shoe question

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cyclenic

New Member
Location
Lovely Devon
Whats the difference between MTb and road/touring shoes?

I own a mountain bike, and in dry/damp weather i go off road at local woods.

Other days, with less time i will cycle 90% on the roads.

what would be best for me?

and is there any difference between mens and ladies, (i'm a size 9 xx()
 

Fiona N

Veteran
You don't say what sort of pedals you use but assuming it's some form of spd clipless, I'd say you'll get more choice (and possibly better value) and use out of mtb shoes.

'Proper' road shoes for Look-type cleats tend to have an otherwise smooth sole and are not terribly practical off the bike as the cleat sticks off the bottom of the sole meaning that you must either teeter along on your toes or walk heel-down - not much good in mud.

I don't think there's an awful lot of difference between 'touring' shoes and the lighter end of the mtb range. But these sorts of shoes are more practical with more grippy soles for walking normally (as the spd-type cleats fit into a recess in the sole) and definitely a much better option if you're actually riding off-road.

I use Crank Brothers pedals (Candy), which have a cleat similar to Shimano spd pedals, with Specialized mtb shoes for all my cycling now (including long-distance touring, sportifs etc.). The high-end mtb shoes are extremely stiff and secure and (for me) appear to be a more comfortable option than the road shoes (Sidi) that I used to wear.

Hope this helps ;)
 
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cyclenic

cyclenic

New Member
Location
Lovely Devon
shoes

I have no idea what the technical name of my pedals are, they came with the bike. just normal simple pedals i suppose.

but thanks for the help
 

Fiona N

Veteran
Ah haa - I assumed more experience in my reply.
If you're using normal flat pedals which you don't clip into then you're limited to mtb/touring type shoes with a fairly chunky sole so that they grip on the pedal. Shimano and similar ones usually have a recess in the sole which is covered by rubber. This is so that if you use so-called clipless pedals (confusingly this are pedals which don't have toe clips but which do clip into the shoes using a small metal cleat) like the spd pedals I mentioned, you can remove the rubber cover and attach the cleat, if not you use the shoe as they come. The advantage over just trainers or similar is that the sole are stiff so that you don't get the pedals biting up through the spongy sole and making your feet ache.
 
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