Does anyone have any recommendations for decent shoes to use with metal pedals with toe cages? I have been upping my riding in preparation of a tour next month, and have noticed an increase of numbness in the ball of my left foot where it is contacting the pedal. I think it is due to wearing pretty soft soled shoes that don't distribute the load very well over the entire front of the foot, as my running shoes with a thicker, foamier sole seem to cause it less than my indoor soccer shoes with a thinner, gummier sole that I normally used for riding.

I am not interested in clip-in (clipless? This terminology confuses me!) solutions. I'll be spending a week and a half in Europe, where the biking is only the method of transportation, not the sole focus, there will be considerable time off the bike walking on breaks and such. I have no interest in continually changing shoes or wasting space in limited carry-on on a second pair. Plus, I already have the pedals, have already bought new leather straps, and as the bike is C&V they go for the all important "looks" factor...

I'm signing on as I'm curious whether there is a shoe out there like you are looking for. I'd like a similar shoe as well for touring. I like toe clips and straps for touring.

One possibility would be to use a mtb shoe without the cleat. That will be stiff for riding and OK for walking.

Another possibility--and one I'm leaning towards--is a bmx style shoe like the ones that Five Ten make.

I was actually just poking my head around the MTB shoes. Is there something special about them that makes them MTB shoes/clip-ins, or are the pedals easily used on road bikes if I ever wanted to go to clip-in pedals in the future?

Good call on the BMX stuff, too. I know Vans are readily available around me, maybe I'll check out their line and see if anything looks a bit stiffer.

EDIT: I do like the looks of those Five Tens!

If you like the shoes you're using, try a more rigid insole like Superfeet. There are several different profiles so you'll need to try them out. The blue or orange flavors work well for my very low arches.

In the old days there were only quill pedals with toe clips. Thus the term clips. When the shoe retainer to pedal was changed from clips to the new system it became clipless.

There used to be these things called bicycle touring shoes, but they a nearly extinct these days. I'm trying to find some too. The Giro Rumble is leading my list currently. Though they have SPD attachments, they look like they're designed to work well with toe clips too. Gives you some flexibility if you want to go clipless at some point. If you want to splurge a bit, there are a several companies in the UK that sell traditional cycle touring shoes, which are basically old fashioned 70s type bike shoes but with no cleats.

Alternatively, monk strap dress shoes work really well for toe clips, and even oxfords aren't that bad. It might take a bit of gumption to get over the weirdness of exercising in dress shoes, but in Europe maybe it's less weird.

I ride in Vans all the time, but I wouldn't want to do a tour on them. The lack of support under the forefoot is fatiguing.

What Mig said.


[MENTION=406915]jefnvk[/MENTION] - I have a couple pairs of PearlIzumi XAlp shoes which are MTB shoes. TO use the clip part, you have to tear off part of the sole. Dont tear that off and its a shoe that'd be great for platform pedals since it doesnt flare out to a wider footprint like running shoes(my foot size means running shoes constantly rub on the crank arm).
https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Izumi-X-.../dp/B00FNG7608 This is one of many versions of the XAlp series.

Also, food for thought- https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=45
My wife uses running shoes as dedicated cycling SPD shoes made a toe or two go numb. I wouldnt try crocs like Grant at Riv did, but perhaps a different platform pedal would help resolve your issue?

My Moab hiking shoes have a reasonably stiff sole. I have used them for all day rides on my M324 pedals and those pedals do not spread the weight over much area.

If you are near an REI store, go in and look at some hiking shoes. Mine look very similar to these, they may have changed the design slightly because they do not look identical: https://www.rei.com/product/836529/m...ing-shoes-mens

I did not use toe clips with these shoes, just used them on the non-cleat sides of the pedals.

Meh, the soccer shoes are wearing thin in the sole, and the Pearl Izumi running shoes are old. Time to get a new pair, figured they might as well be suited for biking, as that is what those two pair are used almost exclusively for. I've looked at those Superfeet yellows for my hockey skates before, I was impressed by them. They'll probably get tossed in the skates at the beginning of next season.

Yeah, REI is on my list of places to go look at. I absolutely hate buying shoes online. It does look like there is quite a wide variety of MTB shoes available there and Performance Bike that I can at least go check out.

Regarding changing platforms, to be honest I'm not even on the bike I'll be riding yet, its sitting around stripped down waiting for a coat of enamel to dry and be wet sanded. All my, for lack of better term, "conditioning to ride longer distance day after day" riding has been done on three different bikes with three different pedals. Two have a form of black plastic platforms, and the third is a metal cage similar to the pedals on the touring bike. I have the problem on all three. I think the prudent first step is a set of non-worn, bike specific shoes.

I am leaning towards those Giro Rumbles, though. They look nice as well, partly important to me if I want to go into a place that sneaker type shoes are out of place.

My weapon of choice would be trail running shoes (good for many uses and something I have on hand already), along with a stiff insole, like Superfeet.

Anyone know of a stiff insole that's stiff for the entire length of the shoe, or at least through the ball of the foot? Superfeet stop just shy of the ball, and I'd like something that goes all the way. When walking, I'd swap insoles - much easier to carry than shoes.

There are shoes out there that although designed for lipless mtb cleats have soles that are great for caged pedals too and are very close to the old caged pedal touring shoes. Mountain Equipment Co-op and a local bike shop sell them for about $120.00 Canadian.

Cheers

I've worn regular running type shoes with homemade thin plywood inserts under the insole whilst touring. They worked well for me.

Cheers

Good idea. How about custom molded carbon fiber insoles? Aluminum sheet insole?

Better yet, how about Speedplay Frogs and decent MTB shoes...

My plywood insert is a lot less expensive and allows me to wear regular shoes and use just about any pedal with them.

Cheers

You really only need something stiff on the front half. The back half does not flex much on a pedal.

A physical therapist I used to see mentioned the carbon fiber insoles, but when he found that my insurance would be charged a couple hundred, he figured that he could not justify getting me a set. He said he has used them for turf toe. You can buy insoles that are metal to prevent things like nails from going into your foot, but I think they are steel. I have never seen either the carbon fiber or metal ones, I have just given you the sum of my knowledge on that topic.

Do these shoes have a name? I popped across the border to buy my ice skates, with my 20% American discount, if there is a store in Windsor I'd do it again!

I wondered if anyone would mention this. It had gone through my head to try it, didn't want to suggest it and sound even cheaper than I actually am!

Having once had the pleasure of trying to explain to airport security screeners why my shoes were Shoe Gooped together, I've got no great desire to take metal insoles through security!

Sorry. I forgot to include a link to the MEC sold shoes.

Merrell Freewheel Lace Shoes (Men's) - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

Cheers

I use trail running (lightweight hiking) shoes: Salomon Synapse ankle high, and Vasque something green mesh low cut. The soles are stiff and I never have foot numbness. Excellent walking shoes, no problems exiting the toe cage as I don't tighten the strap. I much prefer this solution to the clipless.

Oh those Merrell shoes do look nice, I really like that Chukka version. Need to see if I can find a place that sells them locally. Shoes are one thing that I almost always refuse to buy online, I don't care if it costs me $40 more in person I'll play the cash.

Also interesting to hear how many others prefer the toe clips when touring, just figured that the clipless would be the thing, as it seems to be in all other forms of biking.

I've had no luck getting the toes of any hiking or basketball or fat sneakers into a toe clip. It's one of the reasons I gave up on clips.

I used to use toe clips and have switched to clipless. In the old days it was tough to get gym shoes into the toe clips because the soles would grab the pedals and not let the shoe slide into the toe clips. I got cycling shoes like Dettos or Sidi's (Sidi's were the best). These had smooth leather soles that didn't grab the pedal and a cleat on the bottom that fit on the back of the pedal. So if you want to use toe clips and quill pedals and you want a stiff cycling shoe to prevent toe numbness then you want a set of road shoes that have the three screw cleat (look cleat), and some cleats that will fit a quill pedal. I saw that the yellow jersey sold some cleats that fit the new road shoes and work with quill pedals.

I have switched to SPD's on all of bikes, and this winter got a set of touring shoes. These shoes are SPD, but also have a nice sole that is more comfortable for walking than my Sidi mountain bike shoes. They have a stiff sole to prevent hot spots and foot numbness.

I only ride with stiff soled shoes and tour with SPD cycling shoes. I used to bring 2 pairs of shoes when I go touring, cycling shoes and off bike shoes, I hope these new touring shoes are the only ones that I take on my next tour.

Soles is a brand that are stiff across the entire foot.
https://www.rei.com/product/798300/s...ustom-footbeds

I didn't ride the bike a lot before I ripped it apart, but I didn't have any trouble getting my feet in the clips. Well, that is other than figuring out how to keep the clip upright when shoving my foot in, which I can't say I've quite mastered yet.

I've got midget size 8ish feet, though.