Clipless + Street Shoes
 

Everyone I've talked to that's tried clipless has raved on and on about it and refuses to go back to cages/straps. Instead of throwing down $80+ for double cages/straps, I've been toying around with the idea of riding clipless around the city with some MacGyver'ed street shoes. Obviously, they wouldn't be as good as riding with shoes made specifically for this purpose, but this would let me get around to classes and errand runs while being able to wear normal looking shoes. I did some Googling and came up with this:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/...6641d3.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/...59979e.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/...06d363.jpg?v=0



It seems that all the person did was drill some holes and bolt in some cleats. The bolts can be covered up with Superfeet or another shoe insert. This would probably greatly reduce shoe life, but I think this can be prevented by protecting the drilled areas with eyelets.

I was thinking that if this were to be done, the shoe would need to have a thicker/stiffer sole (Mexico 66's are pretty thin), but this seems like a very legitimate way to have normal looking shoes for everyday use and rides under 15 miles. There's even the possibility of Dremeling out part of the sole so that the cleat can be slightly recessed.

Thoughts?

Thought: MacGyver shoe won't last and may be dangerous. Invest in cleats... cheap, used, whatever.

Edit: Over in the commuting forum, http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=390489

i say we all email Asics and suggest that they make clipless Onitsuka's

Hmm... post from the bottom of the first page:

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've done it successfully, I have a pair of clipless converse now. Buy yourself one of these

http://www.bikeparts.com/pimage/BPC108443.jpg
Those plates are the key. Moding the shoe is relatively easy. Stiffen the sole with 3/8 inch steel plate, the full length of the shoe if you can. Cut it into an insole shape as close as you can, although if it's not perfect, it will will work. Pull out the insole, and about 3/8' of the padding underneath. Slip in the plate with a layer of your favorite adhesive on the underside.

The real problem is I have not found a way to allow for easy (or any) adjustment, so get your cleat placement right the first time. Go for a long ride and the pedals will leave a nice mark so you know where to mount the cleat.

Notice how the plate has two sets of holes? I used one to mount the plate to the shoe, and the second to hold the cleat in place.

Once you have the cleat plate mounted, put a light coat of rubber cement on the insole and place them in.

They worked pretty darn well if I do say so myself, but it took a bit of playing around to get it right. For one, while aluminum is lighter, it doesn't like being flexed...
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my thoughts are that you should get real clipless shoes.

i ride to and from work 6 days a week and can tell you, it will hurt your feet a ton if you use shoes that aren't made for clipless.

This whole idea screams hot spots!

exactly, your non-bike shoes are meant to cushion against an entire sole of pressure, not a two square inch spot right on the arch where it connects to the ball of your foot.

talk about pain city.

If you got real SPD compatible shoes then the cleat would be recessed into the tread and you would actually be able to walk around and they wouldn't rip the soles off or give you hot spots, unlike what's pictured in the first post.

the harder the sole the better this will work.

have any wood soled shoes? then don't do it.

Adidas makes some nice "mountain" shoes, that look just like regular shoes... have a recessed cleat... won't rip out of the sole... won't give hot spots... and are comfortable.

I use Adidas Minrettes

Oh, and those heals are sexy... just not my style :D

silly hipster, cleats are for cycling shoes!

Why modify the shoes?
Screw those suckers directly to your foot.

Homer: See Marge? I told you they could batter and deep-fry my shirt.
Marge: I didn't say they couldn't, I said you shouldn't.

Can you drill holes into a shoe and attach cleats? Yes. But to me it seems like a "worst of both worlds" scenario. As has been said several times already: SPD pedals, shoes with recessed cleats.

If you want to wear street shoes, then stick with cages.

BTW - anyone else find the suggestion to use 3/8" steel plate to stiffen the shoes absolutely hilarious? Wear those shoes around for a while and your V.L. should improve. :)

:lol:

I don't see the point—walking around on those will be uncomfortable and you will inevitably loose the benefit of riding clipless when you operate with those shoes.

Either buy a proper pair of cleats or ride with double strapped cages and get on with it.

Bingo. Inconvenience of cleats + a mushy sole = unhappy rides.

clipless sucked so bad for me it was very uncomfortable and not fun using clipless with tennis shoes is a very bad idea the shoes aren't stiff enough to transmit the energy efficiently or properly you will more than likely rip the sole off your shoe and end up in a nasty accident when you most need you foot to stay put

you want a sneaker look get some of the more leisure mountain shoes

That shoe is utterly pointless. Find some casual bike shoes. Clipless is totally worth it.

I like these:
http://media.rei.com/media/hh/763ab0...b1347c296f.jpg
http://www.rei.com/product/783235

They're super stiff, yet comfy to walk in. In fact, I'm wearing them right now, and I can attest that they're also super-comfortable for wasting valuable work hours responding to ridiculous threads on bikeforums.

You can also probably find them cheaper.

Some people hinted at this, but no one said it directly, so I figured I would.

On top of the floppy sole, unsure attachment, and prospects of hot spots, rubbing, and pressure points. Remember that the cleat will be sticking out beyond the sole, making these really no better to walk in than normal road shoes.

Mtb shoes work to walk in because the tread keeps the cleat from hitting the ground in most situations on a hard surface. A soft rubber sole with a hard metal chunk scraping the ground at every step is just going to be weird.

I like riding in sneakers with clips and straps.
I still get good enough power transfer and my feet are always happy.
Converting sneakers to accept cleats seems like a terrible idea. Just horrible.
I think my next purchase will be double straps and quad gate clips. OH YEAH!
MKS Gr-9s rule.

Then dont buy 80$ NJS double-straps because you saw it on fixedgeargallery.com

Mine were like 15$ when I was a student....

we need a sticky on this forum hospital bills from stupid crap I did on my bike even after more experienced riders told me it was a bad idea

Yeah, I guess I'm throwing this idea out the window. Thanks for the input.

I don't give two ****s about NJS. I was exaggerating a bit; double straps and quad cages are ~$60. Show me where I can get them for $15 and I will forever suckle from your swollen teat of knowledge.

I use these: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...:referralID=NA

They work with double-sided SPD MTB pedals and the cleats are recessed into the shoe so you don't walk on them. Very comfortable to walk in and plenty stiff for riding.