SPD's with road shoes

[Darren862]

Hi, I use SPD's on my Boardman CX as I commute on it and i want a shoe that I can walk in. On my other bike I use some Look pedals and 'propper' cycling shoes. My problem is that after about 20 miles with the SPD's, my feet start to hurt. Not an issue with the commute but if I want to ride further on that bike I either have to suffer the pain or change the pedals. If I put SPD cleats on the road shoes (my shoes can take them) will that solve the pain problem? I'm not sure if its the sole of the mtb shoes being softer or the smaller pedal size that's causing the pain.

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[TheDoctor]

Some people complain of 'hot spots' due to the SPDs being small, but I've not noticed it.
Only thing I can suggest is try it and see. Shoes and cleats are quite a personal thing.

 

[gaz]

Walking in them will be difficult.

 

[Darren862]

I'm not worried about walking in the road shoes. If I cycle somewhere and intend to walk I will still have the mtb shoes. I just want to know if I'm likely to still have pain in my feet if I use road shoes before going and buying a set of SPD cleats.

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[James D]

Have you tried adjusting the SPD cleats on the bottom of your shoes? It could be that the contact point is causing pressure on a nerve which is giving you an issue over a longer ride. I regularly ride 75+ miles with SPD's on my road bike and have no issues.

 

[Cubist]

Have you considered larger contact area SPDs like PD A520 or PD A600's?

You should be able to pick the 520s (above) up for 30 quid. Cheaper than swapping shoes. The 600s are teh "ultegra version", lighter with different bearings, but the same shape.

I use the 600s on my roadbike, and love the extra contact.
The ideal compromise, you have SPD walkability with Roadie style power transfer.

 

[lejogger]

I have look pedals on my cx and my team carbon. At first it seemed silly to commute and tour in racing shoes but I do find the pedals more comfortable and I don't have to walk too far... A set of clear covers prevents most damage too.
It also meant that when I was forking out for the bike and all the accessories I didn't need to fork out for shoes as well!!

 

[Darren862]

This is what I'm wondering. The mtb shoes won't take look cleats. The road shoes will take spd's. If I put spd on the road bike i can wrar eithet pair of shoes on either bike. But will I still get the pain in my foot with road shoes? I think the cleats seem to be in the correct place as they are comfortable for a while. I'm wondering if the sole of the mtb shoe is too soft and flexible for longer rides?

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[Cubist]

This is what I'm wondering. The mtb shoes won't take look cleats. The road shoes will take spd's. If I put spd on the road bike i can wrar eithet pair of shoes on either bike. But will I still get the pain in my foot with road shoes? I think the cleats seem to be in the correct place as they are comfortable for a while. I'm wondering if the sole of the mtb shoe is too soft and flexible for longer rides?

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Possibly. I use carbon soled MTB shoes, so can't comment.

 

[Legit]

Hi Darren,

I believe I might be able to offer some insight. I recently bought some Shimano R087 road shoes and some Shimano M520 SPD pedals. Although I knew the road shoe took SPD cleats, it was nearly impossible to walk in them as MTB shoes have the recessed cleat as opposed to the protruding cleat of a flat road shoe - that and the fact that having the cleat directly in contact with whatever I was walking on really put me off.

The solution - if your road shoe has holes for both sets of cleats (SPD and SPD-SL), you can buy an adapter for between £15-£20 called the "Shimano SM-SH40 Cleat Stabilising Adapter" which gives you a platform to walk on, as well as effectively recessing the cleat so it does not come into contact with the floor when walking. This solved my problem and I have no problems whatsoever with walking or pedalling.

Hope this helps!
Cleat stabilising adapter manual and diagrams: http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/t...H40/SI-SH40A-001-EN_v1_m56577569830683876.pdf

 

[Sittingduck]

Shoes with a wider fitting may help, particularly on longer rides in warmer weather. The feet swell and squash the metatarsel (as I understand it). Switching to wider fitting shoes helped me last summer. Specialized shoes are good in this respect.