Girl shoes

[Cathryn]

Need some shoe advice.

First of all, why on earth are cycling shoes so damn ugly??? But moving on.... I want a pair of cycling shoes for:

a) cycling round Leeds and being able to walk into a bar without feeling like a chav as I currently do in my trainers.
weekend tours.
c) my big trip that I'm planning for next year.

Realistically this will involve 50 or so miles cycling per day and then wandering round little towns at lunchtime etc. I'll change into normal shoes in the evenings for proper walks.

I've narrowed it down to the Specialized Riata and the Specialized Taho. I'm thinking the Taho as they look more practical for the aforementioned walking/mooching but will they be okay for the cycling?

I have to admit, I cycle for pleasure, not for speed...so the effectiveness of power transfer etc is by far a secondary consideration to how practical they'll be to my type of cycling.

Thanks again for any advice!!

 

[Chuffy]

Baggy has Spesh Sonomas. Very good and ideal for what you want.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I don't know if this will help at all but I use Nike walkable road shoes and they are fine. They look more like road shoes than trainers though, but they are comfy on and off the bike for short walks.....I wouldnt go hiking around town looking for shoes in them though

 

[starseven]

Hi C

I cant see you getting much choice in fashionable female cycling shoe. Are flat pedals and straps an option?

You can have whatever shoe you want then.

 

[Joe]

Baggy has Spesh Sonomas. Very good and ideal for what you want.

I have a pair of these, they're great shoes! After trying a variety of low end Shimano shoes these were WAY more comfy for very little extra cost.
I wouldn't want to do to much walking in them though, click click click! This is with Crank Brother cleats in them mind, are SPD's more recessed?

 

[Blonde]

Ugly? I have two pairs of lovely silver Nike shoes that are really nice to look at, and fit me well, but they are road shoes with Look cleats and unfortunately it sounds like you're after ATB type shoes which I must admit I find ugly too. Can you not get some road shoes and pedals? It depends what pedals you use, but some of the more modern road pedals take smaller cleats that can be slightly more recessed in the shoe soles. I use Look pedals and cleats because they are cheaper (being older) but they aren't the best for walking in - I don't ever do any in them so this is no problem for me, but it sounds like you want to be able to. If you are not committed to using one type of pedal/cleat, I'd go in a shop, try a few pairs of different types of shoes on (road and ATB/touring) and check how the various cleats for different pedals would fit on/in the soles before making a decison. That way you will get a much wider range of shoes to chose from.

 

[domtyler]

Why not switch to clips and straps? Then you can wear what ever shoes you want.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

Taho is fine for cycling, the Riata has a far more solid sole so not as good for "walking/mooching"....and don't call them damn ugly; shoes have feeling as well you know .

As others have mentioned Sonoma is Ok for what you want as well as this is a similar shoe with softer sole, both this and Taho are fine for 50 miles, many use them for much greater distances than that. Would recommend none of the more solid sole variety like Riata and Motodiva as these are OK from bike to cafe but not if mooching is of any distance, mind you "wandering round little towns at lunchtime etc" would just about be OK.

I use both the equivalent in the gents models, gents Sonoma on my Town and Around bike that I may well do fifty miles on a Sunady if riding the Thames tow path and Wandle Trail that includes a wander around Richmond and Merton Abbey Mills. For for longer miles and tours I use the Specialized Sport (like Riata), in part as the are firmer for cycling, cooler (they will be in the winter as well that means) and dry quicker, which is a consideration if on tour. My tours do often include a bigh of sight seeing though, one to two miles tops though.

If you suffer in the winter with cold feet and you intend to only ever have one pair of shoes then Sonoma and Taho will be warmer in the winter than both Riata and Motodiva, it is this aspect that may help you decide which type

Paul Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

Need some shoe advice.

First of all, why on earth are cycling shoes so damn ugly??? But moving on.... I want a pair of cycling shoes for:

a) cycling round Leeds and being able to walk into a bar without feeling like a chav as I currently do in my trainers.
weekend tours.
c) my big trip that I'm planning for next year.

Realistically this will involve 50 or so miles cycling per day and then wandering round little towns at lunchtime etc. I'll change into normal shoes in the evenings for proper walks.

I've narrowed it down to the Specialized Riata and the Specialized Taho. I'm thinking the Taho as they look more practical for the aforementioned walking/mooching but will they be okay for the cycling?

I have to admit, I cycle for pleasure, not for speed...so the effectiveness of power transfer etc is by far a secondary consideration to how practical they'll be to my type of cycling.

Thanks again for any advice!!

 

[Cathryn]

Good shoe advice, thank you!

I'm a bog standard pedal girl myself at the moment, haven't yet even risked straps etc. Thanks everyone for the advice...I'm leaning more towards the Taho at the moment, but your advice is all hugely welcomed.

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

If you intend to start using them with just flat pedals then Taho would be the best choice, Sonomas has a smooth sole which may slip on a flat pedal and Riata and Motodiva are really clipless only

Paul Smith
www.bikeplus.co.uk

Good shoe advice, thank you!

I'm a bog standard pedal girl myself at the moment, haven't yet even risked straps etc. Thanks everyone for the advice...I'm leaning more towards the Taho at the moment, but your advice is all hugely welcomed.

 

[Cathryn]

Thought I'd report back. I'm now the proud owner of the Taho shoes, I LOVED them when I tried them on in my own size and didn't look like Minnie Mouse!

Off on a mini weekend-tour this weekend (I have panniers, thus it's a tour) so let's hope they're comfy!!!

Thanks to everyone again for the advice.