[Closed] do road shoes make much difference? ?

IMO yes, but if you're happy then carry on!

I'd say yes Mick.
I'm sure loads will disagree tho..
What size are you?
I've pairs of 45's and pedals yer welcome to try...

I've got both and there is a slight difference, but not significant enough to make a differnece and I will be going back to mtb spd only when I sell the individual road and cross bikes and replace with a disc cross/road bike

There's less float and the soles are generally stiffer so they feel more efficient and connected, whether that actually makes much difference to the likes of you and I is up for debate!

I'd say not IMO but with a caveat - I rarely have the time to ride more than 50 miles in one go. Friends who ride bigger distances say 'proper' pedals and shoes do make a difference... How far do you ride?

Different pedals - wider platform and a bit more security
Stiffer soles, a bit more energy transfer
Oh, and road shoes (at least with Shimano cleats) are almost impossible to walk in.

It's not like night and day, but it's enough difference that it's worth having IMO.

lol. No they don't. even if you ride bigger distances.

The main difference is not having to walk like a **** if you stop.

Glad to be proven wrong with significant concrete data.

There is a big difference. Have you ever tried giving it the beans with SPD's.? They are just not secure enough. For the most part they are ok but if I sprint in them I end up pulling my feet out if the pedals.

Big difference, a wider platform with less movement and more secure plus stiffer and usually lighter than spd shoe/pedal combos plus you have more variation of cleat placement.

Personally, yes, I think they make a difference. It's a case of tools for the job, they're a bit more stable, a bit more comfortable due to the size of the platform, a bit of a stronger grip on the cleats. It's not a huge difference but for me, it is big enough to make the change worthwhile.

FFS! tighten the retaining tension bolt on your pedals or buy new cleats Neil.

If there was no difference then professional riders wouldn't all be wearing them. "Marginal gains" and all that.

Is there enough of a difference for the rest of us? Questionable. I use road-type shoes and pedals on my "racier" carbon bike most of the year but MW81s and Candys when it's colder. I definitely "feel" more connected with the road option but I'm willing to accept it's all in my head.

As for distance, I use Candys on my tourer. I prefer the wider platform they provide for softer-soled shoes (i.e. ones you can walk in comfortably).

Yes, huge difference IME (went from Candy's to Look Keo)

how much faster are you now Haze?

Night and day but a lot of that's down to training so difficult to quantify.

They're all well and good when you've just spunked all your savings on a nice road bike with little else left over, but if you want to push on.

Ive a new road bike and happy with my shimano spd shoes and crank bros candies but do proper road shoes and pedals make enough of a difference to be worth the investment?

Are you planning on entering any sportives this season? If you're not familiar with sportives; it's common practice for riders to dismount and push up the hills, especially the steeper ones. Therefore, I'd stick with the mtb shoes for now since they're much easier to walk in.

Are you planning on entering any sportives this season? If you're not familiar with sportives; it's common practice for riders to dismount and push up the hills, especially the steeper ones. Therefore, I'd stick with the mtb shoes for now since they're much easier to walk in.

They only time I've seen people walking on a sportive was on teh Fred Whitton going up Hardknott. They were all wearing spds, the real roadies got up fine. Make of that what you will 😉

Shoes, minimal depending on shoes MTB shoes. I have carbon soled Sidi road shoes and can't tell the difference between them and my more standard racey MTB shoes.
Pedals maybe. Up to about 100 miles SPDs are fine but long days are nicer with Looks

Assuming you still have mtb pedals and shoes and some sort of GPS you could actually test how insignificant (or not) the difference is.

Try to be honest with yourself and remember to adjust your seatpost height accordingly 😉

FFS! Now you tell me... I rode 120 miles in horrendous driving wind and rain a few weeks back. If I'd only known fitting "LOOK" pedals would have made the day nicer 😆

The big difference to me is comfort. Hotspots in my mtb shoes/pedals that I'd never got on all day rides on the mtb after 30/40 minutes on the road.

Swapped to Look pedals and DHB shoes and all fine.

i thought one of the reasons real roadies stop en mass and pee at the side of the road was because it isn't possible to walk into a tiled floor urinal in road shoes without sliding face first into an adjacent customers tackle....so be prepared to be accused of cottaging or go alfresco

edit ridden many all day and multiday road/gravel rides in shimano mtb spds and never had a problem with hotspots

I got hotspots using MTB pedals, right where the cleat was. I don't with road pedals.

Your experience may be different.

Professional road riders use road pedals. I doubt you're a professional (I'm not) or do anywhere near the mileage they do. I also doubt if even a 1-2w improvement in power would make any real world difference to everyday riding.

If you don't have a reason to change, then don't. If you do, even if it's "they look nicer", then do.

Not much difference at all. My road shoes are much nicer than my mtb shoes though so I'd expect them to be a wee bit more comfy.

Wider platform on road pedals do make a difference. Also get a better selection of cleats in terms of float options.
Efficiency improvements depend on what kind of MTB shoes you use. A lot of comments that say no difference come from people using off road race shoes. My MTB shoes are less stiff with a vibram hiking sole, so I notice a huge difference, and my road shoes aren't even carbon soles.

Use candy's on all my road bikes, have finished in the bunch and a few top tens in road races with no problems. Same shoes and pedals for all bikes. Do you normally feel the cleat pushing through the shoe? No, I never have either. The marginal gains in weight and maybe aerodynamics are so marginal at the average persons abilities it's not even measurable.

You don't see top flight mountain bikers who only clip in at the start of a race, riding in road pedals.

If you think back to the 90's shimano didn't offer a look type pedal they were little single sided road spds, plenty of races won on those.

I have never been able to find the reason why, but I get severe knee pain after a short 20 mile ride with look/spd-sl pedals. Go back to using spd then all day/multi day rides I have no pain. It is not the float as I have got cleats with the largest float available, so I just stick with the pain free soltion.

As for the stiffness/weight I have got loads of different shoes and the latest carbon mtb ones are nearly on a par with the road kit.

"do road shoes make much difference? ?"

For pro cyclists it depends how good a deal your agent can get.
££££££££££££ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/11/how-much-do-pro-cyclists-make/

They only time I've seen people walking on a sportive was on teh Fred Whitton going up Hardknott. They were all wearing spds, the real roadies got up fine. Make of that what you will

😀 I've seen a few take their road shoes off and walk up bare footed.

I was prepared last time I walked it; hit the cattle grid at full chat in 39/25; jumped off straight away; walked all the way to the top in my Vans.

I think a stiff pair of MTB shoes are ideal for the everyday roadie. There's often times when I could do with being able to walk about. I have three wedges under my right cleat, so I need the extra securtiy of the 3 bolts o nthe road cleats.

they make a big difference.

you won't know until you buy some, have them fitted and go ride hard. If you then try putting your SPD back on, you will be surprised at the difference.

the biggest differences I found was foot stability and power transfer, especially when climbing steep hills, or sprinting full gas.

No. I've got the same Specialized shoe in road and MTB version. I've got the MTB pedal an my commute road bike so have some back to back experience with a different version of the exact same shoe on the road, so same sole stiffness. The wide platform thing is a red herring. If your sole is stiff enough it doesn't matter how wide your platform is. The MTB shoe is easy to walk in, though you still have to be a bit careful as the hard moulded plastic grips are a bit slippery but nothing like the road cleats. The road shoe is lighter as it is without the extra additional moulded plastic grips.

So it makes less of a difference compared with buying a shoe with a stiffer sole of whichever variety it comes in (road or MTB).

Cheers all and thanks nick ive got hold of a pair to try out

In terms of better i meant better feeling for your feet rather than any speed gains. My legs and belly need performance tuning more than my feet 😉

Now to sizing my mate who is a long time roadie had a bike fit that included shoes and he said he ended up getting a bigger size as your feet need space to swell and not be restricted and any movement of your foot was limited due to the pedalling motion. Size 44 are very snug and 45 feel a bit big without big socks on

So it makes less of a difference compared with buying a shoe with a stiffer sole

This ^. My road shoes are fancy pants carbon soled things and the first time I used them they felt like they were worth an extra gear up the hills compared to the previous middling MTB shoes and SPDs combo. However, I'm sure it's mostly the stiffness of the sole as there's a difference between my slightly racey MTB shoes and the winter pseudo hiking ones that is noticeable.

The main advantage of road shoes, IME, is it's slightly easier to get overshoes over them as they've got less nobbles on the soles.

Huge difference when spinning fast as the shoes will hold your feet better in contact with the pedals. Huge difference when climbing; flatter stiffer platform.

And a pair of road shoes with cleats and pedals is about half the weight of an equivalent SPD setup.

/\ your(sic) not helping 🙄

"In terms of better i meant better feeling for your feet..."

Adam Hansen says

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/05/adam-hansens-custom-shoes/

And a pair of road shoes with cleats and pedals is about half the weight of an equivalent SPD setup.

^^^ If you've got a nice bike there worth it for this alone. I've tried both and on the road, road shoes/pedals do work a bit better. If can't believe this, well good for you, just keep on using whatever makes you happy.

Adam Hansen says

Interviewed by Johnny Vegas (2m56)

On the hotspot front I think that's as much about having the cleats set up correctly as the fit of the shoe. If the cleats aren't in the right position for you then you're much more likely to get sore feet. I did a chunk of shuffling cleat position about on mine till I was happy with them.

Fit wise it's worth thinking about what shape your feet are as some brands are better for wide feet and others for narrower feet. Also height and shape of the toe box matters.

You can get exustar pedals for silly cheap if you hunt or shimano SPD-rl 540 are 20quid ish, get shoes that fit you (go to a shop, buy from a shop) and make sure the cleat is in the right place, there are instructions on the internet

I prefer "proper" road shoes and pedals and so do all of the 500k+ a month riders I know.

There also much more versatile than MTB spds because you can quite happily ride to the shops/work/pub in flat shoes.

I'm not sold on road shoes. I think there probably is marginal gains to be had with them but unless I get into road racing/time trialing etc then I like the flexibility of being able to walk off the bike and have one cleat type for all bikes.
I have stiff soled mtb race shoes for the road bike and have had no hot spot issues with them

Have you ever tried giving it the beans with SPD's.? They are just not secure enough.

doesn't seem to effect pro xc riders

I don't get this 'can't walk in road shoes thing', it really isn't that difficult...

I found the mtb spds gave me hotspots when I used them on my road bike, and this was Sidi dominators and 540s that I just don't get on the mountain bike. I think it's the fact that your just sat in one position spinning away. Proper roadie shoes and pedals don't give me foot ache.

I switched to road shoes when I was getting hotspots with my MTB shoes. Haven;t had them since.

I've got a set of Shimano PD-R540 with cleats, one ride old if anyone wants them.

I used spds on my road bike for a while until I could afford some road pedals/shoes but was rather underwhelmed despite trying three different sorts of road pedals. I have now gone back to the bigger platform 530s which I find totally ok. Yes I am not a racer looking to wring every last pedal rev out of my legs but I manage fine.I have bought a widget to use two bolt cleats on three bolt shoes so I can still use my road shoes and I do think the stiff shoes do contribute to efficiency.

I use SPD SL's on my "proper" road bike now, but still use MTB SPDs on my Commuter, There is a perceptible benefit IMO; that stiffer sole and better supported interface helps.

But it's not hugely better, and like other have said any walking is a bit more challenging and the technique clipping in is a tad different, so I'd not rush out and buy new pedals and shoes OP, get used to the bike first, see if you are getting any hotspots on your longer rides, then consider trying SPD SL's...

It's one of those "marginal gain" things really, only you can judge if it's worth it or not TBH...

...and don't forget... the moar you spend the less marginal you'll judge them to be 😉

lol @ all the long distance hotspot suffering warriors

[img] [/img]

I'm not taking advice off a man who puts Tri-bars on a road bike 😉

Try it and see for yourself.
Worth thinking about how many road pros use MTB shoes and pedals?

I'm inclined to dismiss advice from blokes who walk like a duck... doesn't mean it's bad advice. quack quack!! 8)

The tri bars are to allow him to ride with less weight on his arse apparently rather than aero gainz

Worth thinking about how many road pros use MTB shoes and pedals?

ha ha.. it's really not

mtbel - Member
lol @ all the long distance hotspot suffering warriors

😐

[i]lol @ all the long distance hotspot suffering warriors[/i]

I don't get hotspots standing in my garden either... 🙄

……you know who he is right?

i did 150km around sheffield and the peaks today, including winnats, mam tor, peaslows, and jenkins road,

with XTR Race SPD's and AM45 shoes

why? they are warmer than my Rapha shoes/overshoes as long as its dry, and i cannot tell the difference between them

everyones favorite vegan troll likes mtb spd's as well

https://www.youtube.com/user/durianriders/search?query=spd

...and don't forget... the moar you spend the less marginal you'll judge them to be 😉

Perhaps, but I did do "proper" roadie pedals/shoes on the cheap:
£20 pair of R540s and I bought some Slightly used DHB shoes (one aborted ride apparently, probably didn't like SPD SLs 😉 ) for about £15 off fleabay I think... proper price for them is ~£30 I thing

So £35-£50 to try them out, obviously you can spend waaay more, but then I know plenty of people would turn their noses up at spending less than double that on MTB Shoes/pedals...

I'm not defending either choice, I can ride with them I can put up with the odd duck walking session, price wise they're about on par with MTB shoes/pedals really, but they're not everyone's cup of tea and there's nothing functionally wrong with MTB SPDs on a road bike, it's probably the more common choice...

Just Horses for course innit...

……you know who he is right?

Anyway, for those left wondering:
http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk/

*About 70000 miles.

Thought it was him...
Is he as "Demanding" a house guest as people suggested?

at least he won't leave cleat marks on your floor if he forgets to take his shoes off at the door.

Is he as "Demanding" a house guest as people suggested?

Don't think so

Yacf has a Sub forum devoted to him? Lots of hosts posting daily updates

My point is, if you're choosing cycling shoes by the ability to walk in them then you've got your priorities all wrong...

...500k+ a month riders

LOL, 10 miles a day then....

As for pedal weight, Shimano PDA600 spd pedals are only about 10g heavier than Dura Ace race pedals so that's not really a factor.

Road spd's you don't have to, mtb will be fine.

I'd say i depends on what you are going to do, if you are going for a ride, possibly walking pushing etc. then i wouldn't bother.
if you are going touring, the maybe a mtd soud with a cage, offers more support.

If you plan of fast road work, TT's, a bit of racing, big fast miles.
Then i would invest in a pair of SL's at some point.

BUT your ride bike experiance will not be ruined if you do or don't, its ok.
😉

Go on then Haze, I'm interested... What should our priorities be?

...500k+ a month riders

LOL, 10 miles a day then....

Go on then Haze, I'm interested... What should our priorities be?

(still don't have road shoes as I'm not buying a seperate set of summer/winter shoes for 1 bike) but if I was spending more time on the road or was spaffing a load more money on it I'd [i]look[/i] at road shoes/pedals)

What I'd like to know, mtbel, is what relevance any other rider's (whoever they are) experience with hot spots (or not) has to do with mine?

In short.. Yes 😉

Been using my s works mtb shoe for the past 2 months for commuting (I need to get my brain used to clipping in and out with these shoes as i was getting rubbish at dismounts and remounts in racing)

Went back to my carbon soles road shoe. Wow.. they felt great. Like slippers and much less float. I also noticed girls took more attention of me riding to work. Hopefully i'll get a pay rise today as well

erm pedalling in? MTB shoes

Also loads more float in the mtb pedals/cleats than road shoes. I don't move around so much on the road bike

Definitely for ma anyway, last summer I rode to Holmfirth for the TdF and put my Mavic MTB shoes on with M540's so I could walk around. Big mistake my left knee was in agony on the way home.

Switched back to the road shoes and it's a world of difference, never doing that again I can tell you

Forget the relevance of other riders Lifer. My point was simply that your choice of pedal system very unlikely to be the cause of your discomfort after 40 mins of pedalling on the road. I'm 99% sure you could pedal in properly set up SPD's and better fitting shoes just as happily as your Look/DHB combo. Hell.. I'd happily set you up.. the going rate these days seems to be £150 + the profit from the sale of the shoes/pedals.

Also loads more float in the mtb pedals/cleats than road shoes.

Not really - fitted some spare KEO red cleats to my commuting winter boots - they were lying around, instead of the normal grey - feels like pedalling on ice by comparison, with 9 degrees of float - similar to my spds.

For the record, like saddles, I'm pretty insensitive to cleat set up, so the arguments are moot for me. My carbon road shoes are noticeably stiffer then my mtb shoes and other road shoes. Whether than makes a difference, I really can't say. I started with very stiff Shimano spd shoes, mainly because I wanted a tread to put down when I held the tandem up. I never suffered from hot spots then either. If you do, try moving the cleat forward 0.5 cm. Midpoint of first and fifth metatarsal is the recommendation.

Big mistake my left knee was in agony on the way home.

Not really - fitted some spare KEO red cleats to my commuting winter boots - t

Ah sorry.. Should have said my TIME atac pedals/cleats have rotational float as well as sideways float which is quite noticeable

The reason i moved to TIME was because of this. I had knee problems with shimano spds (weirdly never had any issues with road cleats)

DONK, with respect, I was interested in Haze's opinion on what he thought our priorities should be. Not yours. Your wee outburst doesn't even make a whole load of sense.

funnily enough mtb shoes are designed for pedalling in too. 😕 and Float certainly isn't a negative thing for everyone.

MTB shoes on a road bike make you look like a pauper.

I'm 99% sure you could pedal in properly set up SPD's and better fitting shoes just as happily as your Look/DHB combo

ah, so you're not completely certain then?
Roadie shoes and pedals are defo better for manualing and pumping the bike

😉