcat

quote..."one simple reason for b.s.: there are no seams or stitches on the area you sit on
second simple reason: better aerodynamics"


**********....I still don't understand where you're coming from. All I see in bibs is that they stay up better. So how are bibs different in seams and stitching on the butt area? Why are bibs better aero??? My regular short's chamois is stitched on just like Bibs, right?