so i'm in the middle of giving toe clips and straps an honest going through, and the only thing that's been really bugging me is the feeling of the rear cage of my sylvans digging into the bottom of my foot when i'm trying to haul.

if any of you have sneaker or insole recommendations, or any other handy advice, let me know

so far, i've tried 2 different pairs of new balance running shoes, axion skate shoes, and puma suedes

get platform pedals or hiking shoes.

MKS GR9

file down the rear cage. TADA.

SPD shoes with nylon block cleats from yellowjersey.

i fail to see how this would work on an mtb shoe

I think my dominators came with some. they may have been long and stuck behind the tread but I can't really remember.

I still don't get why people are all about the Sylvans. If you want a low-dollar pedal for clips, it seems like the GR9 is a better, more supportive pedal for a lot of people. I'm running generic pedals similar to the Wellgo track pedals and they're great. Super comfy and none of the digging action of the Sylvans.

That said, if you're having this problem, you might look into some stiffer insoles like you can get at decent outdoor stores. Also consider stiffness of the shoe sole as a primary factor. FWIW, I've found my Onitsuka Tiger's to be essentially perfect for clips and straps. Just stiff enough, just padded enough.

sidi's and eggbeaters.

cool, thanks for the link. in any event, i'm not all about the sylvans by any means. there's a lot of people who swear by clips and straps, and i'm just trying to better find out why. it also seems that a good deal of the clips/straps people run some sort of MKS track pedal. i figure that i have to sort out comfort before I start to investigate efficency and control.

in the end, i'm hoping to see the best side of clips and straps as well as clipless.

the gs9s aren't all that. you can't really pull back because they're a platform pedal and your foot will slip out. I have sylvans (double straps) with the aforementioned onisomethingoranother tiger shoes...they're starting to get eaten (don't reccomend). the reason sylvans have the rear cage is for old cycling shoes. it doesn't clip into the pedal like the new systems do, but they have a super stiff sole and a cleat with a slot for the rear cage. that way, you can use clips and straps pretty much just as effectively as clipless, but they're slippery as hell and crappy for walking in. i damn near busted my **** when i tried to wear them for work one day. (i rethought that idea very quickly). but yeah, it's pretty much either comfort, style and walkability or performance. if you want the first three, deal with clips and straps. if you want performance, go clipless.

the end
-jason

so far, my dominators have been far more comfortable when riding. style's a toss up, since doms look cool and certain clip and strap setups look svelt. i don't find sneakers to be that much more comfortable than the doms for general kicking around and wearing around work.

yeah, i love my clipless shoes, but walking around in them after you get where you're going if you're just hanging out can be a bother...and so can bringing a pair of shoes. (always stabbing me in the back through my bag. i need to find some mtn shoes with a sole that has a soft part north of the cleat, so it's easy to walk in, but doesn't affect performance...(if anyone does that.)

-jason

Try looking at bmx shoes, they make a couple styles that have cutout's for spd styles cleats and a stiff sole. They also look like regular skate shoes too...

+1

Or use a shoe with a stiffer sole.